Having been born and raised around the fire station, I know what the mentality is within the station. Most days you can’t wear your heart on your sleeve. The relationship you have with your co-workers is completely different than the relationship you generate with your patients.
An important thing to remember is that every patient is someone else’s son, daughter, mother, father, grandmother, aunt or uncle. During my education, I was taught over and over and over again “treat everyone like you are treating your grandmother.” That statement still holds true today.
While I was out on assignment covering the recent sexual assault on campus, the victim said during our interview that one of the female providers that responded on the ambulance “asked if I was walking alone and then rolled her eyes” while she was describing the events.
In the days after the interview, that phrase echoed in my mind.
The last thing that a victim needs in this situation is for someone to condemn them by assuming that the reason they were assaulted was because they were walking alone, and then rolling their eyes during a patient interview. That type of behavior is rude, not professional and should not be tolerated.
Imagine your family in that situation. Imagine your daughter, who just went through this act of violence.
This type of behavior is one of the reasons why sexual assaults and rape go unreported on college campuses. The students, male or female, are afraid they will be judged—clearly demonstrated by this local event.
This action by the emergency medical personnel that responded mimics the action of colleges and universities. Schools turn their heads from the issue because they don’t want their institution to get a bad name, potentially hurting their enrollment numbers.
Recent media coverage of the events has shed new light on this problem.
Sexual assault at colleges and universities is indeed a serious problem. The attention it’s receiving today—on campus, at the White House, in the media—is a direct result of the often callous and dismissive treatment of victims. For too long, those who were assaulted on campus and came forward were doubted or dismissed, and the individuals responsible were given a mild rebuke or none at all. Those who commit serious sexual crimes on campus must be held accountable.
The bottom line—don’t make assumptions. Treat the victims with the respect they deserve. After all, they are truly the brave ones.