Sask. sexual assault survivor calls for more education on when a medical exam becomes inappropriate
Sarah Vermette says she was assaulted during a gynecologist exam
Sarah Vermette remembers leaving the campus doctor's office feeling embarrassed and confused.
The Saskatoon resident was 24 years old and studying for her master's degree at the University of Southern California (USC) in the early 2000s.
She said that's when she was sexually assaulted by now-former USC campus gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall.
"I don't want women in college now or 10 years later or 20 years later to experience this all over again," she said. "As long as we stay quiet, that's exactly what's going to happen."
Vermette, 39, said she's sharing her story now to raise awareness about what's appropriate at the doctor's office.
Hundreds of allegations against same doctor
She felt alone in her experience for a long time. Then last year she saw posts on social media detailing dozens of accusations of assault against the same doctor by former students and staff.
The allegations against the doctor have ballooned. Hundreds of current and former USC students have accused Tyndall of misconduct.
He has denied wrongdoing and hasn't been criminally charged, but USC agreed to pay $215 million to settle a class-action lawsuit, according to a recent report from the Associated Press.
The settlement is still pending court approval.
She has since penned a memoir about her journey to heal from the alleged doctor's assault and the sexual abuse she experienced as a child.
"Sexual assault — it takes so much away from us. It takes away a sense of autonomy. It takes away a sense of boundaries," she said.
The writing process was cathartic for her, she said. She was inspired to turn something awful into something helpful.
She said she wants to combat the feeling that, "no one's going to believe you."
Calls for increased education
Vermette has spoken with other former USC students who have voiced their allegations against the doctor.
"Many of them had never seen a gynecologist (before) and they had no idea what was right and what was wrong," she said.
There's a little bit of discomfort with the sensitive exams but you should never feel yucky after.- Dr. Randi Ramunno, Saskatoon physician
She reflected on her own experience and what she wasn't taught about sexual abuse.
Vermette believes early education could be key to preventing sexual abuse at doctor's appointments in the future.
- Regina police charge former doctor with 5th count of sexual assault
- 2 patients accuse Regina doctor of sexual touching, College of Physicians lays unprofessional conduct charges
- Montreal obstetrician-gynecologist loses licence for 2 years over sexual comments
She said schools could bring in healthcare professionals to teach boys and girls what to expect during a doctor's appointment that involves their genitals or breasts.
This could be incorporated into the wider sex education curriculum for students, she added.
What should a patient expect?
Patients should feel like their healthcare is the doctor's priority and feel comfortable to ask questions during sensitive exams, said Dr. Randi Ramunno, who is a family physician in Saskatoon who also works with the sexual health centre.
"You don't have to just grin and bear it, like this exam is not supposed to be painful," she said. "There's a little bit of discomfort with the sensitive exams but you should never feel yucky after."
She said patients and physicians can request to have a chaperone in the room and that physicians should talk through their actions as they move through the check up.
Ramunno is program coordinator for the Sensitive Exam Teaching Associate (SETA) with the U of S College of Medicine.
She developed the program to teach medical students how to practice breast, pelvic and urological exams. The male and female teaching associates are community members, not physicians.
"It is led both by the physician and the patient so that there's more of that equality and there's not any of that power dynamic," she said.
They provide real time feedback on technique and communication during the practice exams. U of S medical students were only able to practice on plastic models before Ramunno developed this program four years ago.
Ramunno said there is an emphasis on appropriate dialogue and consent, which is meant to create a dynamic that empowers patients.
"We're moving from a paternalistic form of medicine more into patient-centred care in which it's a team, she said. "This is what we should have been doing all along. It's just unfortunately not necessarily what has been happening."
Vermette said her experience can be used as a learning opportunity for people in Saskatchewan, despite having happened in the U.S.
"We'd be kidding ourselves and fail ourselves if we didn't think it was happening here at home," she said.
"These people are in a position of responsibility, and we expect that they're going to do their jobs — but it's so easy for them to do otherwise."