The year I went to Hell and back..

Second Day..

So today was my second day of my second first year of medical school. During today’s orientation, we had a lecture called “Campus Safety.” Thinking that this would be very similar to last year’s orientation lectures, I didn’t really think much of the topic. So when the talk on substance abuse quickly turned to sexual assault, I was a bit taken by surprise. The speaker gave some statistics which I already knew from my own research. Then they gave an example of a female’s account of her rape:

“When he was finally done, I just laid there. I either fell asleep or passed out. I woke to him touching my groin and telling me I was the best sex ever. I then got up and started dressing. He then called me a whore and slut and every other name he could think of. I went home. Showered. And did nothing. He called the next day as if nothing had happened and I just hung up.”

This is pretty much the same as my account. Almost verbatim. The rest of the lecture was a blur as one would expect. And while it is a good thing that the administrators are learning from their mistake of not addressing this issue the previous years, it was difficult for me to grasp that concept while it was happening.

The speaker also explained that “freezing, disassociation, or feeling threatened may interfere with fighting back and or fleeing.” THIS RIGHT HERE, THIS is the answer to, “Well, didn’t you fight back?”

The rest of the day went by with some sadness, but soon enough, the tears were gone. Looking back on the experience, I feel a huge sense of pride that my awful experience will have the potential to someday help someone else. Not only has this directly impacted the way that the medical school faculty view “personal safety,” but now almost 200 first-year medical and pharmacy students have been exposed to what rape is. Rape does not usually happen with someone attacking you on the street. 76% of the time, your attacker will be someone you know! Which CAN include a fellow med student. And you thought health care is unethical. How about RAPIST doctors?! What about that? Back to the point, the experience was not a pleasant one, but definitely one that turned out to be something I am glad I experienced. Here’s to hoping the rest of the week won’t be as emotionally disturbing!