title: The contextual issues associated with sexual harassment experiences reported by registered nurses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aimed to explore contextual conditions in Australian health care workplaces that make sex-based and sexual harassment (SB&SH) a relatively common experience for registered nurses (RNs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Unstructured, in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of Australian RNs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The informants were 16 RNs (15 female and one male), working in health care, who were students enrolled in advanced tertiary preparation in nursing, counselling, and health care management at an Australian university.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experiences described by the interview informants identified four conditions present in their workplace when they experienced SB&SH.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Informants noted: 1) the silence that surrounds harassment; 2) that they could not expect support from their peers and professional colleagues; 3) that education did not exist in their workplaces regarding (SB&SH) and, 4) that traditional stereotypes associated with RNs were closely linked to the experience of harassment in the workplace.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inadequate coverage of workplace issues related to (SB&SH) in undergraduate or postgraduate educational programs were identified.
authors.affiliation: School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Madison
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Minichiello
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016272:Occupational Health; D015279:Organizational Culture; D016134:Organizational Policy; D019555:Physician-Nurse Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D017406:Sexual Harassment / Q000517:prevention & control; D013240:Stereotyping