Play The Podcast: Episode 2: The Dirty Joke
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1 August 2019
“If I tell a friend a dirty joke, it’s just me telling my friend a dirty joke. But if I do the same thing with a patient, I’m at risk of a complaint of sexual misconduct and could face a license suspension.”
In episode 1, Jody Prohar, Registrar and Executive Director of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta and Leanne Loranger, Manager of Policy and Practice touched on behaviours that are normal in a personal relationship, but unacceptable in a physiotherapist-patient relationship.
In this episode, we go into greater detail about how dirty jokes and other seemingly innocent comments could lead to big trouble for physiotherapists because of how sexual misconduct is defined by the Health Professions Act. We discuss the concepts of professionalism, power, and power imbalance in therapeutic relationships.
Towards the end of the episode, we highlight strategies physiotherapists can use to try to share power with their patients.
Can the power imbalance between patient and physiotherapist ever be fully equalized?
Resources:
- Standard of Practice: Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct
- A Guide for Patients: Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse or Misconduct. What Can Patients Expect from Their Physiotherapist?
- A Guide for Physiotherapists: Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse or Misconduct. Expectations for Physiotherapists
- Power and the Therapeutic Relationship: Considerations for Physiotherapists
