So I’m a first responder at my workplace. I’m literally a trained and certified medical professional. I got called for a coworker passing out a while back. I got there and they had the coworker now consious in one of our conference rooms along with the shift manager. The coworker was still feeling woozy so I start going through the assessment process.

This coworker was a young woman, I am a slightly less young man. I 100% get why the shift manager didn’t want to leave me alone with her. At the same time though, I am bound by HIPAA, the shift manager is not. I can’t disclose any medical information she tells me to anyone, the shift manager has no such restriction. So now I’m left trying to figure out how to ask my patient some rather personal medical questions with a lookie lou sitting right there listening to everything she says. That is invasive and uncomfortable when I’m asking about shit like her period (because low iron can be an issue) but becomes especially problematic when one of the questions I need to ask is if they’re using any drugs (I work in a manufacturing plant, it happens). I don’t record that they are if they say yes and I can’t tell anyone (I just monitor for a bit in case of OD and ensure they get a ride home), but nobody is ever going to say yes to that question with their bosses boss sitting right there. Luckily the shift manager eventually got called away for something and I had a brief chance to ask those questions.

Like I said, As a man I 100% get why they don’t want to leave me alone with women. At the same time though in situations like that it makes my job several times harder and is a potential legal disaster for me. It wouldn’t be an issue at all if I was treating a guy. Also it’s even more anoying because I’m fucking asexual. I get that they have no way to know that and people lie. I’m just pissed that situations like this get so complicated because the world is full fucking rapist assholes.