N.J. Admin. Code § 13:35-6.3

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 13:35-6.3 - Sexual misconduct

(a) By this section, the Board of Medical Examiners is identifying for its licensees conduct which it shall deem to be violative of law. Specialized concerns with respect to those licensees who provide psychiatric or psychotherapeutic services are also identified.

(b) As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings unless the context indicates otherwise:

1. "Licensee" means any person licensed or authorized to engage in a health care profession regulated by the Board of Medical Examiners.

2. "Patient" means any person who is the recipient of a professional service rendered by a licensee for purposes of diagnosis, treatment or a consultation relating to treatment. "Patient" for purposes of this section also means a person who is the subject of professional examination even if the purpose of that examination is unrelated to treatment.

3. "Patient-physician relationship" means an association between a physician and patient wherein the physician owes a continuing duty to the patient to be available to render professional services consistent with his or her training and experience. The performance of any professional medical service including, but not limited to, the issuance of a prescription or authorization of a refill of a prescription is deemed to be a professional service and evidence of a patient-physician relationship.

4. "Sexual contact" means the knowing touching of a person's body directly or through clothing, where the circumstances surrounding the touching would be construed by a reasonable person to be motivated by the licensee's own prurient interest or for sexual arousal or gratification. "Sexual contact" includes, but is not limited to, the imposition of a part of the licensee's body upon a part of the patient's body, sexual penetration, or the insertion or imposition of any object or any part of a licensee or patient's body into or near the genital, anal or other opening of the other person's body.

5. "Sexual harassment" means solicitation of any sexual act, physical advances, or verbal or non-verbal conduct that is sexual in nature, and which occurs in connection with a licensee's activities or role as a provider of medical services, and that either: is unwelcome, offensive to a reasonable person, or creates a hostile workplace environment, and the licensee knows, should know or is told this; or is sufficiently severe or intense to be abusive to a reasonable person in that context. "Sexual harassment" may consist of a single extreme or severe act or of multiple acts and may include, but is not limited to, conduct of a licensee with a patient, co-worker, employee, student or supervisee whether or not such individual is in a subordinate position to the licensee.

6. "Spouse" means either the husband or wife of the licensee or an individual in a long-term committed relationship with the licensee.

(c) A licensee shall not engage in sexual contact with a patient with whom he or she has a patient-physician relationship. The patient-physician relationship is considered ongoing for purposes of this section in all contexts other than the provision of psychiatric or psychotherapeutic services, unless: actively terminated, by way of written notice to the patient pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.22, documentation in the patient record and a minimum of 30 days has passed from the rendition of the last professional service; or the last professional service was rendered more than one year ago.

1. In the context of the provision of psychiatric or psychotherapeutic services, the patient-physician relationship shall be considered ongoing for purposes of this section unless the last professional service was rendered more than two years ago; provided, however, the patient-physician relationship shall be considered ongoing for an indefinite period of time if the patient, by reason of emotional or cognitive disorder, is vulnerable to the exploitative influence of the licensee.

(d) A licensee shall not seek or solicit sexual contact with a patient with whom he or she has a patient-physician relationship and shall not seek or solicit sexual contact with any person in exchange for professional services.

(e) A licensee shall not engage in any discussion of an intimate sexual nature with a patient, unless that discussion is related to legitimate patient needs. Such discussion shall not include disclosure by the licensee of his or her own intimate sexual relationships.

(f) A licensee shall provide privacy and examination conditions which prevent the exposure of the unclothed body of the patient unless necessary to the professional services rendered.

(g) A licensee shall not promote, permit or condone sexual contact between group members in therapy groups.

(h) A licensee shall not engage in sexual harassment, whether in a professional setting (including, but not limited to, an office, hospital or health care facility) or elsewhere.

(i) A licensee shall not engage in any other activity (such as, but not limited to, voyeurism or exposure of the genitalia of the licensee) which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the activity serves the licensee's personal prurient interests or is for the sexual arousal, the sexual gratification or the sexual abuse of the licensee or patient.

(j) Violation of any of the prohibitions or directives set forth at (c) through (i) above shall be deemed to constitute gross or repeated malpractice pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:1-21(c) or (d) or professional misconduct pursuant to N.J.S.A. 45:1-21(e).

(k) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a licensee from rendering medical examination or treatment to a spouse, providing that the rendering of such service is consistent with accepted standards of medical care and that the performance of medical services is not utilized to exploit the patient for the sexual arousal or sexual gratification of the licensee.

(l) It shall not be a defense to any action under this section that:

1. The patient solicited or consented to sexual contact with the licensee; or

2. The licensee was in love with or had affection for the patient.

APPENDIX

POLICY STATEMENT REGARDING SEXUAL ACTIVITY BETWEEN PHYSICIANS AND PATIENTS AND IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE

It is beyond dispute that sexual contact with patients is in conflict with the very essence of the practice of medicine. Despite that fact, the Board of Medical Examiners continues to receive complaints of sexual activity involving physicians and other licensees with patients. While the Board is promulgating a regulation to specifically notify licensees of conduct which it deems to be violative of law and will subject them to disciplinary action, this statement is meant as an advisory to licensees to guide professional behavior and further expand upon the Board's reasoning in promulgating such a regulation.

A.Background. It is well established that sexual activity between physicians and patients is almost always harmful to the patient and is prohibited. Whether harkening back to the proscription of the Hippocratic oath,<1> or referring to more recent pronouncements such as the Code of Medical Ethics of the Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs of the American Medical Association which term sexual activities between physicians and patients harmful,<2> commentators have uniformly condemned such activities by physicians.

(i) Rationale for the Policy. A patient must have absolute confidence and trust in his or her physician. Insertion of sexual activity into the professional relationship destroys such trust because the personal interest of the physician is in conflict with the interest of the patient.

(ii) Inequality of Power Between Physician and Patient. Physicians are in a unique position as to the physical and emotional vulnerability of patients. Physicians are expected to examine patients undressed who expose not only their bodies but the most intimate details of their personal lives.

(iii) Physician in Position of Authority. Patients seek assistance and guidance from physicians. The doctor/patient relationship is not one of equality, the patient being vulnerable to abuses of power.

(iv) Negative Psychological Consequences for Patient. Commentators and researchers have concluded that sexual activity between physicians and patients is almost always damaging to the patient.

(v) Public Trust in the Profession. In order to maintain the community perception of the integrity of the medical profession, personal boundaries must be maintained.

(vi) Sexual or Romantic Relationships with Former Patients. Sexual activity with a former patient may also be inappropriate if the patient has been unduly influenced by the prior professional relationship or if the physician utilizes trust, knowledge, or emotions derived from the previous professional relationship. The clearest example of this phenomenon is known as "transference" between a patient and psychotherapist, which may last for many years following the conclusion of therapy.

B.Recommendations and Guidelines for Conduct.

(i) Licensee Responsibility--The physician or other licensee is always responsible to ensure that the boundaries of the professional relationship are maintained. Licensees should therefore avoid verbal or physical behavior which might be interpreted as inviting a romantic or sexual relationship. Even if the patient encourages such behavior, it is the licensee's responsibility to maintain a professional manner.

(ii) Maintaining Boundaries in Psychotherapeutic Relationships--A licensee bears an even greater responsibility to establish and maintain boundaries between physician and patient in psychotherapeutic relationships. In furtherance of that obligation, a licensee should ensure that to the greatest extent possible, treatment should take place during the licensee's usual working hours in a professional setting, unless the specific therapy mandates otherwise (i.e. home visits for the housebound, in vivo desensitization as part of behavioral therapy). A licensee should not engage in economic dealings with psychotherapy patients.

(iii) Explanation of Procedures, Tests and Need for Examinations--This will ensure that patients do not misunderstand the appropriateness of the exposure of their bodies or the touching that occurs.

(iv) Patient Privacy--Examination conditions should ensure that patients are not embarrassed. To that end, licensees should provide privacy while a patient is removing or replacing undergarments and should provide examination gowns or draping cloths which limit exposure of the patient to the field of clinical interest.

(v) Chaperon--Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.23, a licensee shall provide notice to a patient, or any other person who is to be examined, of the right to have a chaperon present during breast and pelvic examinations of females and during genitalia and rectal examinations of both males and females. In all other instances, consistent with promoting patient privacy, licensees should inform patients of the option of having a chaperon present during examination and should provide a chaperon when requested by a patient.

(vi) Avoidance of Discussion of Personal Matters--While it is appropriate for a licensee to discuss for example his or her training and qualifications with patients, in furtherance of the maintenance of appropriate boundaries, licensees should avoid any discussion of their own intimate personal problems or disclosure of details of their sexual lives.

1 "... I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free ... of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons ...".

2 "sexual or romantic interactions between physicians and patients detract from the goals of the physician patient relationship, may exploit the vulnerability of the patient, may obscure the physician's objective judgment concerning the patient's health care, and ultimately may be detrimental to the patient's well being ... at a minimum, a physician's ethical duties include terminating the physician patient relationship before initiating a dating, romantic or sexual relationship with a patient ... sexual or romantic relationships with former patients are unethical if the physician uses or exploits trust, knowledge, emotions or influence derived from the previous professional relationship."

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:35-6.3

Amended by R.1989 d.532, effective 10/16/1989.
See: 21 N.J.R. 2226(b), 21 N.J.R. 3307(a).
Deleted reference to specific statute.
Amended by R.1990 d.291, effective 6/4/1990.
See: 22 N.J.R. 905(a), 22 N.J.R. 1738(a).
Included podiatric physicians as those who can countersign orders and prescriptions written by a podiatric trainee.
Repealed by R.1994 d.522, effective 10/17/1994.
See: 26 N.J.R. 2526(a), 26 N.J.R. 4195(a).
Section was "Countersigning of order and prescriptions of unlicensed physicians."
New Rule, R.1996 d.242, effective 5/20/1996.
See: 28 N.J.R. 65(a), 28 N.J.R. 2560(a).
Amended by R.2004 d.135, effective 4/5/2004.
See: 35 N.J.R. 3262(a), 36 N.J.R. 1814(a).
In the appendix, rewrote B(v).
Amended by R.2005 d.120, effective 4/18/2005.
See: 36 N.J.R. 4633(a), 37 N.J.R. 1203(a).
In (c), rewrote the introductory paragraph.