Rutgers’ Center for Research on Ending Violence Launches New Statewide Training to Prevent Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare Settings
Rutgers School of Social Work’s Center for Research on Ending Violence (REV) has launched a new online training course designed to help physicians across New Jersey prevent sexual misconduct, better support survivors, and foster safer healthcare environments.
The new course, “Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct: What New Jersey Physicians Need to Know,” was developed in partnership with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and fulfills a new state continuing education requirement for physicians licensed in New Jersey. The project was led by Gabrielle Gault, who oversees the Training and Technical Assistance branch at the Center for Research on Ending Violence.
The training was created in response to statewide policy changes aimed at strengthening protections for patients and improving accountability in medical settings. Those changes include new continuing education requirements for physicians and updated rules related to the presence of trained observers during sensitive medical examinations.
“The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs approached our team at REV, asking if we could help develop a training focused on preventing sexual misconduct by physicians,” Gault said.
The course content, for which Gault served as primary author, addresses topics including professional boundaries, sexual misconduct prevention, active bystander intervention, patient rights, mandated reporting, trauma-informed care, and responding to disclosures of abuse or violence.
According to Gault, the training was designed to address longstanding issues about the power dynamics that can exist in healthcare settings. “There is a concern about the power differential that exists between patients and physicians,” she said. “Making sure that physicians are prepared to intervene, support colleagues, and understand how to respond if they witness something is critical to preventing harm to patients.”
While the course was developed to meet specific state-mandated objectives, Gault and her team worked intentionally to ensure the content reflected the Center for Research on Ending Violence’s survivor-centered approach. “We really tried to ensure that we were maintaining REV’s voice and continuing to ensure that survivors were centered in the content,” Gault said.
One significant enhancement added by the Rutgers team was a dedicated section on trauma-informed screening, care, and prevention—content that was not originally required as part of the state objectives. “We wanted to make sure that physicians are prepared to take disclosures or work with individuals who may have experienced sexual abuse or other forms of violence that may not have been disclosed to anyone yet,” Gault said.
The fully online, asynchronous course includes six modules featuring knowledge checks, embedded videos, and a gamified case study that allows participants to navigate real-world scenarios involving physician misconduct and patient interactions.
“It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style case study,” Gault explained. “Physicians can choose next steps and think through how they would implement the skills and knowledge we’re trying to convey.”
The curriculum also extends beyond physician-patient interactions by addressing colleague-on-colleague misconduct and workplace dynamics in medical environments. “We included resources around how the power dynamic in the medical field can create an environment where people may be more at risk for experiencing different kinds of violence and how to navigate those situations,” Gault said.
Course development was highly collaborative and involved contributors from across Rutgers. REV staff conducted literature reviews and research to inform the curriculum, while peer reviewers, physicians, and medical professionals from Rutgers Health and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School reviewed the materials before launch. “I think one of the greatest successes of the partnerships is that we’ve been able to collaborate across different areas of the University,” Gault said. “Together, we’ve created something that has real statewide impact.” The course was also field tested by physicians to ensure it met learning objectives and provided meaningful, practical education.
Under New Jersey’s updated administrative code, all physicians licensed in the state are now required to complete a sexual misconduct prevention course during their current licensing cycle. Rutgers’ course was specifically developed to satisfy those requirements and is named in the administrative code as an approved training.
Though the training fulfills a compliance mandate, Gault hopes physicians see it as more than a required box to check. “I think physicians really want to help their patients and ensure they’re receiving the best care,” Gault said. “Being prepared to work with survivors, offer appropriate resources, and prevent harm is a really important way to do that.”
Gault emphasized that the training is ultimately about strengthening patient trust and ensuring healthcare environments are safe, informed, and responsive. “Sexual violence is pervasive, and if we are not survivors ourselves, we are interacting with survivors all the time in different roles and professions,” she said. “It’s really important to be able to offer trauma-informed perspective and care.”
The course is now available online through the Rutgers School of Social Work’s Center for Research on Ending Violence. Please visit the Center's website to enroll in the course or email training@ssw.rutgers.edu to learn more about how you can partner with the Center for Research on Ending Violence on your next professional development initiative.
