'It was disrespectful of his colleagues and is best characterised as sexual harassment,' tribunal says
A nurse in Dunedin has been censured and fined over $5,000 after he sexually harassed a caregiver and two student nurses at his former workplace.
The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal issued the penalties to Michael Sobrevilla, ruling that he engaged in inappropriate conduct on several occasions as early as 2017.
"Sobrevilla's conduct did not reach the standards expected of a registered nurse. In not treating his colleagues with respect and harassing them in the workplace, he has breached the standards set in the Code of Conduct," the ruling read.
Inappropriate behaviour
According to the tribunal's document, Sobrevilla acted inappropriately with a caregiver while in his role as her manager. Sobrevilla allegedly told the caregiver in one of those instances that he wanted to leave his wife for her and to have a "blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby with her."
He also reportedly made a comment about the caregiver's body, saying he wanted to see her in a bikini at work, while in the presence of other staff and residents.
In March 2022, Sobrevilla also inappropriately acted with two nursing students who were there for a four-week clinical placement at the rest home. At that time, he was the manager of the unit and their clinical preceptor.
Among the alleged inappropriate comments Sobrevilla made include telling both student nurses: "What if I saw you guys at the Dunedin strip club out of place?"
Sobrevilla was charged by the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) of the Nursing Council of New Zealand, and he accepted that his conduct amounted to professional misconduct.
Penalties imposed
In its ruling, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal said Sobrevilla's behaviour was "unacceptable."
"It was disrespectful of his colleagues and is best characterised as sexual harassment," the ruling read.
As a result, the tribunal censured and ordered Sobrevilla to not engage in a preceptor role for a year. He is also ordered to disclose the tribunal's findings to his current and future employers for a period of three years.
The tribunal also imposed a fine of $5,734.72, which covers 20% of the costs associated with the PCC investigation and prosecution, as well as 20% of the tribunal's costs.
