On the day the exams were scheduled, the 10 male employees filtered in to Dr. Bolton’s medical office as ordered around 9 am. As each entered he was directed to the waiting room and given a folder with his medical record to review/update. The men were very quiet. There was an overall aura of dread in the room. The men’s nervousness could almost be felt, and trepidation was written all over their faces.

The employees first observation was the number of individuals, all female, diligently walking here and there or mulling about. They wondered to themselves and some mumbled aloud who could they be and why were they there. To a man the employees were hoping, desperately, that since the exams were to be conducted in a medical office as opposed to at the firm’s headquarters like last year, the exam process would be more typical and consequently more private than last year. Learning this year’s exams would be at Dr. Bolton’s office had given them a modicum of relief- given last year’s process where multiple women, including their boss, were present and in some cases participated in their exams. And then there was the rather strange, nearly absurd rationale the men used to deal with their situation. Since each had previously been given a very, very thorough physical exam by Dr. Bolton that left no part of their anatomy hidden from her, having to submit to her again this year although dreadful would be more of the same and nothing new. Still, they remained very apprehensive as they sat, and found it difficult to make eye contact with any of the women.

During the course of the year since the new medical program was put in place and in particular since the group physical experience kicking it off, there was vast disagreement among the male employees as to what to do about the situation.. Each felt utterly humiliated by the ordeal of last year. Each felt acutely taken advantage of by the doctor and shame every time they had an encounter with their CEO. Some still had difficulty talking about it, most blushed profusely when recalling the experience. Some considered quitting their jobs, but upon further thought did not see this as a viable option. Others had resigned themselves to the fact this is the way it was going to be and there was little they could do about it. It was the CEO’s company. She made the rules. If they wanted to work at the firm they would have to abide by the policies she set. The painful fact was the CEO had all the cards so they would have to endure whatever the attractive, female doctor dished out.

When Dr. Bolton emerged from her office all eyes went to her. Immediately an almost universal unease and flush came over the seated males. Her mere presence caused each to recall yet again the ordeal of last year. Their already low spirits dropped to new depths and their level of discomfort heightened when their female boss emerged from the office with the doctor. The doctor was dressed in a tightly fitting pullover and short skirt that accented her toned and perfectly proportioned physique. Their boss was in a black power suit complete with red pumps. If the presence of their boss concerned them, they were absolutely horrified when a few seconds behind the two women the firm’s other executive, 25-year old Rachel, the CFO, briskly followed. Many of the men had had run ins with Rachel over spending and company policy issues. She could be extremely condescending, dismissive often belittling. The employees referred to her as the valley girl because she spoke like one and had grown up on the beaches of southern California. They wondered what her broad smile was all about when she looked their way.

The CEO left the doctor’s side and confidently walked to in front of the men and before speaking looked out over her employees. A great sense of power and satisfaction came over her. She thought it almost comical the comparison between the solemn, sheepish look on the men’s faces and in their body language to the lively, confident and alert behavior she observed in the women present. She was beginning to appreciate this new way of thinking about the leverage she had over her employees and was eager to be a little naughty at their expense.

Even though it was very quiet in the room, for effect she announced in a raised voice , “Okay we’re going to get started. First, we all owe a big thank you to Dr. Bolton, her staff and the others who gave up their Sunday, their day off, to be here today to administer your exams. I am incredibly pleased and thankful for Dr. Bolton’s innovative work over the past year managing the firm’s healthcare program. She has saved the firm thousands of dollars in premiums and provided you, the employees, probably some of the lowest out of pocket healthcare costs around. Join me in showing our appreciation for all her hard work.”

The employees found themselves in the utterly mortifying position of having to show their appreciation by applauding the woman who in their last encounter completely took away all their sense of dignity. It was yet another blow to their manliness and a rude reminder of the subordinate role they found themselves to these women.

The CEO continued, “I also want to thank our healthcare insurer who is represented today by Ms. Reese, a senior vice-president.” The CEO pointed to Ms. Reese who acknowledged the introduction. Ms. Reese was in her fifties, well preserved for a woman of her age. She was dressed impeccably, with hair that was put up in a tight bun, a business suit, a colorful scarf nicely placed around her neck and surprisingly stylish high heels.

The CEO continued with some additional comments and ended by saying there was much to accomplish during the day so she expected all to fully cooperate and follow directions from the doctor and the others. With that ominous comment the CEO turned to Dr. Bolton and asked her to come up to explain the process she devised for the day.

When Dr. Bolton took the floor she was direct and businesslike. Not one of the men made eye contact with her. Most simply looked at the floor in front of them. She exuded confidence and authority when she spoke. She thanked the CEO for her kind words and in a somewhat condescending tone emphasized how very grateful the employees should be to their boss for the positive situation the company finds itself in. She explained in some detail how it was their CEO who took the risk to try new strategies to contain healthcare costs.

As the doctor started outlining the process she put in place for the day the hope the men had that this time their ordeal was going to be much less distressing was evaporating with each word out of her mouth. “Working with the insurance company (she nodded her appreciation at Ms. Reese who was attentively listening) the firm’s healthcare program has been refined and strengthened to focus on early diagnosis and prevention. This year a personalized wellness/fitness plan will be developed for each employee, and it will be monitored! It is our expectation that these modifications will lead to further reduction in healthcare costs incurred by the firm and by employees and most importantly an even greater reduction in sick leave. More on this in a minute.”

Dr. Bolton continued, “We decided the most efficient manner for getting through all that needs to be accomplished is to again use an assembly-line approach like last year, although modified to accommodate the additional screening we’ve planned. Accordingly, the office has been divided into stations. Ms. Hopkins standing near the partitioned enclosure in the corner of the waiting room will be conducting preliminaries, reviewing your updated medical record, taking your vitals, etc. Doctors Clifton and Caro, associates of mine,, who are in the white lab coats standing next to your boss, will be stationed in exam rooms 1 and 2, respectively, which are the first two rooms as you enter the corridor behind the partitioned enclosure. You will be assigned to see one of these women who will perform the major portion of your physical exam.”

The doctor didn’t even complete her sentence before a collective gasp could be heard from the seated men. The men thought to themselves, no, no this can’t be happening. We are going to be examined by one of these two women? What about Dr. Bolton, we thought she was going to give us our exams. This was totally not expected. The shame meter the men were experiencing went off the scale. Both women could be models. One looked like Nicole Kidman while the other was a spitting image of Taylor Swift. If the men were uncomfortable before, they were now totally mortified and close to a state of shock.

If they thought their predicament couldn’t get any more dire as Dr. Bolton continued they quickly learned how wrong they were. “Given all employees are male we have created a specialized program of prevention and monitoring targeting male health issues. The insurance company has expressed great interest in this endeavor and is one of the reasons I invited Ms. Reese today so she see for herself the depth of the screening and ongoing maintenance and prevention the plan entails. I’ve encouraged her to observe and ask questions so don’t be surprised if she looks in while you are at a station.”

Dr. Bolton’s explanation about Ms. Reese was only partially accurate. In her encounters with the executive it became clear Ms. Reese had more than a strict professional interest in the program the doctor fashioned for the firm. Based on some of the questions she asked and her innuendos about last year’s group exam process that she heard from her assistant who participated, the doctor concluded Ms. Reese would greatly relish seeing things for herself under the very legitimate pretense of determining how it related to the firm’s insurance premiums. Dr. Bolton being very perceptive quickly caught on and went out of her way to position Ms. Reese’s presence today as an invitation from the doctor that would greatly assist in setting premiums. The doctor’s calculation was realizing even more favorable terms as a payback. To ensure Ms. Reese has a rewarding experience, earlier in the morning Dr. Bolton met with Drs. Clifton and Caro and asked them to go out of their way if the opportunity presented itself to accommodate the insurance executive. Both women smiled understanding clearly what that meant.

The doctor went on, “Furthermore, I am delighted Dr. Peyton who specializes in men’s health and will assist me in setting up and carrying out the targeted program is here today. As part of the screening process each of you will have a consultation with her. I would introduce her but I am told she is back in the area she will be using for her consultations. For logistics reasons, we are using the common area/lunch room at the end of the corridor where the exam rooms are located. Its size allowed us to partition it into segments for Dr. Peyton’s purposes. There will be a second person with Dr. Peyton. A Ms. Rogers who is the chief innovation officer of a firm that develops specialized medical equipment. Your boss graciously consented to allow us to evaluate an exam table modification specifically designed for the examination of a male patient. We will be testing the effectiveness and suitability of the modification.”

This latest revelation led to audible grumbling from the men and much fidgeting. If they had any self-esteem left, it was gone. Their feeling of inferiority edged up even more, with absolutely no control or say. Basically they were sub-missives to this woman and her assembled associates. The doctor hearing the mumbling snapped, “Is there a question.” It became silent immediately!

She continued, “Your boss and I will be around to assist as necessary but we will be focused on conducting the post exam consultations. These are an essential element of the overall wellness program we are implementing. We want to ensure we get it right and that employees understand the importance of the wellness plan.”

“One last note,” the doctor went on the most patronizing manner she could muster, “I understand there was grumbling about last year’s process because examinees had to remove their underpants and then put them back on in front of me and Ms. Larson.” As the doctor spoke giggling could be heard coming from where a few of the women were assembled. The doctor had to fight hard to not smile. She finished by saying, “This year we will provide you a gown to wear that will eliminate this worry.”

“And finally,” Dr. Bolton went on, “is Ms. Levy. Caroline will you come here.”

As Caroline Levy made her way to where Dr. Bolton stood the doctor gave an introduction, “Ms. Levy, who handed you and then collected your medical file is the office receptionist. Today, she may have the most critical role to play. She is tasked with maintaining the flow ensuring you move from station to station in an efficient and orderly manner.”

Caroline Levy was twenty. She looked younger. She was also an obsessive voyeur. In high school she would hang around the boy’s locker room hoping to get a glimpse of one of the boys less than fully dressed. She was also known to pay boys to show her their cocks. The job at Dr. Bolton’s medical office was the perfect place to pursue this obsession. She assumed it was her secret. But Dr. Bolton was on to her. The doctor noted how many times Caroline contacted her on the intercom or showed up at the exam room when she was with a male patient under the pretense she had a paper she needed the doctor to sign or some other urgent matter. It was uncanny how adept or just plain lucky the youngster was at interrupting just when the patient was near or completely undressed or in an exposed or compromising position on the examining table. Depending on the patient and the situation the doctor would either exit the exam room strategically leaving the door ajar so the young women could satisfy her curiosity, or summon her to enter which brought a broad smile to her face and sheer embarrassment to the patient.

Dr. Bolton certainly could relate to and appreciate the young women’s tendencies. Because of this and the fact Caroline was an outstanding assistant willing to do anything asked of her, the doctor continued to play along and from time to time actually initiated such encounters. There was one time when this activity could have created a major problem. It was Caroline’s birthday and the doctor knew the perfect gift. She was with one of her regular patients. He was the consummate hypochondriac. On this day she had him up on the exam table on all fours and was administering an enema. While the fluid was flowing in him the doctor contacted Caroline on the intercom and asked her to bring a certain file. When Caroline knocked at the door Dr. Bolton opened it almost fully to give the young woman a full view of the goings on. The doctor was amused at how wide her eyes got as she took in the sight of the 40-year old man naked from the waist down with a hose sticking out of his rear. Just at that moment the exam room across the hall opened and out came a thirty-something female. The angle of her exit from the room gave her an unobstructed view into the other exam room. Fortunately, the woman simply smiled at both of them and to put an exclamation on the situation gave a thumbs up sign before making her way to the reception area. The doctor was greatly relieved. And luckily, the poor fellow who was the center of attention didn’t have a clue what had happened because he was faced away from the door.

As Caroline came to stand next to Dr. Bolton, the doctor turned over the floor to her to get things started.

“Thank you doctor. Okay first things first. I have your medical record folders. Once you are ready to begin the exam process come to my desk. I will give you your folder and direct you to one of the stations that Dr. Bolton described. After completing a station see me. I will determine where to send you next. Once your examination is complete- that is after you have been to three stations, return your folder to me and proceed back to the waiting area. You will be called to Dr. Bolton’s office for a post exam consultation. After the consultation you are free to collect your clothing, dress and leave.”

She went on in a very assertive tone, “With that I believe we can get started. What we need all of you to do is make your way to the doctor’s study which is behind me on the right side of the waiting room and down the corridor, second door on the left- the first leads to Dr. Bolton’s office where your post exam review will take place. Inside you will notice makeshift lockers have been set up. Undress completely, and I mean everything, put your clothes in a locker, and then don a gown the doctor spoke about. They are in a neat stack near the lockers. When you’re ready, as I said before, come and see me. Remember, take all your clothes off.”

As Caroline looked out over the men she was all smiles. The men, to a man, were paralyzed with almost uncontrollable dread. For a moment there was little movement. There as an eerie silence. You could hear a pin drop. The men who for the past 15 minutes were verbally humiliated were now going to experience the real thing. They were mortified and in a fog. They were brought back to reality with a stark reprimand from Caroline, “Lets do it, gentlemen.”