--- description: Two college students have filed suit against their instructors, alleging that they were "coerced" into undergoing vaginal exams in class title: Florida Medical Students Sue Over 'Coerced' Vaginal Exams image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18a82573603b9f79/69884ea95f570f5ac8b1b5a1/valencia-college.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Education](/tag/education/) ## Education Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Florida Medical Students Sue Over 'Coerced' Vaginal Exams  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 19, 2015 12:53 PM CUT  Valencia College  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 19, 2015 12:53 PM CUT Two college students have filed suit against their instructors, alleging that they were “coerced” into undergoing vaginal exams in the classroom as part of their medical training. Medical diagnostic students [alleged](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2015/images/05/18/lawsuitvalenciastatecollege.pdf "undefined") that instructors at Valencia College in Orlando “browbeat” them into agreeing to undergo the exams, warning that a refusal could damage their grades and future careers. “Plaintiffs would disrobe in a restroom, drape themselves in towels, and traverse the sonography classroom in full view of instructors and other students,” the lawsuit alleges. A Valencia College spokesperson declined to respond directly to the allegations, but [told](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/18/us/orlando-college-sued-forced-vaginal-exams/ "undefined") CNN that peer-to-peer exams were standard practice in the medical field, and that the school upheld the “highest standards with respect to ultrasound scanning.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3885681/florida-medical-students-sue-vaginal-exams/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3885681/florida-medical-students-sue-vaginal-exams/"},"headline":"Florida Medical Students Sue Over 'Coerced' Vaginal Exams","datePublished":"2015-05-19T12:53:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:26:35.553Z","description":"Students allege that instructors \"browbeat\" them into undergoing invasive sonogram procedure","url":"https://time.com/3885681/florida-medical-students-sue-vaginal-exams/","keywords":["Education"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18a82573603b9f79/69884ea95f570f5ac8b1b5a1/valencia-college.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18a82573603b9f79/69884ea95f570f5ac8b1b5a1/valencia-college.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"valencia-college","caption":"valencia-college","creditText":"Valencia College","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/education/","name":"Education"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3885681/florida-medical-students-sue-vaginal-exams/","name":"Florida Medical Students Sue Over 'Coerced' Vaginal Exams"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Explains: Cancer Screenings","description":"TIME's Alice Park explains how new cancer screening recommendations effect you","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/pAMu9cRG/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2012-10-01T11:28:53.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pAMu9cRG.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3885681/florida-medical-students-sue-vaginal-exams/","duration":"PT1M51S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3885681/florida-medical-students-sue-vaginal-exams/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```