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A NEW REPORT has found that three in ten trainee doctors are bullied at work.
Some 35% of respondents told the Medical Council they have been bullied within their training environment this year.
Half of trainees reported doctors as being the main source of the bullying they’ve experienced, while 36% of trainees reported nurses and midwives as being the main source.
Almost seven in ten trainees who experienced bullying in their learning environment did not report their experience to anyone in authority and, of those who did reported it, almost 40% felt no action was taken.
Bill Prasifka, CEO of the Medical Council, said it was “disappointed that the reported experiences of bullying by trainees is no better this year and that many seem to be receiving little or no feedback and have poor experiences of induction”.
These findings are worrying and need to be addressed as quickly as possible. I am fully aware that the issue of bullying cannot be dealt with overnight and that a cultural shift needs to occur in this instance. However, an improved induction programme or the simple delivery of feedback is something that can in fact be achieved quickly.
The report also found that trainees who gained their basic medical qualification outside Ireland rated learning environments significantly more highly than graduates of Irish medical schools.
Trainees who entered medical school directly from second level education rated their learning environments significantly more highly than graduate-entry trainees.
Intern trainees rated the quality of learning environments significantly lower than all other trainees.
Quality of learning
Trainees also rated induction and orientation very poorly, with slight dis-improvements in 2015.
There was a slight increase in the perception of the quality of learning environments in 2015, and nine in ten trainees rated the quality of care to patients as ‘good or better’.
Trainees rated teamwork and peer collaboration significantly more highly than in the previous year. The lowest rated aspect of learning environments was feedback on their role.
Three in ten interns disagreed, to some extent, that their previous medical education prepared them well for the intern year.
Professor Freddie Wood, President of the Medical Council, said: “I genuinely believe these reports have the potential to bring about significant and positive changes for trainee doctors here in Ireland.”
The aim of this research is to speak directly to new and recent entrants to medical practice in Ireland to find out what education and training they would have benefitted from when they first arrived in our health system.
“This information will then go on to inform the design of a registration support programme to be delivered by the Medical Council for doctors entering the practice of medicine in Ireland for the first time, which will be known as Safe Start.”
The second annual report, Your Training Counts, can be viewed here.
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Doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. Went out with a trainee doctor. She told me that a doctor doing the rounds with trainee doctors stopped at a patient. He proceeded to talk about how the patient was going to be dead in 6 months. The patient was fully awake started crying at such a statement. The doctor started giving out to the patient for crying and that she was fully aware she was dying so it wasn’t a surprise.
I asked why not report the doctor and was told she couldn’t and doctors at his level could and would destroy a career if you said anything against them.
As for bully nurses I know plenty. The job seems to attract them in equal measure to compassionate ones.
The Nun influence is still there with the older Nurses. Bullying and degraging others is instilled in their training.
The culture around the health service may be slightly different here in the North, but God help you if you criticise nurses. I’d a stay in hospital a few years ago and generally found them either cold or rude, with a few exceptions. It’s a hard job and not for everyone, but it’s pretty low intensity in a care ward. Given the average earnings here they do pretty well and really well as regards pensions.
But telling people I found nurses less than perfect? At times you’d think I’d have admitted murder from the reaction.
I’ve first hand knowledge of this pompous behaviour. Very uncomfortable as a patient to watch somebody being demeaned in front of you and on the subject of your case. Horrible
As someone who has been through it and has had family members going through the system , bullying is endemic in every medical and dental school in Ireland . If it was allowed happen in any part of the education system there would have major investigations a long time , fact is anyone who puts their head above the parapet to report it will have their medical career in Ireland ruined
It seems anybody with an ounce of ‘power’ in this country is an arrogant bully.
I saw a documentary about this… ‘scrubs’ I think it was called
A new system of training doctors is needed. The old system is not fit for purpose. Having trainee doctors working alone and very long hours is unacceptable today. A new career path is needed. Life long learning is needs to be included in a new system. advancers in not equipment being invented regularly this needs to be accounted for.
While I have seen nurses bullying junior doctors, for example bleeping them repeatedly and making them respond to loads of separate calls instead of altogether, the vast majority of bullying is done by Doctors. Broadly speaking Doctors treat nurses like sh*t3 and speak down to them. There’s nasty behaviour on all sides. Hospitals can be a toxic environment to work in and it’s more than just junior docs who are the victims. Student nurses get it just as bad. It’s very wrong, but it’s very hard to change a culture.
Bull crap comments.junior doctors rely on nurses to show them a lot routine ward stuff as they are thrown out into the deep end with no peers Aorund.the minute they get a senior position they snub at the nurses who were so empathetic to them when they started!
Why are they showing them ropes?
Because they’re gonna tie the down with horrendous pay and shocking working conditions
It’s a tough business to be in. I think a bit of empathy all around is needed. They are all working towards the same goal but mistakes are costly. It’s important people learn quickly even if the means are hard to take. In my experience it’s usually the ‘battle axes’ who are the best nurses. They are dependable, consistent and being straight forward is a good quality in the health service.
“Trainee doctors say nurses and doctors bully them as they’re shown the the ropes”…. Sounds like a weekend in Amsterdam for some…
how else would they pass the day sure..have to knock a bit of craic out of it
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