A neurology trainee has gone public to highlight the culture of bullying and harassment in the profession, saying it continues to be pervasive despite policies promoting ‘zero tolerance’.
Dr Kate Johnson has told the ABC she is taking a break from her training, saying she has become emotionally exhausted after trying to tackle bullying culture head on.
She cites examples of where she was publicly humiliated by senior staff for making mistakes, then ostracised when she took issue with the inappropriate behaviour.
“As junior doctors, we are often taught it is easier to grit our teeth and move on to the next job than to challenge perpetrators and face the consequences,” she told the broadcaster.
“But there comes a point in time where simply “toughing it out” isn’t an option anymore.”
Dr Johnson said the zero tolerance policies adopted by workplaces and training colleges had made no difference to entrenched culture of bullying
“Cultural change requires active engagement from senior doctors, who in some instances are the bullies. In other instances, they are longstanding friends with bullies, they are too exhausted by their workload, or they lack the skills to instigate real cultural change within their own sphere of influence,” she said.
Dr Johnson, who is founder of Doctors are Human, says she decided to continue fighting against bullying after losing friends and colleagues to suicide over the issue