JUNIOR DOCS: ‘WE’RE BULLIED’
MORE than half of Gold Coast junior doctors claim to be victims of bullying and fear their workloads could force errors resulting from fatigue.
About 55 per cent of new medical recruits at Gold Coast University and Robina hospitals said they were victims of bullying, discrimination or harassment, according to a Resident Hospital Health Check survey.
In response to the findings, Gold Coast Health has devised an action plan which includes a review of workforce numbers and reviewing fatigue management framework.
MORE than half of Gold Coast junior doctors say they are victims of workplace bullying and do so much overtime they fear stuff ups caused by fatigue.
Of new medical recruits at Gold Coast Universty and Robina hospitals, 55 per cent claim to be victims of bullying, discrimination or harassment.
They are also suffering in silence, with 70 per cent of those victims – quizzed in a Resident Hospital Health Check survey – reporting feeling helpless to address such issues.
Just 43 per cent felt reported incidents were dealt with appropriately, recent survey results show in a report by Queensland’s branch of the Australian Medical Association (QAMA).
The gloomy picture resulted in a D-minus rating overall for the Gold Coast Hospital Health Service, down from a C-plus in 2017.
The D-minus was the lowest in Queensland.
Of Gold Coast junior doctors reporting bullying, discrimination or harrassment, 40 per cent of incidents were said to have been perpetrated by senior medical officers or consultants.
A total of 36 per cent of cases were sparked by other resident or junior doctors.
In other startling Gold Coast junior doctor results:
62 per cent felt concerned about making a clinical error due to fatigue caused by hours worked;
74 per cent were concerned about negative consequences if they reported;
43 per cent were advised not to claim overtime and 57 per cent were concerned claiming overtime would affect assessment;
A quarter claimed to have worked more than 90 hours overtime in a month.
The poor score prompted the Gold Coast Medical Association (GCMA) to call for urgent changes and more reporting of overtime.
A GCMA meeting late last week confirmed it will take up the issue and seek further support for the next medical generation.
The QAMA November report surveyed junior doctors, interns and junior house officers.
The GCMA believes bottlenecks into speciality training has left juniors with little bargaining power to change conditions.
“We certainly want to highlight that junior doctors are in a situation where they have to accept what they are handed for fear of their progression being stunted,” GCMA president Professor Philip Morris said.
Each year thousands of medical graduates compete for a limited number of speciality positions, leaving juniors in limbo at hospitals for up to seven years in some cases.
“We don’t want to have doctors leaving the profession because there are too many in the system and they can’t get the training,” Prof Morris said.
Gold Coast Health has an action plan to review workforce numbers, professional development and fatigue management. A new junior doctor leadership group meets monthly with top clinicians.
“Junior doctor wellness is an absolute priority for Gold Coast Health and the 2018 AMAQ Resident Doctor Health Check results emphasised opportunities for more improvement,” a GC Health spokesman said.
THE low morale among the ranks of the Gold Coast’s junior doctors at its public hospitals needs an urgent prescription.
But there will be no quick fix for what at first diagnosis seems to be a long-developed and entrenched condition.
The most recent survey results from the Resident Hospital Health Check for has dropped its already low overall rating of C-plus down to D-minus.
Junior or resident doctors fresh off the medical school graduate line are reporting bullying and harassment at work, working huge amounts of draining overtime, fearing speaking out about any of this stunting career progression and lack of professional development.
It is not a rosy picture of health amongst the next generation of health service professionals, some of our best and brightest in the community.
Gold Coast Medical Association president Professor Philip Morris rightly is calling for an urgent indication about what is being done to address these systemic issues.
“We would like to hear what the Gold Coast Health is doing to improve this situation while doctors are at their hospitals.”
He is fearful junior recruits will abandon the profession.
To its credit, Gold Coast Health is moving to directly address the concerns held by more than half its resident doctors. Whether it makes an impact remains to be seen.
The concern is their rating in the check done a year ago wasn’t cause for celebration either. It is likely the steps being taken to address the problems won’t be known for some time.
That may come too late to save the careers of some.
The pressure must also come on at a political level with recent revelations of kitchen cuts at Robina Hospital emergency department forcing nurses to dip into their owner pockets to feed patients at times.