44% of trainee doctors are bullied by their teacher

doctor bullying

One in 10 doctors have experienced bullying

An annual survey from the General Medical Council (GMC) found that more than one in 10 training doctors have been bullied, with 44% of the complaints directed at the trainer.

The 2013 national training survey looked at 54,000 doctors across the UK, finding that more than one in four has experiencing undermining behaviour, with nearly one in five witnessing someone else being bullied.

Dealing with bullying

Kitty Mohan, co-chair of the BMA’s junior doctors’ committee, told the Student BMJ “We must do more to combat any environment that allows bullying or harassment by encouraging NHS staff to share their concerns immediately.”

Dean Royles, chief executive of the NHS Employers organisation said “These are very insightful reports that get further into the detail of some key issues in medical care. We know doctors can work in stressful situations, especially when vacancies exist or demand for care rises, but everyone would recognise that it is unacceptable for this to spill over into bullying. We look forward to working with the GMC to help increase staff confidence in reporting concerns, to provide guidance to assist those who are bullied, and to rigorously address bullying behaviour.”