Abstract
Bullying of whatever form should have no place in the Medical Profession. Reforms to junior doctor training and reduction in working hours have helped to control most of the individual bullying which may have existed in the past. However, the complexities of institutional bullying still exist. In the United Kingdom, centralised monitoring systems, such as Athena SWAN, are designed to reward academic and medical institutions for positive steps to introduce equality and mitigate bullying. However, the reality is that such processes may be conducted in healthcare or educational establishments that have little intention to address the problem thoroughly. We report the personal experience of both individual and institutional bullying in the medical career of a medically-qualified interviewee and reflect on ways to mitigate the problem. We also consider whether unconscious bias affects our relationships with patients. In a caring medical profession, there should be no room for intolerance, unconscious bias or bullying.
Highlights
Over the course of time, we have had recourse on many an occasion to consider what effect a seemingly vocational profession has had on those who practice it
We report the experience of a well-known medically-qualified practitioner who spoke to the authors about his experiences of personal and institutional bullying in a medical career spanning more than 40 years
This personal perspective on personal and institutional bullying in the British Medical profession was drawn from direct discussions and the daily diary of Advances in Medical Education and Practice 2021:12 141–145
Summary
Over the course of time, we have had recourse on many an occasion to consider what effect a seemingly vocational profession has had on those who practice it. Burn-out, failed relationships, divorce and even suicide are some of the often talked about aspects of a career which can be all-consuming for many.[1]. There has always been a group of people who have attempted to alleviate the seeming tyranny of a medical career by “taking it out” on others. We report the experience of a well-known medically-qualified practitioner who spoke to the authors about his experiences of personal and institutional bullying in a medical career spanning more than 40 years. He felt that his experiences were typical of those experienced by his generation of medical practitioners in the United Kingdom during the period from the early 1980s
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
