Less than full time trainees experience “undermining behaviour” in workplace, study finds

Abstract

More than half of surgical trainees who have taken up flexible training have experienced “undermining behaviour” in the workplace as a result, a study has found. The reported problems included bullying and harassment by consultants and colleagues and discrimination in allocating jobs. Researchers are calling for “cultural change” to counter “unacceptable” behaviours and damaging perceptions and for flexible training to be made easier to access. Rhiannon Harries, study leader, said that the findings were a cause for alarm. She told BMJ Careers, “The attitude to people undertaking flexible training within surgery is still very negative. We need to address the mindset of trainers, managers within the hospital setting, trainees, and medical students themselves so that it’s seen as possible to do flexible training, and it should be recognised as a growing …