Bullying report stuns specialists

A survey found nearly 50 per cent of college fellows, trainees and international medical graduates had faced discrimination, bullying or sexual harassment. Photo / Getty Images

Doctors’ body vows to address problem after extent of behaviour is revealed.

A report revealing the extent of bullying among surgeons has shocked the profession, and it is vowing to change.

Examples cited in the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons draft report include a woman told she should get her tubes tied if she wanted a job, and another made to work 30-hour shifts in the last weeks of her pregnancy.

Dr Cathy Ferguson, of Wellington, chairwoman of the college's professional standards committee, said the problem was equally bad in both New Zealand and Australia, and female surgeons were as likely to be bullies.

Although she knew bullying was a problem, she was surprised by its extent. The fact some victims thought about suicide was distressing. The high stakes and often life-saving nature of surgery was no excuse.

A survey found nearly 50 per cent of college fellows, trainees and international medical graduates had faced discrimination, bullying or sexual harassment.

The RACS commissioned the independent report into the behaviour after senior vascular surgeon Dr Gabrielle McMullin said complaining about harassment could ruin a trainee's career. A report found that a culture of fear and reprisal meant lodging a complaint could be "career suicide".

"There needs to be a new shared language that makes clear the risk to patient safety from discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment," the report says.

Perpetrators faced few consequences from their actions. Dr Ferguson said perpetrators represented a cross-section of surgeons, including those with a high profile.

"The highly successful charismatic person may be a more obvious bully and they are not called out for their behaviour," she said. "But I think it does occur in all sorts of other insidious ways as well."

It was a big step for the profession to acknowledge it had a major problem.

"We accept that we need to change - how we change is not necessarily going to be as easy."

The Resident Doctors' Association and the Medical Council backed the call for change.

Bully culture

• 49 per cent of surgical fellows, trainees and international medical graduates had been bullied, discriminated against, or sexually harassed, a survey found.

• 71 per cent of hospitals reported bullying or discrimination or sexual harassment in the past five years.

• Problem exists in all surgical specialties.

• Senior surgeons and surgical consultants the main perpetrators.