What a sad state of affairs when three quarters of doctors-in-training feel there could be repercussions or “negative consequences” for reporting inappropriate workplace behaviour.
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In this day and age, in a profession where men and women dedicate themselves to caring for others, it’s not too much to ask to feel safe in their workplace.
Almost 50 per cent of junior doctors at Wollongong Hospital said they had experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment.
That’s worse than the state average – which is still shocking, with 42 per cent of junior doctors saying they had experienced this type of behaviour.
Illawarra health authorities should be working overtime to explain to the public why Wollongong Hospital scored an ‘F’ grade in the staff well-being category.
Why almost a third of junior doctors surveyed said their rostered hours “never” matched the house they were expected to work.
And why 10 per cent felt their workload was “far too heavy”.
They should be on the front foot on this one – offering an explanation to put these survey results into perspective, or offering up ways they intend to improve the situation.
Wollongong was just one of two NSW public hospitals to score the embarrassing F for well-being in the 2018 Hospital Health Check.
It’s a wake-up call that at the very least, our senior doctors need to find ways to pass on their knowledge, skill and experience in a nurturing environment.
The Illawarra health district says it does not condone bullying, aggression or violence in the workplace.
We believe them.
They say they have a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and are constantly working to improve the culture.
We applaud them.
Judging by their grim results in this statewide report card thought, it seems that they need to work a little harder.
