Half of junior doctors experience bullying, says NZMA

Half of junior doctors working in Auckland City Hospital say they have been bullied at least once in the workplace.

The results, which were published in the NZMJ, showed that first-year house officers, or first-year registrars, were targeted in 50% of all cases of bullying. It also found that they were most likely to be bullied by nurses or consultants (each accounting for 30% of all bullying occurrences), followed by patients (25%), radiologists (8%), and senior registrars (7%).

Unjustified criticism was reported as the most common form of bullying, followed by having efforts undervalued and having work undermined.

Eighteen per cent of respondents had gone on to make a formal complaint.

The Auckland District Health Board said it has "zero tolerance" of bullying and has processes to ensure all staff are treated with respect.

Similar studies elsewhere in the world show that 37% of UK doctors have experienced bullying, compared to 30% in Ireland and 50% in Australia.