Medicus April 2016

C O V E R S T O R Y

respect for junior staff is not consistent and the majority of students witnessed aggressive or bullying behaviours at least sometimes. A significant proportion of students were subjected to inappropriate behaviour sometimes or often, although their contribution was appreciated at least sometimes in the majority of cases (See graphs). While these data are limited to a single survey of students at the end of their first year of clinical rotations, they do provide a snapshot of their experiences and assessment of senior medical staff behaviour. It is recognised that the data represent the students’ unchallenged perceptions, however, it is of great concern that expected professional behaviours such as respect for junior staff are far from universally displayed by senior medical staff. In addition, medical students are experiencing inappropriate behaviour. These experiences are having a negative impact on female students in particular who are concerned about their future treatment and progress in the medical profession. Clearly, there is a need to address the issues of bullying, sexual and other harassment and gender inequality in the medical profession. At the medical school level, this requires a curriculum that provides students with skills to effectively deal with negative behaviours. Notre Dame is meeting this challenge with a multi-faceted approach which includes the following: • Establishment of a Positive Workplace Working Group with a

combined membership of faculty and students. • Hosting a forum on bullying and harassment in medicine in the 2016 academic year. • Consolidating the curriculum in the clinical years with workshops on topics such as assertive communication, conflict resolution, developing resilience and practical approaches to bullying and harassment. • Incorporating elements of the established first year Physician Wellness Program (ESSENCE+) into the latter years with an emphasis on mindfulness and reflective practice. • Consolidation of the structures and supports for reporting bullying and harassment both within the school and the clinical setting. • Improved dissemination of policies and procedures with respect to bullying and all types of harassment. While the aim of these initiatives is to equip students with skills to improve their practice and experience of the medical workplace, it is recognised they alone will not change the culture that has enabled bullying and harassment to reach such alarming levels. Notre Dame like any other institution or college involved in the training of healthcare professionals, must review its own practices and model the humility, respect and compassion required to support the significant cultural change that the Australian healthcare system urgently requires. ■

GENERAL PRACTICE

Applications for the 2017 Australian GP Training (AGPT) program open from: Monday 11 April - Friday 9 May 2015

To apply go to: agpt.com.au For more information contact (08) 9473 8200 or gpcareers@wagpet.com.au

gpcareers@wagpet.com.au | wagpet.com.au | 08 9473 8200

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