Medicus April 2016

O P I N I O N

Male Champions of Change

Sid Narula President, Medical Students’ Association of Notre Dame

T he issue of bullying and attention in May 2015, when the ABC’s Four Corners aired an episode entitled ‘At Their Mercy’ . As we all know, the episode primarily concentrated on a toxic culture of belittling, bullying and bastardising junior doctors – especially in surgery. Since 1996, women have outnumbered men in medical schools, and yet women presently account for only one-third of surgical trainees, and a measly 9 per cent of RACS Fellows. As a student in a cohort which is 68 per cent female, I have no doubt that the gender imbalance in surgery will eventually correct itself. However, a meaningful change can only be accomplished once the barricades preventing women from entering surgery are broken down. Such barriers are too broad to be adequately explored in this opinion piece, however the present literature cites the lack of part-time training positions, the absence of support for women with children, and sex- based discrimination as noteworthy examples. Now one can argue that the issues of gender discrimination and bullying are not unique to medicine or surgery, but that does not justify its presence, nor the impact it impresses upon our doctors. At present, Notre Dame Fremantle has a Positive Workplace Working Group, comprising of staff and students, who are working together to develop strategies and skills that will enable students harassment within the medical profession gained momentous

to recognise and combat sexual harassment, discrimination and

of the responsibility to ensure gender equity falls upon the men in charge. Since May last year, opening the conversation itself has been a positive step forward. There has been the Expert Advisory Group’s report to RACS and the AMA (WA)’s survey of bullying and harassment in WA hospitals. As students, we are continually reminded that doctors are held to a higher standard than the general community, and thus it seems far- fetched that such a barbaric problem could be so rife. However, the results from the AMA (WA)’s survey indicate that the problem is more than just a few bad eggs. Advancing from here, the tolerance for bullying and harassment needs to be shamed, and our apprenticeship model of training needs to evolve its use of constructive teaching behaviours. Secondly, we need to explore the capacity for increasing the number of part-time training positions, improving the capacity for job-sharing and expand the support for parents in training programs. In my own short journey in medicine, I’ve heard many anecdotes about senior doctors “shredding” junior doctors, anecdotes of women having to choose between specialisation and parenthood and unforgiving stereotypes that women “belong” in O&G, Paediatrics and General Practice. Looking at my own colleagues, I am energised by the rejection of these

bullying. I firmly support this initiative as a means to achieving the necessary generational shift in culture. However, I believe that a top-down approach to bullying and harassment is non- negotiable and intrinsically required to evoke a lasting change. Thankfully, I am not alone in this view. Male Champions of Change (MCC) is an initiative which began in 2010 when Elizabeth Broderick, (Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, 2007-15), motivated many of “the most powerful men in the country” to publically commit to taking action on gender inequity. Amongst others, these men included the CEOs of IBM, Qantas, Citibank and Telstra and have since expanded to executive leaders in other corporations such as ANZ, CBA, Rio Tinto, ASX Limited and Australia’s Chief of Army. Elizabeth Broderick recognised the importance of a top-down approach, and further acknowledged that male participation is the crucial catalyst to achieving gender equity in the workforce. Since the group’s establishment, 90 per cent of MCC corporations have achieved the benchmark, and 27 per cent have achieved gender balance. Accomplishing the same feat in medicine is undoubtedly difficult. Like many of these corporations, AMA, RACS, RACP, RACGP and some of our local hospitals (e.g. FSH) have male dominant leadership. As such, relying on women alone to change the status quo is an illogical approach and part

antediluvian notions, and I look forward to the next of chapter of change. ■

A P R I L 2 0 1 6 M E D I C U S 53