Resources for junior doctors experiencing or witnessing bullying and harassment

Bullying, harassment and discrimination are ongoing issues in the medical workforce, as they are in many other industries. Concerted efforts are being made across Australia to change the culture of medicine through education initiatives and promoting empowerment of JMOs. The Canberra Regional Medical Education Council’s Workplace Culture: A Resource for JMOs: Bullying, harassment and discrimination is developed by JMOs for JMOs. The booklet provides advice on addressing and reporting concerns regarding workplace culture, including escalation pathways in the ACT training region.

Additional resources that CRMEC recommends include South Australia Medical Education and Training bullying and harassment resources and the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Sexual harassment resources.

The Medical Training Survey (MTS) supported by the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (Ahpra) provides an annual snapshot of medical training in Australia and monitors longitudinal training conditions. The MTS includes questions about bullying and harassment that provide an indication of the extent of the issue within the Australian medical workforce.

Where can I report a concern about bullying and harassment?

All prevocational training providers (and healthcare facilities in general) must have mechanisms through which bullying and harassment can be reported and investigated. The Workplace Culture booklet above details the escalation pathways.

In the Canberra and South-East NSW training region, Canberra Region Medical Education Council monitors compliance of prevocational training providers with the Prevocational Training Standards. The Council provides advice to junior doctors regarding their concerns if that cannot be resolved in within the facility. The Council can investigate concerns that indicate a training provider is not meeting the Prevocational Training Standards. You can contact the CRMEC for more information, support and advice.