06 May 2005
The British Medical Association this week called for a change in attitudes in medical education after it revealed that more than a third of medical students have been the victims of bullying.
The association said that 35% of respondents to its welfare survey reported some form of harassment while at university or during a hospital placement. About one in four had been bullied by a doctor, and one in six by a nurse.
Harassment ranged from racial or sexual discrimination to humiliation by teachers in front of patients. One student claimed to have been victimised for not coming from a family with a medical tradition, while another reported having been pressured to carry out a procedure without supervision.
'These figures are unacceptable,' said Leigh Bissett, the BMA's medical students leader. 'The idea that students learn best when they're terrified is outdated, bad for students and bad for patients. There should be no place for bullying in the NHS and it's time we adopted a zero tolerance policy.'
PFmay2005
