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LETTERS: Tim Field, Kristin Becker, Graeme M Mackenzie, and Liz Crossan Bullying in medicine BMJ 2002; 324: 786a [Full text]

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Bullying destroyed my medical career

Ian C M Paterson   (29 March 2002)

What to do?

Deborah J Verran   (30 March 2002)

Bullying destroyed my medical career 29 March 2002
Ian C M Paterson, Retired Consultant Clincal Oncologist Send response to journal: Re: Bullying destroyed my medical career	Tim ~~~~~ succinctly summarises the characteristics of the bully and the destructive effects of his actions. I took early retirement from the NHS at the age of 54 years partly as a result of bullying which robbed me of something for which I had worked hard and which was of considerable importance to me. I was not the only one to suffer. I had properly informed my former employers of the problems created by bullying but they did very little despite the fact the the Trust had a policy document on harassment and bullying in the workplace. I concluded this document was only for show and had no practical value. The collective loss of committed expertise was huge but certain managers gave every impression of not caring one iota. Bullying in the workplace causes immense stress but my own experiences suggest managers lack both the understanding of this obvious and simple fact and the ability and training to deal with the consequences. The victims of work-related stress are often sensitive and empathetic individuals whose contribution to health care can ill-afford to be lost as a result of the actions of a personality-flawed bully. We will probably never get rid of the bullies totally but we should expect managers to be better equipped to deal effectively with them. Sacking one bully seems infinitely better to me than losing dozens of hard-working and committed victims.
What to do? 30 March 2002
Deborah J Verran, Transplant Surgeon Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW 2050 Send response to journal: Re: What to do?	I have witnessed the bullying behaviour described by Tim Field and am also acutely aware of the damage to the individual(s) on the receiving end. Of particular concern is the 'smart bully' who either enlists the help of other colleagues, particularly with tactics such as 'whispering campaigns' or carries out personal attacks with respect to an individuals competence in the workplace. This issue should concern everyone within the medical workplace-not just hospital administrators but also senior medical staff who hold positions of responsibility. Failure to deal with such behaviour should be seen as a failure of leadership by those entrusted with running departments. The fact that bullying appears to be underreported suggests one of two things, the behaviour is truly uncommon or else there is major denial that the problem exists. The fact that a hotline remains well patronised suggests the former. More needs to be done.