Medical Council publishes report on intern doctors and specialist trainees
Report highlights important findings relating to bullying, adverse events, working hours, migration intentions and wellbeing
Wednesday, 3rd July 2019: The Medical Council has today (Wednesday) launched the Your Training Counts Report for 2017. Your Training Counts is the national trainee experience survey, conducted each year by the Medical Council, documenting the experiences of trainee doctors and interns in the Irish healthcare system.
The report examines the clinical learning environments, working conditions, experiences of bullying, retention and career plans, and health and wellbeing of doctors on training schemes.
Bill Prasifka, CEO, the Medical Council said: “The results of Your Training Counts suggest that trainee specialist doctors and interns, in the main, feel safe in their workplace, have good general health and self-reported quality of life.
“Although there have been improvements in numerous key areas such as wellbeing and mental health, concerning trends which have been identified in recent years on serious issues such as bullying and long working hours still continue.
“However, this report is not just about supporting doctors, it is also about patient safety,” concluded Mr Prasifka.
Dr Rita Doyle, President of the Medical Council said: “The information gathered through this report will inform dialogue and future collaboration between the individuals and organisations involved in medical education and training in Ireland, with a view to continually improving trainee experiences and outcomes. While improvements have been made, there is still much work to do. We need to nurture and support our interns and trainees, encouraging them to remain working in Ireland. They are the future.”
Report Highlights
Quality of Life
70% of trainee specialists reported a good or better quality of life, with 76.9% reported as enjoying good mental wellbeing. Nine out of ten trainee specialists felt physically safe in the hospital environment.
Bullying and Harassment
41% of respondents experienced some form of bullying or harassment in their roles, an increase from 34% in 2014, when the Your Training Counts Report was first published.
Over half (56.2%) of respondents reported witnessing a colleague being the victim of bullying or harassment and 2% of trainee witnessed such incidents on a daily basis.
Doctors represented 58% of perceived perpetrators of bullying behaviour, while nurses and midwives represented just under one third of perceived bullying perpetrators (30%), as reported by respondents. Just under half (48.5%) of trainee respondents in 2017 reported experiencing undermining behaviour from a consultant or GP.
In 2017, just under 70% (68.9%) of respondents who reported being bullied and harassed did not divulge the incident(s) to an authority figure. However, of the 31.1% who did report an incident only 8.7% said action was taken.
Adverse Events
Just under one third of respondents were involved in an adverse event in the previous twelve months, either directly or indirectly.
Trainee specialists who reported being bullied were more likely to be involved in an adverse event (40%) than those who were not bullied (18.5%). 59% of those involved in an adverse event considered their family and friends as the main source of support in the aftermath.
Those who worked longer hours were also more likely to have been involved in an adverse event than those who worked less hours.
Working Hours
Despite the provisions of the European Working Time Directive, over one third of respondents reported working 60 hours or more in a typical week. A good or better than good self-perceived quality of life was lowest among those who worked more than 59 hours per week, with over half of respondents reporting a quality of life that was good or better.
Working Abroad
The number of doctors on the Trainee Specialist division of the register who expressed a desire to leave Ireland and practice medicine has steadily declined, falling from 21.3% in 2014 to 14% in 2017. In addition, those wishing to remain in Ireland has increased year on year, from 54% in 2014 to 67.2% in 2017.
Of those considering practicing medicine abroad, almost two thirds were doing so because they felt their working hours in Ireland were too long, and this was the main predictor of wishing to emigrate. Just under four in five (79.6%) of trainee specialists agreed that the prospect of a better work-life balance was central to their considering practicing medicine outside of Ireland. Additionally, those that were considering practicing medicine abroad cited a lack of support from their employers (57.8%) as a reason for considering the move.
Dr Rita Doyle continued: “Encouraging trends are emerging, but more needs to be done, especially around wellbeing of our doctors. Bullying will not be tolerated, and we need to reassure our trainees that they can be guaranteed support every step of the way. Employers, trainers and policy makers all have an important role to stamp bullying out of the Irish healthcare system. It must not continue, and I would encourage anyone who is a victim of bullying to report it via the appropriate channels within their organisation. If you believe that this hasn’t been given fair consideration you can contact the Medical Council.
“The Medical Council has a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. It is wrong. Our interns and our trainees are the future of Irish healthcare. We need to ensure that they all receive the best experience possible, so that our trainee specialists continue on their chosen path with confidence and our interns develop and flourish, building on the high standards of education they received in medical school.”
Wellbeing supports and resources are provided by employers, training bodies and the Medical Council and since the Medical Council first carried out this report greater emphasis has been placed on this by all stakeholders. The report contains a comprehensive, linked resource capturing supports available to trainees and interns.
The Medical Council maintains the Register of Medical Practitioners - the register of all doctors who are legally permitted to carry out medical work in Ireland. The Council also sets the standards for medical education and training in Ireland. It oversees lifelong and learning and skills development throughout doctors' professional careers through its professional competence requirements. It is charged with promoting good medical practice. The Medical Council is also where the public may make a complaint against a doctor.
ENDS
A copy of the full report can be found here:
A copy of the Summary Report can be found here:
A copy of the report infograph can be found here: