Cairns Hospital says junior doctor bullying not the case

THE Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has hit back at Australian Medical Association survey results on bullying.

Dr Nicki Murdock says bullying is taken seriously. PICTURE: JUSTIN BRIERTY

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THE Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service has hit back at Australian Medical Association survey results which showed almost half of new doctors had experienced bullying.

Medical Services executive director Dr Nicki Murdock said the organisation provided a “great environment and work life balance for our staff”.

“We recognise the first few years are critical to professional and career development and we are committed to making that a positive experience. We believe that junior doctors are a critical workforce deserving support and development,” she said.

“This high level of satisfaction is reflected in our excellent retention rate across the Health Service of new doctors. Around 69 per cent of our 344 junior doctors have elected to stay on next year, the highest retention rate in the past three years.

“Three quarters of our Resident Medical Officers also want to continue working with us.

The Health Service treats complaints of bullying very seriously. All our staff receive training on how to deal with bullying, harassment or discrimination.”

CHHHS also claimed just 16 of 300 junior doctors employed were surveyed by the AMA, but the peak medical association refuted this saying 35 doctors were interviewed.

Originally published as Cairns Hospital says junior doctor bullying not the case