​The majority of healthcare providers report being bullied during work or medical school, according to a June 14, 2018, article in the New York Times. This represents "a cruel irony," according to the author, director of the leukemia program at the Cleveland Clinics, because doctors and nurses pursue the career out of a desire to help people. Bullying can take numerous forms, the author says, including personal bullying (making insulting remarks about one's background or personal life); workplace bullying (pressuring one not to take a holiday or sick day); and personal intimidation (threating physical violence or abuse). The consequences of bullying can cause a provider to question his or her confidence and lead to anxiety, depression, burnout, drug abuse, and suicidal ideation. The author cites several studies, including one that found 84% of American medical students who responded to the survey said they experienced belittlement during their final year of school and 42% experienced harassment. The author also shared his own experience in medical school, when he was berated by an instructor during surgery and as a result decided not to pursue the specialty. The author included the story of a trauma surgeon who spiraled into depression and burnout "after silently enduring feelings of inadequacy for years." The surgeon, who recounted his story recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, considered a colleague "weak" for taking time off after a nervous breakdown but eventually plotted his own suicide. Changing the culture that breeds this attitude is necessary, the Times author says, because "it's in our patients' best interests, and in ours."

HRC Recommends: No healthcare organization should tolerate bullying within its walls. From the top down and from the bottom up, all staff should be trained to recognize bullying and be empowered to report such behavior without fear of reprisal. Anti-bullying policies should be backed by timely action on the part of the organization, and administrators should visibly demonstrate their support of anti-bullying initiatives as well. Every facility should implement a confidential reporting mechanism and a process for investigating, confronting, and disciplining providers or staff who bully. Providers and staff should be educated regarding expected behavioral standards, recognition of bullying and other disruptive behaviors, and how and to whom to report concerns or instances.