Junior Doctors stressed, overworked

Dr Alex Markwell and Dr Zoe Wainer, of the AMA Council of Doctors in Training, report in the MJA on a confidential survey of 914 junior doctors in Australia and New Zealand.

“We were pleased to discover that 77 per cent of respondents enjoyed working as a doctor and 73 per cent were looking forward to working that year,” Dr Markwell said.

However, Dr Markwell said 54 per cent of these respondents reported that their workload had been excessive, 53 per cent believed that an adverse event could occur as a result of their high workload, and 41 per cent believed that their workload compromised patient safety.

A majority of junior doctors met established criteria for low job satisfaction (71 per cent), burnout (69 per cent), and compassion fatigue (54 per cent).

A separate study, The National Junior Medical Officer Welfare Study, surveyed 276 doctors who had completed internships in Western Australia and NSW in 2007 and Queensland in 2008.

Study co-author, Dr Daniel Heredia, said 65 per cent of the respondents reported high levels of stress in the workplace and 47 per cent believed their workload was excessive.

More than 90 per cent of respondents thought they were well supported by other clinicians and 82 per cent enjoyed their work.

“Although it is impossible to remove all stress associated with work as a doctor, these findings indicate a need for junior doctors to be adequately trained in stress management and provided with suitable support services, such as counselling,” Dr Heredia said.

The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

^{The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.}

CONTACT:    
Dr Alexandra Markwell        0412 726 324
Dr Daniel Heredia        0403 438 598