International Journal of Health Sciences

Bullying in Orthopaedic Surgery Residency: A Survey Study of Orthopaedic Residents
John Green, MD; Howard Place, MD

Abstract
Introduction Bullying is defined as unwanted or aggressive behaviors with a perceived imbalance of power that may cause harm or distress to the target. Orthopaedic residents work in a hierarchical fast paced and high stress environments putting them at risk for bullying. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with bullying for orthopaedic surgery residents in the United States as well as relate bullying to burnout and grit using an anonymous survey. Methods An anonymous survey was sent to current orthopaedic residents. Demographic data, residency information, suicidal ideation, thoughts of attrition and in training exam quartile were collected. The survey also consisted of the Short Negative Acts Questionnaire (S-NAQ), a validated instrument to measure workplace bullying, the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory, a tool to measure emotional exhaustion and depersonalization symptoms, and the Short Grit Scale, a validated questionnaire to which measures trait-level perseverance and passion. Results 87 surveys were returned. 33.6% of residents indicated that they experience bullying. According to the S-NAQ questionnaire, 33.8% of residents are frequently bullied and 21.2% are occasionally bullied. There are high rates of burnout according to the Abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory which divides burnout into three domains: 20% experienced low personal accomplishment, 42.7% high depersonalization, 37.5% high emotional exhaustion. Burnout, suicidal ideation, and thoughts of attrition were significantly related to frequent bullying on the S-NAQ questionnaire. Conclusion Bullying occurs at high rates in orthopaedic residency training and is associated with burnout, suicidal ideation, and thoughts of attrition. Further research needs to be done to determine effective interventions to reduce bullying rates in residency training.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/ijhs.v10n1a3