Episode 150: Breaking the Silence Exploring the Hidden Struggles of Junior Doctors

Welcome to another episode of the Sustainable Clinical Medicine Podcast!

In this podcast episode #150 we shine a light on the real experiences of early-career medical professionals and listening to the voices of junior doctors. I’m your host, Dr. Sarah Smith, and today we’re joined by Victoria Lister—researcher, workplace coach, and passionate advocate for change in healthcare.

Diving into the hidden struggles junior doctors face: the culture of silence, the impact of discrimination and burnout, and the critical importance of psychological safety at work. Victoria shares her research and personal insights on why so many doctors feel unable to speak up, and what leaders and colleagues can do to create safer, more supportive environments.

Whether you’re a medical professional, a student, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this conversation is packed with eye-opening stories and practical advice. Let’s get started!

Here are 3 key takeaways from this episode:

1. The Culture of Silence in Medicine: Junior doctors often feel unable to speak up about their working conditions due to fear of retaliation, career setbacks, and entrenched hierarchies. This silence can have serious consequences for both staff wellbeing and patient safety.
2. Psychological Safety is Essential: Creating environments where junior doctors feel safe to voice concerns is crucial. Leadership that listens, acts, and genuinely supports staff can transform toxic workplaces into supportive, high-performing teams.
3. Discrimination and Burnout are Widespread: Issues like bullying, harassment, and discrimination—based on gender, race, or background—are still prevalent in medical training. Addressing these challenges requires systemic change, open conversations, and collective action to ensure a healthier future for all healthcare professionals.

Meet Victoria Lister:

Victoria Lister is a researcher in the Business School at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. Her PhD research investigates junior doctors’ working conditions silences and how the medical profession acts as a barrier to voice. To support junior doctors, Victoria trained as a workplace coach and is currently researching and delivering a ‘coaching for communication’ program for emergency medicine clinicians. She also works on other research projects in the medical context; has consulted on a healthcare workforce wellbeing initiative and a cultural change program designed to address bullying, harassment and discrimination in medicine; and has published on these themes.

Connect with Victoria Lister:
🌐 Website: https://www.victorialister.com/

• linkedin.com/in/victoria-lister
• https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=Fzi-II4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

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