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Medical Dominance and the Creation of Toxic Culture

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Australia’s Toxic Medical Culture

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Abstract

Chapter 5 moves to the historical origin and application of power in the rise of the medical profession. The concept of medical dominance is explored and how and why IMGs  are positioned within an elite profession as an underclass. The positioning of medical doctors above alternate and complementary health practitioners is discussed. Voices within medicine reveal a toxic culture endemic with bullying, sexism and sexual harassment.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The full Geneva Declaration: ama.com.au/media/ama-adopts-wma-declaration-geneva, The AMA Code of Ethics: atama.com.au/position-statement/ama-code-ethics-2004-editorially-revised-2006.

  2. 2.

    Medicare is partly funded by the Medicare Levy which is paid by taxpayers and depends on income level. Low income earners are exempt. Public hospital treatment for Australians is free but a Medicare Levy surcharge also exists to encourage higher income earners to obtain private health insurance. This is a taxation penalty levelled at those higher income earners who do not have private health insurance.

  3. 3.

    This pathway is only for IMGs from: The USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada.

  4. 4.

    The Recommendations from the “Lost in the Labyrinth” Report can be assessed at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=haa/overseasdoctors/report.htm.

  5. 5.

    I contacted the Department of the House of Representatives on 27th June 2016 re a government response to the 45 recommendations. The report was tabled on 19 March 2012. It is expected that governments respond within 6 months. The email reply stated: …”You may feel free to contact the Health Minister or the Department of Health for a response noting also that a number of the recommendations are directed at the AMC(an independent national standards body).

  6. 6.

    The situation in the USA can be viewed in: “100% of medical students report abuse” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G6zgGIPgc and “Why doctors kill themselves” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyVA+Z9VZ4Q.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Principal Researcher, Independent Education Consultancy, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Vicki Adele Pascoe

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  1. Vicki Adele Pascoe
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Correspondence to Vicki Adele Pascoe .

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Pascoe, V.A. (2019). Medical Dominance and the Creation of Toxic Culture. In: Australia’s Toxic Medical Culture. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2426-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2426-0_5

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