Ep122. From Theatre to Tribunal - Dr Gaby Bolton on Fair Pay for Junior Doctors

I am so grateful to Dr Gaby Bolton for taking time out of her exam preparation to have this conversation with me. Not only has she spent the last 6 years training in anaesthesia but she was also the lead applicant in a landmark class action lawsuit against Peninsula Health over unpaid overtime. Her journey began in 2020 as the HMO Society President, representing her peers as they sought a uniform allowance as they faced the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Bolton took on significant professional and personal risks, and made huge efforts to support others. She spent months preparing for trial and endured days of cross examination in the witness box. It comes as no surprise that all of this, plus the media attention that ensued took a toll on her exam preparations. I am so pleased to announce that Dr Bolton has passed all exams!

Dr Bolton also shares some great insights into performance anxiety and what drives her to advocate for those unable to speak up for themselves. A true inspiration!

Our March 2026 edition of Australian Anaesthetist is all about advocacy. Read it here.

Other podcasts you might be interested in:

Ep115. How the ASA can support you

Ep64. If you've failed exams

Ep84. If you're navigating Ahpra

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Some AI generated notes:

Episode Highlights

00:02:15: I congratulate Dr. Bolton on passing her exams and contextualise why I delayed publishing this episode, setting up the significance of her journey

00:04:45: Dr Bolton explains the catalyst for the class action—a refused $8.87 weekly uniform allowance during the pandemic when junior doctors were required to wear scrubs to protect families

00:09:30: Legal firm Hayden Stephens approaches Dr Bolton after an AMA survey, warning her of potential career damage and requesting her to be the lead applicant for Peninsula Health

00:15:20: Bolton describes her meticulous documentation process, creating dossiers of two years of work records including pay slips, rosters, WhatsApp chats, and car park records for legal evidence

00:22:40: The trial is scheduled for June 2022, just six weeks before Bolton's primary exam, creating significant stress during her introductory training time

00:28:15: Bolton spends three-and-a-half days in the witness box, undergoing intensive trial preparation with barristers and facing cross- examination that challenges her authority as a junior doctor

00:35:50: A barrister questions Bolton's use of "my patients," implying she lacks authority; she responds by articulating the reality of junior doctor responsibility and accessibility

00:42:30: Bolton fails her primary exam four to five weeks after the trial, attributing it partly to performance anxiety that has affected her since age nine

00:48:15: Bolton discusses how performance anxiety only affects her in high-stakes personal evaluations, not in clinical emergencies or advocacy work for others

00:54:00: Bolton ultimately passes her primary exam in October 2024, with support from mentors who had also failed multiple times

01:01:20: Discussion of media involvement post-settlement, including media training and how Bolton balanced public advocacy with exam preparation

01:07:45: I ask about Dr Bolton's future interest in medical politics and wellbeing advocacy; Bolton reflects that advocacy "usually finds her" rather than being a deliberate choice

Key Takeaways

Systemic injustice requires individual courage: Bolton's decision to become the lead applicant, despite explicit warnings of career damage, demonstrates that protecting vulnerable colleagues, particularly IMGs reliant on supervisor sign-offs, sometimes requires personal sacrifice from those with more privilege or security

Meticulous preparation mitigates risk: Bolton's obsessive documentation and organisation, combined with professional legal support and intensive trial preparation, enabled her to withstand three-and-a-half days of cross-examination and emerge credibly despite being a junior doctor facing institutional power

Performance anxiety is context-dependent and treatable: Bolton's insight that anxiety affects personal evaluations but not clinical emergencies reveals the psychological distinction between ego-threat and external responsibility; reframing exams as service to patients rather than self-judgment may help trainees

Peer support and realistic mentorship matter more than false reassurance: Bolton valued mentors who acknowledged uncertainty ("I don't have a crystal ball") over well-meaning colleagues offering hollow guarantees; normalising exam failure and creating space for multiple attempts reduces shame and isolation

Advocacy often emerges from proximity to injustice: Bolton's journey from HMO representative to class action lead applicant to potential future medical politician illustrates how systemic problems, combined with individual values and opportunity, can reshape career trajectories toward advocacy

Quotable Moments

"I think they went around every single loophole they could to get out of paying something that wouldn't cover even a half a pair of scrubs to people to protect their families."

"I felt at the time, maybe it was a little bit self-destructive and maybe has been in some ways, but I thought, well, I'm in a position to do it. It's something I think I'm capable of. It's something that I think I won't suffer consequences as badly as probably some other people would. And somebody has to do it."

"They are totally your patients... I'm the one that's doing all their paperwork, putting all their drips in, changing all the medicines, talking to their families that no one's called for three days."

"It doesn't affect me in anything except something that I value as affecting me personally. I've never had it at work in no way in any emergencies of work. It doesn't come up when it involves doing things for other people. But as soon as it becomes really personal and a direct judgment on me; it hadn't happened for a really long time."