Nobody Puts Trainees in the Corner! Pt. 2

As the unstoppable bullying endemic wreaks havoc, bringing surgical trainees to their knees with widespread anarchy and chaos, one man must face his greatest challenge to battle injustice. However, is the @orthopodreg prepared to walk the fine line between defender and avenger, hero and vigilante?

Whilst that is just the synopsis of The Dark Knight (with a few names/details changed), it rings true for detailing the mammoth scale of the problem. In Part 2 of our look at bullying, we're privileged to be joined by the shining beacon of justice that is Simon Fleming.

The self-described misfit who has long been the target of bullies, starting as a fat kid, and then joining a speciality with the worst reputation for bullying. He made it his British Orthopaedic Trainees Association (BOTA) campaign pledge to tackle bullying at its root, and then dedicated the last decade of his life to doing so, being met with scorn, criticism and vitriol. He’s been the proverbial lightning rod for the wrath of the establishment, and the metaphorical shield for trainees to hide behind, despite constant threats to his training, career, and even his life.

We talk about his life’s work, his personal experiences of bullying, how far the movement has come, where we are as a profession now, and how he will continue in his crusade as a consultant.

He is the hero that we as trainees deserve, but not the one we need right now. So he will be hunted. Because he can take it. A watchful protector. A not-so-silent guardian. Wait… is he actually Batman?

Simon's Twitter account: www.twitter.com/orthopodreg

One of Simon's most visible TED talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVkGiziPY1o

Simon Fleming: I launched an anti-bullying campaign to change culture in healthcare (2019). BMJ: 365:l2325 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l2325

Fleming, S. and Fisher, R.A., Sexual assault in surgery: a painful truth (2021). The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 103(6), pp.282-285.

https://doi.org/10.1308/rcsbull.2021.106

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