MEDSCAPE – In a conference room at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, female physicians across all levels — residents, attendings, leadership — discussed their experiences with workplace bullying.
Some described being pushed out of jobs, others detailed toxic environments co-signed by their bosses, and some expressed regret about how pent-up frustration led them to not-so-positive confrontations with colleagues.
The group was there to listen to Breanne Jacobs, MD, give her talk: “Mean Girls in Medicine” at the 2025 Women in Medicine Sumangry mit (WIMS). Afterward, Jacobs opened the floor to allow attendees to talk about their experiences with bullying.
What was apparent was how cathartic it was to share these personal stories. What was surprising was that many, though not all, of these anecdotes centered around female supervisors and colleagues. In fact, it seemed to create a more visceral impact when the bullying came from other women.
It’s an issue that hides — often in plain sight — in the medical field. “I’m not an expert in bullying. I wanted to highlight an issue I’ve noticed and one that is not talked about enough.
Most importantly, I wanted to let others have a space where they could share with each other and know they’re not alone,” said Jacobs, a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates in Washington, DC.
Discussions around bullying in healthcare aren’t new. In nursing, the problem has even been dubbed an “epidemic.”
But this toxicity continues to interrupt the professional growth of healthcare workers across all areas of medicine. A 2023 research article in the Journal of Women’s Health surveyed female physicians who held prominent roles in academic medical institutions.
The study found that 85% of female respondents reported experiencing mistreatment during their careers, most often by their supervisors …
