The invisible suffering of students in the hospital

burnout, intimidation, harassment, verbal or physical aggression… The malaise of health students in the face of violence suffered in the hospital environment is spreading dangerously. The book “Omerta in the hospital”, by Dr Valérie Auslender, published by Michalon on Thursday March 2, lifts the veil on this taboo subject. Nursing students, medical students or midwives, the discomfort of future practitioners, hitherto invisible, is brought to light in the book based on 130 student testimonies. All say they have suffered from psychological abuse. These victims tell of having endured abuse and humiliation of all kinds in order to obtain their sesame at the end of training.

Charlotte is one of the students who agreed to tell their ordeal to Dr. Valérie Auslender. Intern in the pediatric service, the “dehumanized” treatment she received almost disgusted her with the profession: “We have no consideration as a person. We arrive in the morning in the services, we are not said hello We are simply called ‘internal’ like robots. (…) We feel a bit like full-time slaves, with psychological chains”, she explains, quoted by Europe 1.

14% of medical students have thought about suicide

If all students are not victims of this “omerta”, this violence occurs in a degraded climatewith caregivers who say they are increasingly under pressure. A investigation by the National Order of Physicians revealed in June 2016 that a quarter of medical students and junior doctors report fair or poor health. 14% of them say they have had suicidal thoughts.

A worrying observation since often these evils remain invisible because few students and young doctors are followed by occupational and university medicine, and few seem to consult general practitioners.

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