‘I desperately want to quit’: the often unbearable burden on Australia’s junior doctors

Even before Covid, many suffered as a result of long hours and stress. The pandemic has made it worse for those we rely on to heal us

In a busy Melbourne hospital, Paul arrives at work to dozens of patients in the waiting room. The junior doctor is completing a rotation in the emergency departmentand says morale has plummeted with staffing shortages and huge caseloads.

“No one wants to be at work at all,” he says. Several of his colleagues have quit, and people are calling in sick for their shifts more often. Paul is sent up to 10 messages a day about shifts that need to be filled within the health service, to be paid at “crisis rates”.

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Coronavirus | The Guardian

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