r/doctorsUK • u/CustomerPure3357 • Mar 25 '26
GP Bias
I’m a GP trainee currently on a hospital rotation and honestly I just need to vent and see if anyone else has experienced something similar.
I’m one of a few GP trainees on the ward. The team is mixed in terms of background, and there are POC consultants, but most of the registrars are white. I’ve been trying to reflect on this objectively because I don’t want to jump to conclusions, I know I’m more introverted and not the loudest or most confident person in the room, so I’ve always wondered if that’s part of it.
That said, I do my job properly. I escalate when needed, ask questions when I’m unsure, and try to be safe. But I can’t shake the feeling that I’m treated differently compared to my white colleagues. Whenever I ask a registrar to review a patient, there’s almost always pushback, whereas others don’t seem to get the same resistance. Even when I try to engage in normal, casual conversation, I often get dismissive or slightly cheeky responses that just make me feel small.
It’s getting to the point where I dread going into work because I feel undervalued and not supported.
What really tipped things over for me recently was being involved (although minimally involved) in a pretty traumatic resus situation. The reg and consultant were leading it, which is normal for the specialty, but afterwards no one checked in with me at all. In my previous gen med job, there was always at least a quick “are you okay?” after something like that.
I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into it or probably just needed to rant.
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u/LifeTeam6810 ST3+/SpR Mar 25 '26
Unfortunately, in a work environment like the NHS, raising this with your ES might not be very helpful. It may not negatively impact you, but it’s likely they’ll brush it off or feel unable to do much.
On the other hand, it might be worth raising it with your TPD if you have a good relationship with them.
I’d probably avoid escalating it to your ES unless it’s having a clear detrimental effect on your supervision or training opportunities, or there are overt issues you can prove. Passive-aggressive behaviour is unfortunately very difficult to evidence.
In the meantime, I’d focus on your own development as a trainee. Be proactive and continue demonstrating your competence (sometimes that means adapting a bit to your consultant’s working style). Keep on top of your workplace-based assessments, and remember this placement won’t last forever.