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Original Research
Experiences of medical interns of emotionally charged workplace encounters: A qualitative exploration of their rural rotation
Submitted: 07 February 2026 | Published: 12 August 2026
About the author(s)
Madeleine Muller, Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, East London Department of Family Medicine, Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, East London, South AfricaOladele V. Adeniyi, Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, East London Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, East London, South Africa
Susan van Schalkwyk, Department of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Abstract
Background: Junior doctors experience high-pressure emotional interactions, often with limited support during their rural hospital rotation. Little is known about the effect of such encounters on the emotions and behaviour of clinicians.
Aim: This study explores the experiences of interns during emotionally charged encounters in the workplace with clinical supervisors, colleagues and patients.
Setting: The study was conducted in a one regional and three rural district hospitals.
Methods: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 12 interns undergoing training in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, between May 2024 and August 2024. A purposive sample of second-year medical interns who had completed a 2-month rotation in a rural district hospital setting was interviewed. Data were coded and subsequently analysed thematically.
Results: Three themes emerged: ‘being a doctor in an emotionally charged clinical environment’, ‘the emotionally competent doctor’ and ‘the emotional support needs of junior doctors’. Emotionally charged clinical encounters elicited strong, distressing emotions in interns, including anxiety, frustration, and feelings of helplessness, which affected their well-being, service delivery, and clinical performance. Unregulated emotions resulted in counterproductive behaviours, such as abruptness, avoidance, or reluctance to seek guidance. Participants expressed a need for structured emotional competence (EC) training and additional emotional support.
Conclusion: Junior doctors face emotionally charged encounters in their clinical practice. Unregulated emotions may drive counterproductive behaviours, affecting service delivery and patient care. Effective educational activities need to be developed to support the development of EC in undergraduate medical education. A programme targeting the emotional well-being of doctors, especially junior doctors, could provide additional support.
Contribution: Identifies a need for EC training of doctors.
Keywords
Sustainable Development Goal
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