Wellbeing
Investing in your wellbeing is the most important thing you can do.
The Essential Network’s brief questionnaire asks you about symptoms of anxiety and other related issues to provide useful resources for support.
Search our library of websites, courses, podcasts and articles to find information on a specific topic.
RACP Support Program
Reach out to the RACP Support Program for free, 24/7, completely confidential support. Make an appointment or speak with a consultant on 1300 687 327 (Australia) or 0800 666 367 (Aotearoa New Zealand).
College policies and procedures that can support your wellbeing.
Helping a colleague or friend is a skill that requires active and mindful attention.
Our position
We believe improving the health and wellbeing of medical professionals requires the cooperation of government, employers, colleges, regulators, doctors’ health services, senior leaders, supervisors, colleagues and doctors themselves.
While we have a shared responsibility for doctors’ health, it's essential for doctors to take care of their own health, for their benefit and for the benefit of their families, patients and the healthcare system.
The Framework
As doctors, our career is all about improving the health of others — but sometimes this can come at the cost of looking after our own.
While doctors are less likely to suffer from lifestyle related illnesses linked to smoking, diet or exercise, they are more vulnerable to mental health and wellbeing issues compared to the general population.
In Australia, doctors report substantially higher rates of attempted suicide and suicide compared to other professionals, with suicide more common in female doctors. Help us turn this around.
We developed the Member Wellbeing Framework (PDF) to support whatever career stage you’re in your and whatever your life circumstances.
Physical
Eat well
Sleep well
Keep active
The state of your physical body and how well it’s operating.
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Mental
Keep learning
Build a routine
Take days off
Your cognitive, emotional and behavioural components that influence each other.
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Social and Emotional
Connect with others
Explore a hobby
Try flexible training
Your capacity to form and maintain secure relationships, and to experience and regulate emotions.
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Cultural and Spiritual
Be in nature
Share stories
Practice reflection
Individual purpose and connections with your true self, others, and potentially something greater.
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 These 4 domains are considered in the context of our environment and relationship with nature and the land on which we live.
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What you can do
We encourage all doctors to see their general practitioner on a regular basis. Every doctor should have a General Practitioner (GP) who they see routinely. A GP can assist in general health maintenance, including physical and mental wellbeing. Physicians should never self-diagnose or self-prescribe.
We also urge you to monitor your own physical and emotional wellbeing, and to seek early assistance if you have any concerns or experience significant stress.
Caring for other doctors requires sensitivity. We encourage doctors to provide support and assistance to colleagues — including trainees — in a compassionate and confidential manner.
About mandatory notification
There is some understandable confusion and speculation around the rules of mandatory notification, resulting in reluctance on the part of distressed doctors to seek assistance for personal issues because of fears it may have a career impact.
See the National Boards and APRHA guidelines for specific guidance.
"While Australia’s health ministers consider whether to change the law about mandatory reporting, it is important that all doctors realise that the threshold for requiring a mandatory report is high, only reached when an impaired doctor is placing the public at risk of substantial harm. This should not deter us from seeking help and support when we need it."
Dr Joanna Flynn AM,
Chair, Medical Board of Australia
Let's talk about wellbeing
Pomegranate Health Ep 101: Setting the standard for workforce wellbeing
We’ve known for a decade that about 50% of doctors meet the criteria for burnout, and the figure is up to 70% among trainees. But organisations have been left to come up with their own solutions, the result being many simply offer band aid solutions rather than systemic ones. This podcast captures reflections from wellbeing champions at several different Australasian health jurisdictions.
Listen to more stories of challenges and success while on the move with the Pomegranate Health podcast.