Physician Health and Wellness
The Pacific Northwest Division is committed to the health and wellness of our physician members. The purpose of this page is to act as a repository of resources and wellness tools for physicians, residents, and medical students.
Organizations
Physician Health Program – 1-800-663-6729 (24 hours) Access confidential support – anytime you need it. Call the 24-hour helpline for private, discreet assistance with issues that you and your family may be facing. Peer support available.
Canadian Medical Association – Physician Wellness Hub – The Hub aims to improve physician wellness individually and at the system level, and to promote a collaborative approach to physician health and well-being.
The Wellness Connection is a virtual, safe space for physicians and medical learners to gather to discuss shared experiences, get support, seek advice and help each other.
Doctors of BC – Physician Health & Wellness – Doctors of BC supports physician health and wellness in a number of ways at the system, work group and individual levels. A list of all initiatives supporting physician well-being can be found here.
The new Doctors of BC policy statement on physician burdens calls on health system stakeholders to consider the impact of individual demands that physicians face in the health system. Doctors of BC will use the recommendations in the policy statement to support our work with stakeholders and partners to help ease burdens that are contributing to stress and burnout.
DocTalks is a series of videos and podcasts from Doctors of BC that delve into relevant issues that matter to BC physicians.
New Physician Wellness Network helps organizations collaborate on physician well-being. Many organizations in BC are passionate about physician well-being, and supporting doctors has never been more important. To allow these organizations to work together and learn from each other, the Physician Health Program (PHP) is launching the Physician Wellness Network (PWN). The network aims to be a place where stakeholders can collaborate, share information, and build solutions to better support doctors. This program is possible thanks to funding from the Joint Collaborative Committees (JCCs), Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Scotiabank, and MD Financial Management’s Physician Wellness+ Initiative funding. To find out more, and get involved, please check out this news article. If you have any questions, please visit the PHP website, call PHP at 604-398-4300, or email programs@physicianhealth.com.
The BIPOC Physician Peer Support Group will act as a confidential forum for BIPOC physicians to build safety in community, share lived experiences and discuss approaches to challenges they face in their work and personal lives.
BC College of Family Physicians – Resilience & Wellness – provide a list of resources to help overcome the significant stressors you, your loved ones and your patients face, and offer meaningful suggestions that can help you stay resilient. The resources are designed to be viewed and shared online or printed off for your reference.
Royal College of Physicians of Canada – Wellness Resources – the Royal College has compiled some wellness resources from around the web to support their Fellows who are providing high quality patient care under challenging circumstances.
Northern Health Authority – Health & Wellness – Northern Health Authority provides a list of resources that are safe, confidential, and cover a wide variety of topics.
UBC Resident Wellness – A resource page to support you whether you’re seeking support around stress and time management, looking to improve your communication at work or with loved ones, learning ways to manage moods (depression, anxiety), or dealing with a loss or life transition.
PHSA Wellness Initiatives – A list of useful resources to support physician anxiety and coping strategies.
ePhysician Health – As a comprehensive, physician wellness online resource, this program helps physicians, and medical students be resilient in their professional and personal lives.
BC Family Docs – CARING FOR YOURSELF DURING COVID-19 – As a family physician on the front lines, responding to COVID-19 can take an emotional toll. Here are some things you can do to help take care of your physical and mental health.
A set of mindfulness tools (mobile and desktop) created by BC Family Doctors is designed to help doctors “hit pause” during their day to manage the stresses faced in their practices.
CMPA – Physician Wellness – Resources for staying well during COVID-19. A list of health resources for front-line workers on attending to their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resident Doctors of BC – COVID-19 RESIDENCY WELLNESS RESOURCES – a list of wellness resources compiled to help you through this period.
Canadian Psychological Association – provides a listing of psychologists who have volunteered to provide psychological services to front line health care providers. The listing of psychologists is organized into province and territory as well as languages spoken.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Skills Group – Several resources have been developed specifically to highlight the mental health needs of healthcare workers.
The resources highlight several recommended strategies for healthcare workers including: preparing for heightened demands during an outbreak and monitoring own stress/wellbeing and engaging in self-care/coping strategies (including general tips above) but also: checking in regularly with family/friends/colleagues, pacing work and taking mini-break where possible, avoiding overworking or ignoring personal needs and connecting to a sense of purpose and service.
The Isolated Medical Provider Aftercare Team (IMPACT) offers peer-to-peer support to rural physicians and nurses in remote nursing stations within the Northern Health Region in British Columbia who have experienced a potentially challenging incident in the course of their work. Examples of potentially challenging incidents include those that involve a child, multiple casualties, or a friend or family member of the provider—as well as difficult circumstances around a poor patient outcome. Challenging incidents are unavoidable in rural practice; however, when medical providers can talk through and process these experiences in a safe and accepting environment, their risk of experiencing greater cumulative distress over time can be reduced.
Rural physicians or remote nursing station nurses may also contact IMPACT directly at 1-236-361-9090 to receive a call from an IMPACT Peer Supporter, or to request that an IMPACT Peer Supporter check in on a colleague.
After receiving the notification, an IMPACT Peer Support will contact the medical provider involved in the incident within 72 hours.
Books, Blogs, and Podcasts
In this episode of DocTalks, Burnout and COVID-19: Warning signs and when to act, psychiatrist Dr Jennifer Russel and family doctor Dr Lawrence Yang share their perspectives about how burnout affects doctors, how to recognize it, and what steps to take to minimize the impact.
The Well-Being of Medical Relationships: Striking a Balance with Your Spouse, Colleagues & Self – by Sara Taylor, BSc, MD, CCFP – this e-book addresses some of the most common challenges physicians and physicians-in-training face in their work and personal relationships.
ATTENDING Medicine, Mindfulness, and Humanity – by Ronald M. Epstein, M.D. – a book about mindfulness and medical practice written for patients, their families, and for doctors and others providing health care. It is a groundbreaking, intimate exploration of how doctors approach their work with patients.
Behind the Stethoscope – this podcast connects a cross section of local physicians of varied backgrounds, specialties and experience to share stories of personal struggle, success and everything in between.
Physician Wellness First – a podcast for physician well-being, medical education and burnout prevention.
Other Resources and Links
Joy in Work | Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Clinician burnout has been well-documented and is at record highs. The same issues that drive burnout also diminish joy in work for the health care workforce.
Health care leaders need to understand what factors are diminishing joy in work, nurture their workforce, and address the issues that drive burnout and sap joy in work.
The most joyful, productive, engaged staff feel both physically and psychologically safe, appreciate the meaning and purpose of their work, have some choice and control over their time, experience camaraderie with others at work, and perceive their work life to be fair and equitable.
There are proven methods for creating a positive work environment that creates these conditions and ensures the commitment to deliver high-quality care to patients, even in stressful times.
IHI is partnering with experts around the world to offer new thinking and resources around joy in work — to share principles and techniques that enable the workforce to truly thrive, not just persevere.
Join a global network for combating burnout and increasing joy and well-being among the health care workforce. Find out how to implement at-scale strategies to drive meaningful and measurable progress for improving well-being even during moments of uncertainty and unprecedented strain.