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Physician health, wellness, and safety

A core priority in Doctors of BC’s strategic plan is promoting physician health, wellness, and safety. We are committed to ensuring a working environment where doctors feel physically and psychologically safe to provide care to patients and have access to supports when they are needed. We advance this in a few different ways:

  • Advocating for solutions to system challenges, such as digital health solutions to reduce burdens, improve workflows, and increase work satisfaction.
  • Directly assisting physicians who are facing physical or mental health challenges, or safety concerns.
  • Supporting physician education in all aspects of practice management to increase confidence in running a practice.
  • Helping members establish genuine collegial relationships and foster stronger, more effective teams.

Physical and psychological health and safety supports

Doctors of BC is committed to increasing and enhancing supports for physician physical and psychological health and safety across the province. We do this in part through specific projects and/or initiatives, committees, working groups, and collaborations with key health and safety partners. Learn about some of the major areas of work we are involved in highlighted in the 2024 PHS summit wheel diagram.

The Physician Health Program

Offered by Doctors of BC, the Physician Health Program (PHP) provides BC physicians with access to 24/7 confidential and professional support to help with mental and physical health issues, burnout, finding a family doctor, relationship stress, career and life transitions, workplace conflicts, substance use, concern for colleagues, and much more. PHP’s services are available to all practicing physicians, retired physicians, residents, medical students, and their family members.

PHP services:

  • Physician Peer Support: Direct physician-to-physician support for personal or professional issues such as dealing with a complaint, a negative clinical outcome, workload stress, or any other challenge you may be facing.
  • Clinical services: PHP provides clinical services for physicians, trainees, and family members including a 24/7 confidential helpline, short-term counselling, referrals to specialized coaches and therapists, and help for physicians in need.
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Groups: In partnership with Mind Space Skills for Wellbeing (formerly CBT Skills Groups Society), BC physicians and medical residents with a mental health diagnosis participate as patients to understand how the mind works and learn practical skills for dealing with anxiety, depression, and stress.
  • Family Doctor Connection Service: PHP collaborates with Divisions of Family Practice to attach physicians with their own personal primary care physician.
  • Peer Support Group for BIPOC Physicians: PHP offers a virtual peer support group specifically for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour) physicians. The support group aims to harness the power of safety in community to discuss burdens while leveraging assets from participants’ cultures of origin. The group hopes to contribute to a more inclusive, humane, and just health care system.

PHP initiatives:

  • Physician Wellness Network: Ongoing opportunities for communication, networking, sharing of ideas, and strategic alignment of wellness activities for those involved with MSAs, Divisions, public health, UBC’s resident doctors, and others.
  • Physician Peer Support Initiative: PHP trains physicians across the province to deliver one-to-one emotional peer support. Evidence shows that physician peer support helps foster a culture where physicians feel comfortable seeking and offering help.

Doctors of BC Resources:

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