Frequently Asked Questions
Let us clear up some common questions about doctors health so that you can access the support you need.
Each State and Territory in Australia has its own helplines and referral services. As the national coordinator, we are here to help you navigate these services.
Absolutely. While we do receive funding from the Medical Board of Australia and the Commonwealth Department of Health, we operate independently from funding and regulatory bodies.
When you call a State Service Provider helpline you will be connected to the doctor on call via a triaging team.
In addition, and complementary to the State Service Providers, there is a 24/7, free, confidential and national mental health support line (1300 374 377) where you will be supported by trained and experienced counsellors, psychologists and social workers.
Yes. Some Service Providers have clinics specifically for doctors, while others have a directory of GPs trained to treat doctors. We can help you contact the Service you want and help will be provided to assist you to find a GP who treats medical colleagues.
Talk to a Doctor:
You can call the Service Providers to get advice on your physical as we well as your mental wellbeing (e.g. anxiety, stress). They provide a listening ear to provide you with perspective.
Talk to a Counsellor:
You can call 1300 374 377 (Dr4Drs) to get advice on everything relating to your mental wellbeing. Counsellors trained in doctors' health provide up to three free and confidential sessions.
Drs4Drs and the Service Providers are run by dedicated doctors and their staff who have a vision to see improved wellbeing in the medical profession. We call on the support of colleagues as well as trained and experienced counsellors, psychologists and social workers to support your wellbeing.
Drs4Drs provides support for any doctor or medical student across Australia.
Below are just a few of the groups we work with.
Medical students
Being a medical student brings many stressors beyond study and exams. Transition to the ‘culture’ of medicine may not be smooth. For those who move from interstate or overseas there is the added stress of losing close family and friends. We can help with strategies at this often-challenging time.
Doctors In training
Moving into the hierarchy of medicine, the long hours, the decisions about future career, balancing work and non-work, trying to get enough exercise and sleep, the insecurity, as well as the demands of patients and the actual job mean that being a junior doctor can be a period when staying healthy can tricky.
Rural and isolated doctors
Rural doctors are often isolated from health services, social outlets and sometimes even their family and friends. Doctors' Health Services in each state can recommend GPs not too far away who have been trained to care for other doctors, some states can help with telehealth and often out of hour’s services.
International medical graduates
Sometimes the decision to move to Australia will mean losing a specialist career, a life-style, and close contact with family and friends. In addition those deeper issues like loss of culture, religious community, familiar food or easy conversation in your own language, can add to the stress of acclimatizing to a new country’s health system.
Senior medical officers
Finding ourselves in mid-life can come as a shock if we realize our health is not as good, our relationships not as strong, our mortgage not as small and our career not as satisfying as we expected. Rather than struggle with this alone, please come to us and we can work on these issues together.
Community and hospital based doctors
Working within a team or an organization can have many pros and cons. It may feel like the collegiality should be protective of our mental health, but teams and hierarchies can also bring conflict and bureaucracy that can eat away at work satisfaction. Please don’t do this by yourself. We’re here to help.
Retiring doctors
A medical career can become a person’s whole life, and often at retiring age, doctors realize that they do not have a meaningful life outside medicine or have not nurtured relationships that might sustain them into the future. Add to this financial pressures and health issues and this can be a very challenging time. There is no shame in asking for help.
Colleagues and families of doctors
If you are concerned about a doctor you know and care about, who is struggling with their health or life-style, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We can offer resources and advice about how to support the doctor and may be able to recommend a GP.
