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Wellbeing support for members
If you are a psychiatrist or trainee facing health or personal issues, you are not alone. Many doctors face their own health challenges, although not enough speak about them or seek assistance.
We are committed to supporting all members who are experiencing difficulty to seek the help they need.
Is it an emergency?
If you are at risk of harming yourself or others, you should get help immediately.
- Call 000 in Australia or 111 in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Visit the emergency department at your nearest hospital.
- Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia or 0800 543 354 in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Call 13 YARN on 13 92 76 in Australia.
Our vision for member wellbeing
The health and wellbeing of all College members – including Fellows, trainees and Affiliate Members – is critical for competent and safe psychiatry practice.
Increasing demands on the psychiatric workforce, coupled with experiences of burnout and psychological distress, not only negatively impacts the individual doctor but has consequences for the broader healthcare system.
We want to embed a culture of supporting our members health and wellbeing, so it becomes intrinsic to a psychiatrist’s lifelong planning and career development, but also to our workplace cultures and daily interactions with each other.
Part of being a contemporary and connected College is to listen to what our members’ needs are and respond with actions to elements within our control, and advocate when they are beyond.
To do this, we recognise that wellbeing requires strategies on organisational, systemic, and personal levels.
Four strategic pillars guide our work to promote, improve and maintain the health and wellbeing of our members across all stages of their training and careers:
- leadership
- knowledge
- advocacy
- partnerships.
Our Action Plan
The RANZCP Member Wellbeing Action Plan 2023-2027 (the Plan) provides a roadmap of 26 actions over five years, towards bettering and supporting the wellbeing of all psychiatrists and those in training.
Supporting doctors' health
We are pleased to have supported, endorsed, and participated in several advocacy efforts for doctors’ wellbeing, together with other specialist medical colleges, and continue to raise the profile of wellbeing issues and collegiality in psychiatry and medicine overall.
Some of our sector involvements include:
