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Peer Support Network

The RACGP and beyondblue initiative are trialing a peer group strategy with medical practitioners to improve health and well being and prevent burnout and related issues in the medical workforce.

The Professional Peer Support network is a structured program designed by medical practitioners for medical practitioners. Doctors meet together in small groups at regular intervals to provide support to each other to meet the needs for professional, social and emotional support and to engender a culture of self-care. Medical practitioners can join a small group consisting of two to eight peers that meet regularly. While it is planned that the professional peer support groups will take on varying forms based on the unique aspects and requirements of each craft group, there will be common training for medical practitioners who wish to lead groups and common support services for those group leaders and referral points for participants who seek further assistance.

The program will be run throughout Victoria.

The benefits from professional peer group participation:

• Peer group meetings offer opportunities to form and strengthen knowledge networks and reinforce significant professional associations.
• Peer group members have insight into the issues confronting doctors because they share the same professional identity and find themselves in comparable situations. Therefore, important issues that affect doctors in their professional life can be referred to the group for discussion. This is beneficial because it creates opportunities to learn from each other.

This initiative has funding support from beyondblue: the national depression initiative

Publication Date: 28 November 2006