VICDOC Winter 2022 - Magazine - Page 28
I CAN GET TO THE OTHER
SIDE OF THIS
––
Having worked with VDHP for
two decades, Cheryl says she has
known thousands of doctors who
have sought help and recovered.
“I can genuinely say that the
doctors I’ve met and supported
over the years have evolved into
better medical practitioners
because they’ve experienced their
own personal struggles. They have
been able to take these insights
and experiences back into their
own practice. The culture in
medicine used to be to maintain
a stiff upper lip and soldier on
but that’s slowly shifted over the
past twenty years. Today, there is
a lot more awareness of mental
health and wellbeing. People are
slowly having more confidence
and for the younger ones, there’s
even an expectation that you
can put your hand up and get
the support you need. Today, we
receive more referrals from medical
students and junior doctors than
we did when I first started. They
come forward and present earlier
and I think that’s a push from
everyone involved in the lives of
medical students and younger
doctors. There’s a whole range of
voices saying, ‘You’ve got to be
okay to do your work and be the
person you need to be.’ We are
also more aware of the pressures
that doctors put upon themselves
such as expectations of perfection,
expectations of high achievement,
which make an already stressful
role even harder to manage. So,
we know the issues to look for
and to address.”
28
AMA VI C TO RIA
WHO AM I IF I’M NOT
A DOCTOR?
––
At the other end of the spectrum,
doctors who have retired or are
considering retirement can also
experience difficulties. Being a
medical practitioner is a huge
part of a doctor’s identity, so they
can feel lost when it is no longer
a part of their daily lives. It can
be enormously difficult trying
to navigate that and can result
in an identity crisis. Yet Cheryl
says all doctors can struggle to
define who they are outside the
practice of medicine and it’s
worth taking time to personally
reflect on this. “Being a doctor
is an all-consuming role; from
performing well at school, through
university and all those early years
of training. When we ask doctors
to identify who they are without
mentioning the word, ‘doctor’, it
can be very challenging for them.
As people, we’re at our best when
we have balance in life. If any one
aspect is too extreme, it can, at
some point, take its toll. We ask
doctors to consider, what else is
there? For some doctors, there’s
very little, and they really have to
work hard to get more balance in
their lives. When it is achieved,
when the balance is right, that’s
when one feels one’s best.
Media attention on the issue
of ‘identity’ was prominent in
the recent retirement of adored
Australian tennis player, Ash Barty.
In an article with her mindset
coach, Ben Crowe was adamant
that the reason Ash could walk
away from tennis, was because she
didn’t entirely identify with being
a top tennis player. It was not core
to her identity.
Cheryl says Ash Barty is an
extraordinary example of what
we’re talking about. “The story
gives me goose bumps. It inspires
reflection. You’re a doctor and it’s a
huge achievement and a huge part
of your life and you’ve sacrificed a
huge amount to be what and where
you are, but what else is there?”
HOW AM I TRAVELLING?
––
Cheryl encourages doctors to
routinely stop and to check-in
with themselves. “Don’t be afraid
to look internally and ask, how am
I travelling? What’s happening for
me? It can be a bit scary but the
internal questions are important
because small unchecked feelings
can become much bigger problems
down the road. Don’t be afraid of
it, push it away or pretend it’s not
there. Give yourself permission to
feel it. Know that these feelings are
normal. Know that it’s okay to feel
burnt out or stressed. Know that it’s
alright to ask for help or talk about
things. You don’t have to wait until
you are in a crisis. There are people
to help. And when that support is
required, we will be here. That’s
certainly our job at VDHP: to
hold doctors for a time when they
need it, support them while they
heal and scaffold them to return,
ready to help their patients and
communities once again with great
strength and equally as important,
to be present and able for their
families, friends and colleagues
and for themselves.”
––
The VDHP is a free,
confidential service for all
doctors and medical students
who have concerns about
their well being.