Physician and Family Support Program
CALL1.877.SOS.4MDS (767.4637)International: 403.237.0623 (you may call collect)CONFIDENTIAL 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year |
The Physician and Family Support Program (PFSP) provides confidential support and help with personal health issues and enhances the quality of patient care and public safety by promoting health and well-being for the medical profession that cares for all Albertans.
I need help now
Physicians, residents and medical students need to be able to voluntarily seek help with the assurance of confidentiality. Working with PFSP is one way to ensure that difficulties can be identified and mitigated before a crisis or concern about patient safety arises.
Physician Health Resources
Visit the links below to access personal and workplace health information for all stages of your career, sorted by subject.
PFSP Services
New to the Physician and Family Support Program? Want to know more about the process or what to expect when calling in? Watch our series of short informative videos.
Dr. Marnie Hinton Resident Award for Physician Wellness
The Dr. Marnie Hinton Award for Resident Physician Health, jointly sponsored by the Alberta Medical Association’s Physician and Family Support Program and the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta, is awarded annually to medical residents who have demonstrated an interest in physician health.
Physician Wellness #GOAT
Physician Wellness #GOAT is a PFSP initiative that celebrates physicians supporting colleague wellness and who create a more open, supportive and compassionate culture for Alberta physicians.
PFSP e-book
The PFSP e-book – The Well-Being of Medical Relationships: Striking a Balance with Your Spouse, Colleagues & Self – by Sara Taylor, BSc, MD, CCFP – is a helpful resource for physicians to refer to for assistance with developing and maintaining healthy, happy personal and professional relationships.
Physician and Family Support Program Update
Read the latest Physician and Family Support Program update (Login required).
Physician wellness news and events
Congratulations Dr. Jane Lemaire and colleagues!
November 27, 2018
Dr. Jane Lemaire and colleagues were recently presented the Physician Well-being Article Award by the Stanford Medicine WellMD Center for their research article, "Understanding how patients perceive physician wellness and its links to patient care: A qualitative study." Dr. Jane Lemaire is a recent PFSP Physician Wellness #GOAT.
CMA announces new role: Vice-president of Physician Health and Wellness
October 10, 2018
The Canadian Medical Association has created a new position among its team: Vice-president of Physician Health and Wellness. Dr. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie, a clinical psychiatrist from Ottawa, has taken on the role and will join the CMA in January 2019.
Asking for support is a sign of strength
September 12, 2018
Until recently, family and relationship issues have been the most common reason for calling the Physician and Family Support Program help line, and a large volume of calls is still dedicated to that topic. But in the past few years, calls about mental health issues, including stress and burnout, have increased in frequency and are now the number one reason people call the PFSP. Together, these two topics account for more than half of all calls.
