Articles and tools

Click the links to jump to your desired section.

2SLGBTQ+

• Alberta Health Services
  Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Gender Expression (SOGIE) Safer Places Toolkit
• Canadian Mental Health Association
  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Queer Identified People and Mental Health

Addiction

• Am I alcohol dependant? Try this self-assessment tool.
• Hail Physician: Dare to Care, Part I
  Dr. Dianne Maier
• What is substance use disorder (SUD) and how can the AMA's PFSP help Alberta physicians? Watch the video.
• Webinar recording (member login required)
  A Physician's Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope and Recovery with Dr. Adam Hill

Adverse Events, Complaints and Medical-Legal Litigation

• CanMEDS Session Department of Surgery, "And Then Everything Changed: When Adverse Events Happen at the Onset of Practice"
  • Presentation slides
  • References
• Dealing with Adverse Events, Complaints, and Medical Legal Litigation
  PFSP info-sheet 
• The impact of an adverse event in early practice
  PFSP Perspectives: November-December 2020 Alberta Doctors’ Digest
• Transcend adversity
  Dr. Nancy Love

Burnout

• Sound Mind podcast: Battling physician burnout
  In the March 16 episode of the Canadian Medical Association's podcast Sound Mind, Dr. Caroline Gérin-Lajoie talks to Dr. Jillian Horton about her book, 'We Are All Perfectly Fine,' a chronicle of how medical culture has harmed physicians, and her own personal journey to overcome burnout.
• Am I at risk for burnout? Try the BMA Doctors for Doctors Burnout Questionnaire.
• Mini Z burnout survey: Find out how your workplace stress levels measure up against others in your field
  American Medical Association
• One in four Canadian physicians report burnout: New CMA survey provides key indicators on physician health
• Physician Wellness: Preventing Resident and Fellow Burnout
  American Medical Association
• Preventing Physician Burnout
  American Medical Association
• ProQOL
  The ProQOL is the most commonly used measure of the negative and positive effects of helping others who experience suffering and trauma. The ProQOL has sub-scales for compassion satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue.
• Rates of burnout, depression reported by doctors, residents concerning: report
  Sheryl Ubelacker | The Canadian Press
• Self-compassion quiz by Kristin Neff, Ph.D
  26 Likert scale questions that measure your self-compassion.

Moral Dilemmas

• 8-step Approach to Reducing Moral Distress - Well Doc Alberta
  Many thanks to Dr. Eric Wasylenko who developed this process and has granted permission to distribute, with attribution. (June 23, 2021)
• COVID Trauma Response Working Group Rapid Guidance
  Moral Injury in Health Care Workers Associated with COVID-19 
• Managing Mental Health Challenges Faced by Health Care Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic
  Neil Greenberg and colleagues set out measures that healthcare managers need to put in place to protect the mental health of healthcare staff having to make morally challenging decisions.

Physicians Caring for Physicians

• AMA President on physician mental health and PFSP: Watch video
• The magic white coat: How doctors deal with their own illnesses
  Dr. Terrie Brandon
• Physician health issue
  Vital Signs, March 2017 

Physicians in the Workplace

• Understanding and processing our grief when a colleague dies
  Dr. Jane Loehr (Calgary Family Physician, PFSP Assessment Physician) and Fleur Yumol (MSc., MSW, RSW, Unify Consulting Managing Director)
• June 16, 2020 Webinar:
  Physician Wellness: Feeling Distress, Understanding Loss and Finding Meaning
• Relationships: What Works for Physicians?
  Dr. Monica Hill
• Fifteen Years into My Brilliant, but Unbalanced Career — Now what? 
  Dr. Vincent Hanlon
• Keeping the igloo warm
  Dr. Marc Cheriwchan

Relationships with Patients

• Living better through empathy
  Dr. Jared Bly

Resident Wellness Conference

• Resources from the Resident Wellness Conference 2019 sessions, including station references, materials, and links to additional tools

Stress and Fatigue Management

• Managing Compassion Fatigue is an Organizational Responsibility 
  Dr. Sharron L. Spicer, Vital Signs, April 2018

Suicide Prevention

• When a colleague dies: growing through tragedy
  Presentation by Dr. Michael F. Myers
• Health care Professional Burnout, Depression and Suicide Prevention
  American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• A Physician Public Health Imperative: Respond to Physician Mental Illness and Suicide
  PFSP Perspectives, Alberta Doctors' Digest, January-February 2008 - Dr. Dianne Maier
• Preventing Physician Distress and Suicide: Recognize and respond to physician distress and suicidal behavior
  American Medical Association 
• The Complexity of Physician Suicide
  The BMJ, September 10, 2018 - Dr. Michael Myers 
• Out of the shadows: Shining light on physician suicide
  PFSP Perspectives, Alberta Doctors' Digest. September-October 2016 - Dr. Sara Taylor

Physician wellness websites and organizations

Canadian Association for Physicians with Disabilities

• Social networking and support for Canadian physicians with disabilities

Canadian Medical Association Physician Health and Wellness

• View the CMA’s Statement on Physician Health and Wellness, its physician health policy, key issues in physician health and wellness and more.

  • CMA Physician Wellness Hub
    Original CMA content and curated information from other trusted sources for physicians, residents and medical students seeking guidance and wellness self-help. Also included is material for those leading wellness initiatives in institutions or medical departments.

Canadian Medical Protective Association

• Connecting Canadian member physicians with risk-management training, legal defense and liability protection.

MD Financial Management

• A financial services firm dedicated exclusively to the financial well-being of Canada’s physicians and their families.

Provincial Physician Health Programs

• View what all Canadian provinces and territories medical associations offer their physician members.

Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta

• Resident Physician Wellness Month: Resident physician-related events and initiatives celebrated annually in May.

Resident Doctors of Canada

• Resources for Residents, including intimidation and harassment prevention, Crisis resources and debriefing after negative outcomes.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

• CanMEDS Physician Health Guide: A practical handbook for physician health and well-being 

Well Doc Alberta

• A physician wellness initiative led by Dr. Jane Lemaire that offers training modules to address issues such as nutrition, coping strategies, bio-feedback for stress and resilience. WellDoc Alberta recently released seven Bulletins, five podcasts and three webinars to help physicians cope with the pandemic. All are available on its helpful resources page:

Bulletins

1. Nourishing Our Bodies During the Pandemic

2. Civility and Respect: How We Can Be at Our Best During the Pandemic and Beyond

3. Sleep Strategies: Helping Physicians Through COVID-19

4. Grieving the Loss of Normalcy During the Pandemic

5. Mindfulness for Physicians During the COVID-19

6. Helping Each Other Through the Pandemic: Providing Informal Physician-to-Physician Peer Support

7. Physician Wellness During COVID-19: The Basics

Podcasts

1. Sleep
2. Wellness on the Front Lines of a Pandemic
3. Staying Connected: Emotional Connection Amidst Physical Distancing
4. Empathy & Compassion: Offering What We Can During COVID-19
5. Self-Awareness: More Important Than Ever

Webinars

1. The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Test of System-Level Physician Wellness
2. Physician Wellness: Feeling Distress, Understanding Loss, and Finding Meaning
3. Parenting as a Physician during COVID-19: Unique Challenges and Strategies