A medical student's perspective:
One of the challenging aspects of being a student is balancing self-awareness and self-belief within the huge machine - that is our healthcare system.
There is so much to learn and so many aspects that go into being a safe, culturally competent and team-oriented healthcare provider. I often look at hospital staff and wonder how they do it - the long hours, the constant pressures of patient care, their personal lives, training programs and finally, finding energy and time for their own health and wellbeing.
Add the complexity of constant and radical changes within the hospital system from a pandemic, the loud dissenting voices from the public, an overflow of misinformation, pressures from family, life commitments and relationships, and it is no surprise why the burnout is rampant.
I see this as a student and as an onlooker, that now more than ever, we need to be aggressive about prioritising the mental and physical wellbeing of the collective. We need to understand that the delivery of effective healthcare to patients is contingent upon us being a strong healthcare force. Patients are never managed by the individual, they are managed by the team. And every member of that team is essential. And much like the hospital setting more broadly, this is true for our personal lives. Our families, our friends, our pets, our intimate partners - are all part of our team.
We can only build effective teams together. We need to constantly work collaboratively toward building safe, and productive working environments. It takes commitment from everyone to do this. We need a stable government, a supportive public, effective hospital leadership, and the collective responsibility of all staff members to allow our healthcare personnel to thrive.
This is not an easy goal. But a necessary one. I cannot speak for our government, or the public or the hospital leadership. However, I can speak for my own behaviour, as an individual within the system. I can make sure that I am reaching out to my colleagues, asking for support when I need it and working collaboratively within my teams.
I believe that this is what being a safe doctor in the 2020s may entail. It is about recognising one's limitations, understanding the immense complexity of the age in which we find ourselves, supporting our colleagues and friends, working collaboratively, and being aggressive about our mental and physical health first and foremost - even when things get tough.
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