Abstract
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) is proud to announce the development of a range of print and online resources that have been developed to support the mental health and wellbeing of trainees and Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) on a pathway to fellowship.
The RANZCP’s Membership Engagement Committee study into the welfare of psychiatrists and trainees (2016) completed a comprehensive consultation across Australia and New Zealand to gather and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data from internal College groups and external associations of psychiatrists in training to better understand the health and wellbeing of trainees. Surveyed trainees indicated that having too much to do in a limited amount of time, and balancing career, training and family/personal life were the two biggest stressors in their working life over the last 12 months. In addition, almost half of them were unaware of accessible support, other than their GP, to address their health concerns, and found their supervisors and colleagues their greatest enablers of maintaining wellbeing at work.
This environmental scan formed the basis for the development of a Commonwealth-funded project tailored to the needs of trainees and SIMGs. The project examined how the College could provide trainees and SIMGs with new channels or mechanisms outside of the formal training structure to enhance their awareness of preventative measures in maintaining their mental health and wellbeing whilst offering appropriate guidance for those who require additional support. In addition, these resources were developed to aid supervisors and Directors of Training to support the wellbeing of trainees and complement other College initiatives to enhance training program administration.
To proactively engage trainees to familiarise themselves with the College, highlight key resources available to them and promote their wellbeing throughout the training program, a three part video series was designed for use during an orientation program.
These videos are:
The animation welcomes trainees and SIMGs to the College and provides information about the College, its structure and membership benefits.
Welcome to the Fellowship program
This animation welcomes trainees to the Fellowship Program. It provides information on key resources available to trainees and SIMGs and highlights the support provided by Supervisors and Directors of Training.
Staying on track
This is an interview and animation style video and promotes the mental health and wellbeing of trainees and SIMGs throughout the training program.
In addition, the College has developed a range of promotional material such as a wallet card to enable self-assessment of wellbeing and bookmarks and posters to highlight stress management and self-care techniques.
All resources are now available on the College website at www.ranzcp.org/orientationresources.