R U OK? Day 2020 is very different this year as we all experience living through the global pandemic with our resources and resilience stretched beyond their usual limits.

We have all been required to rapidly adapt personally and professionally to the new way of life .

R U OK? Day’s mission ‘is to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life’. This is so important right now to encourage people to reach out to others and remind them they are not alone. This is especially so for busy doctors who may be lonely and isolated even in busy workplaces.

Doctors’ Health SA exists to support the health of doctors and medical students as we manage our busy medical careers. Events such as the pandemic have required all frontline medical professionals caring for the community to draw on their experience and knowledge to lead us through this health crisis, the after-effects of which will persist.

Doctors’ Health SA was established here in 2010 by doctors for doctors with the mission of improving the health of the medical profession for the good of the community. R U OK? Day reinforces the importance of regularly checking in on our colleagues, who may be struggling to deal with a range of difficulties, alone and privately. Being alert to the warning signs of distress in colleagues and approaching them with kindness and persistence may be career-saving and lifesaving.

One of R U OK? Day’s goals is to ‘strengthen our sense of belonging because we know people are there for us’. DHSA encourages all doctors and medical students to have their own GP and establish an accessible network of personal and professional support. DHSA offers an additional suite of confidential and professional supports for a colleague in need or yourself. One such service is confidential access to our anonymous 24/7 phone line where you can discuss any matter with one of our team of experienced GPs For more information about our professional, confidential supports visit www.doctorshealthsa.com.au

R U OK? talk with a friend, have a coffee with a colleague, pick up the phone, today or any day.