Supporting doctors and medical students to care for themselves, their colleagues, and their patients.
This website is only for the use of medical professionals and medical students.
For urgent mental health support, call 1300 374 377 (1300 Drs4Drs) anytime, 24/7.
Drs4Drs is dedicated to promoting the health and wellbeing of doctors and medical students throughout Australia.
We are here to assist you in finding the support you need, Whether it’s online resources, referral services, or most importantly, finding a GP or another health specialist for your wellbeing, we’ve got you covered.
Our services have been specifically developed by the medical profession, for the medical profession.
Through our extensive network of doctors’ health and referral services, we provide an independent, safe, supportive, and confidential service. To access these services, simply click on the relevant State or Territory on the map at https://www.drs4drs.com.au/getting-help/.
In addition, we offer a confidential mental health support service that operates 24/7.This service is free of charge and is staffed by trained and experienced psychologists and counsellors who are available to provide the support you require. This service is also available to doctors, medical students and their spouses/partners. For further details visit https://www.drs4drs.com.au/where-and-how-to-find-help/.
Who we’re here for
DRS4DRS provides support for any doctor or medical student across Australia.
Below are just a few of the groups we work with.
Medical
students
Medical students
Being a medical student brings many stressors beyond study and exams. Transition to the ‘culture’ of medicine may not be smooth. For those who move from interstate or overseas there is the added stress of losing close family and friends. We can help with strategies at this often-challenging time.
Doctors
In training
Doctors In training
Moving into the hierarchy of medicine, the long hours, the decisions about future career, balancing work and non-work, trying to get enough exercise and sleep, the insecurity, as well as the demands of patients and the actual job mean that being a junior doctor can be a period when staying healthy can tricky.
Rural and isolated
doctors
Rural and isolated doctors
Rural doctors are often isolated from health services, social outlets and sometimes even their family and friends. Doctors health services in each state can recommend GPs not too far away who have been trained to care for other doctors, some states can help with telehealth and often out of hour’s services.
International medical graduates
International medical graduates
Sometimes the decision to move to Australia will mean losing a specialist career, a life-style, and close contact with family and friends. In addition those deeper issues like loss of culture, religious community, familiar food or easy conversation in your own language, can add to the stress of acclimatizing to a new country’s health system.
Senior medical
officers
Senior medical officers
Finding ourselves in mid-life can come as a shock if we realize our health is not as good, our relationships not as strong, our mortgage not as small and our career not as satisfying as we expected. Rather than struggle with this alone, please come to us and we can work on these issues together.
Community and hospital based doctors
Community and hospital based doctors
Working within a team or an organization can have many pros and cons. It may feel like the collegiality should be protective of our mental health, but teams and hierarchies can also bring conflict and bureaucracy that can eat away at work satisfaction. Please don’t do this by yourself. We’re here to help.
Retiring
doctors
Retiring doctors
A medical career can become a person’s whole life, and often at retiring age, doctors realize that they do not have a meaningful life outside medicine or have not nurtured relationships that might sustain them into the future. Add to this financial pressures and health issues and this can be a very challenging time. There is no shame in asking for help.
Colleagues and families of doctors
Colleagues and families of doctors
If you are concerned about a doctor you know and care about, who is struggling with their health or life-style, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We can offer resources and advice about how to support the doctor and may be able to recommend a GP.
We don’t offer services to members of the public. If you are not a doctor you can seek help via Lifeline or call 000 for emergencies.
Not sure where to start?
Here are some topics to help you find the information you need.
01
Doctors’ health explained
Read about the health options available for doctors and find the services in your state.
02
Find a resource
Search our library of articles, websites and journals to find information on a specific topic.
03
Get involved
We’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in advocating for doctors health, coming to an event or becoming a doctor 4 doctors.
Partners
We were established by AMA as a subsidary company to deliver doctors health programs Australia wide.
We work alongside state advisory services and the Australian Doctors’ Health Network to advocate for doctors’ health.
The Doctors’ Health Service Pty Ltd is an independent service supported through funding from the Medical Board of Australia