A group of 28 GPs are volunteering their time year round to support a hotline aimed at supporting rural doctors and medical students in the bush.
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Doctors and medical students working in regional, rural or remote parts of the state who face a range of professional and personal health and well-being challenges can call on a peer support network to help them care for themselves and thus their communities.
From unexpectedly losing a patient to feeling overwhelmed as a lone practitioner in an isolated location or dealing with a loss of confidence while on a student rotation, Doctors' Health Queensland medical director Dr Jennifer Schafer wants all doctors, qualified and student, to know they are not alone.
"We have 28 amazing GPs who volunteer their time to staff a hotline which operates 24/7, 365 days a year to support doctors and medical students," Dr Schafer said.
As Queensland battles to attract GPs to rural and remote areas, Dr Schafer understands the personal and professional pressures clinicians and interns face and she wants them know they are not alone and help is only a phone call away.
From unexpectedly losing a patient to feeling overwhelmed as a lone practitioner in a remote town or dealing with a loss of confidence while on a student rotation, Dr Schafer said by supporting their medical colleagues the volunteers - whom she described as marvellous, kind and wise - helped the callers to succeed in their chosen career, which also benefited their local community.
"We need to look after our own," Dr Schafer said.
"We recognise medical practitioners may find it challenging accepting the role as a patient and many fail to seek help in a timely manner, yet doctors experience the same wide range of health-related issues as others in the community, as well as conditions specifically related to the stresses of professional practice.
"At DHQ we are dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of doctors and medical students in Queensland, understanding that this work benefits the community as a whole by improving the delivery of quality care and encouraging others to focus on positive health maintenance behaviours."
Dr Schafer said the doctors who volunteer their time to answer calls which are free and totally confidential in order to care for their colleagues are absolute heroes.
"These GPs support the phone line 24/7 and 365 days a year which is an amazing achievement," she said.
"Physical and mental health burnout is a real issue as the demand for health services often far exceeds practitioners ability who often are performing intensely over very long hours and feel guilty if they cannot help every patient."
For her colleague Professor Tarun Sen Gupta, being on call to speak with medical professional needing to discuss a problem which could range from the fear of failing an exam, a clash with a superior or feeling they can't cope with the expectation of patients is a critical part of his role.
As the James Cook University head of clinical school in Townsville and former Rural Doctors Association Queensland president, Dr Sen Gupta said no-one was invincible and everyone needed to be able to talk about their concerns in a safe and nurturing environment.
"It's a great privilege to help my colleagues who may be calling in great distress," he said.
"Often it's a mental health issue or they simply may need to debrief."
Dr Schafer said while Doctors' Health Queensland was part of the national body Drs4Drs, it was independent from the Medical Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
She said DHQ received funding at arm's length from the Medical Board of Australia via Doctors' Health Services Pty Ltd, a subsidiary company of the Australian Medical Association (Federal).
As a general practitioner, Dr Schafer said she had drawn on her experience in medical education, clinical research, medical media and organisational governance to combine her clinical roles DHQ and as the Brisbane North Primary Health Network board chair, the University of Queensland Medical Society patron.
Queensland doctors and medical students can call (07) 3833 4352 for independent and confidential advice, but all emergency calls should go to 000.
Know more about this issue? - Contact Alison Paterson on 0437 861 082.
