Physician Peer Support

Physicians face unique challenges. Physicians experience stress, vulnerability and fear as normal emotional responses to painful experiences such as patient complaints, adverse events, workplace conflict and other difficulties.

Physicians can benefit from sharing their challenging experiences with peers who may have experienced similar situations and can truly understand. Support from colleagues can have a positive impact on wellbeing and workplace experiences.

The Peer Support Initiative offers confidential, non-clinical, support to physician colleagues by physician Peer Supporters in a 1:1 setting.

Our Peer Supporters have undergone training by Dr. Jo Shapiro (Associate Professor with Harvard Medical School and founder of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Centre for Professionalism and Peer Support) and the BC Physician Health Program.

How to access support

Click here to make a request for peer support for yourself or for a colleague.

Once you’ve reached out, a Peer Supporter will connect with you or your colleague within 2-3 days to schedule a conversation.

If you are requesting peer support for a colleague, reach out to them first and seek their consent to pass their name and contact information over to our Peer Support Initiative.

Reasons for seeking peer support may include: dealing with a patient/college complaint, workplace interpersonal conflict or adverse clinical event, managing work-life balance, burnout/moral injury, experiences of discrimination in the workplace, or any other situation where you feel it would be helpful.