Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Will our internal borders reopen soon? Will doctors be able to fly to every part of Australia to provide locum services or take up a new permanent role? These are the questions we are asking at Prescript.
Just before Christmas 2020, I remember posting on our company notice board that 2021 would be full of good news. Onwards and upwards - sunny uplands await! Well, of course, we know what has happened since then.
We are almost at that point again. I am peering ahead into 2022 and thinking about what it will look like for our Prescript doctors, our Prescript health service clients and our Prescript internal team.
Our job as a medical recruitment company is to support our doctors and clients ‘now’ and remind them there is a ‘later’. The ‘later’ we refer to is healthcare as usual - doctors able to travel freely, communities getting the healthcare they deserve.
My job as the founder of Prescript is also to support our Prescript internal team ‘now’ and remind them there is a ‘later’ too. Looking after the team when times are tough and inspiring them that good times lie ahead.
Maybe a silver lining of the pandemic is that conversations about mental health are happening with more frequency and urgency. It’s ok not to be ok.
How have you supported your mental health when working from home doing telehealth & teleradiology or from your workplace at a hospital or a clinic? Do you have a wellness action plan?
Prescript has seen how hard doctors have been working:
★ staffing fever clinics
★ swapping from their usual roles to go where the need is greatest
★ volunteering to quarantine to fulfil locum commitments
★ crossing national and inter-state borders when possible
★ showing good humour and understanding with all the travel changes that have taken place
★ making sure regional communities have the healthcare they need
The health services we work with have been incredible, too - each time a border closed, we saw medical administration and management swing into action to put a plan in place to cover shortages. Flights booked, cancelled and rebooked; accommodation reservations unpicked; credentialing paperwork fast-tracked. Phew!
I do want to share a massive acknowledgement for the Prescript Recruitment team. I know that the doctors, hospitals, and practices we partner with have benefited from having Prescript operate at full capacity – the team have been there to manage cancelled locum shifts, change travel logistics, juggle border closures and answer questions. Our recruitment and credentialing teams have worked diligently to support our Prescript doctors and health services.
What has Prescript done to support our Prescript team?
★ Kept every member of Prescript fully employed
★ Shared financial data for full transparency
★ Shared the business plan for each quarter to help the team feel secure
★ Daily team meetings via Zoom - focus on what help is needed and sharing team kudos and thank-yous
★ Introduced an Employee Assistance Programme for confidential counselling. Each Prescript team member had/has access to six hours of support over the phone, face-to-face or online
★ Wellness day off (see more here)
★ Team trivia quiz hosted by a comedian (online)
★ Sweek Mickie cookie deliveries
★ Biggest Morning Tea for the Cancer Council (we baked cakes and biscuits)
★ In-home massages for Sydney team members
★ Friday zoom wine-downs
★ Remote parties for celebrating birthdays
★ Baby shower games
★ Group meditation/hypnosis with an online library of resources available
★ Buddy system for support and time off
★ Sharing the responsibility for coming up with team activities
★ Budget for home-office set-up
★ Christmas 2020 get-together at Quay in Sydney
★ March 2021 get-together in Adelaide
★ Team communal lunches (remote and together)
Navigating through the last 18 months has been challenging.
Focusing on a wellness action plan has helped. It has meant that it’s ok not to be ok and it’s ok to prepare in advance.
What Is A Wellness Action Plan?
Mind.org.uk details what we can do to look after our own mental health and wellbeing.
Identify your triggers
“Working out what triggers poor mental health for you can help you anticipate problems and find solutions. Whether it’s taking in too much negative news and media regarding the current circumstance or a heavy workload. Finding out your triggers can help.”
Take Time For Yourself
“Spending time on yourself is essential for your wellbeing, and helps you be more resilient. It’s vital to prioritise your own needs sometimes, rather than the demands of your work. Ignoring your needs can lead to stress and burn-out.”
Be Kind To Yourself
“In our current climate, we’re all going through a difficult time. It’s important to be kind to yourself and remember it’s okay to not be okay. We may feel different from one day to the next as situations change so it’s important to be kind to yourself.”
Connect with others
“Depending on the circumstance, working from home right now can be a lonely job. Evidence suggests that feeling close to, and valued by other people is a basic human need. Good relationships are important to our wellbeing. Try joining morning or evening online exercise classes, joining Facebook groups or even starting your own.”
Celebrate the small successes
“We all want to contribute and make a difference to the things we work on, we want to feel accomplished and that we’ve achieved something. So it’s important to celebrate the successes, big and small. Some days that might mean a great piece of work, other days it could mean doing housework or making the bed. Try to identify one small thing each day that you can accomplish.”
About James Hill
James Hill is a medical recruitment specialist. He is passionate about helping regional hospitals and practices across Australia find doctors for their permanent and locum positions.
As the founder of Prescript Recruitment, he has the practical experience of delivering an exceptional recruitment service for doctors with the result that communities everywhere have the healthcare they deserve.
James’ fourteen years of working with regional healthcare providers has given him a first-hand insight into the issues they face to attract doctors. His successful track record of filling locum and permanent positions in every State and Territory means he knows what strategies work and what don’t.
James is also a writer of blogs for LinkedIn and the Prescript Recruitment website where he draws on his experience to share his opinions on current staffing issues.
There are three ways to contact James:
Call James on 0410 792 310
Email james@prescript.com.au
Click 'Connect with Prescript’
“I believe for you to partner with the right medical recruitment agency, that reflects your wishes and lifestyle choices, is so important. Prescript’s focus is on what matters most to you, whatever stage of your career, your location or your future plans.”
“Prescript are medical recruitment specialists.”
At Prescript we’re known for helping solve the regional doctor shortage in Australia.
Every day we’re focused on two clear outcomes - Helping hospitals find doctors that create departments and clinics that run better, have more capacity and less stress. And placing Doctors in jobs that leave them feeling highly valued, rewarded and, most importantly, enjoying what they do.
We believe that when we get these two crucial things right, it has a huge impact on the regional doctor shortage and the healthcare of communities across Australia.
There are three ways to contact us:
Call 1300 755 498
Email contact@prescript.com.au
Click 'Connect with Prescript'
We’d love to hear from you!
“We’re known for helping solve the regional doctor shortage, leaving doctors loving what they do and regional communities feeling like they have the best doctors in town.”