Peer Support Program
Mission
Liberating physicians from the code of silence that keeps them from seeking help when they are struggling by harnessing the inherent support structure within the hospital.
Values
The Burnaby Hospital Peer Support program values align with the values of Peer Support Canada, including:
- Hope
- Empathy
- Respect
- Integrity and trust
- Wellness
- Self-determination and personal agency
- Constant pursuit of personal and professional growth
FAQs
Peer support consists of a trained physician providing psychological first aid to a fellow colleague. It is not meant to replace a physician-patient relationship or a longitudinal counseling relationship.
We currently have 15 fully trained peer supporters and 6 additional peer supporters who are awaiting training.
We have representation from several departments at Burnaby Hospital including hospital medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, urology, anesthesiology and nuclear medicine.
Not at all! If you work in healthcare, feel free to reach out to any one of our peer supporters or contact us to be connected to a Peer Supporter who will be able to help you.
Anything you would like! Some examples are as follows:
- Burnout/mental health issues
- Physical health issues
- Personal relationship issues
- Workplace conflict/issues
- Career concerns
- Financial concerns
We would love to have you! Building a psychologically safe work culture involves learning and practicing compassion and empathy. The Burnaby Hospital Peer Supporter training program consists of approximately 2 sessions to learn the principles of the program. Thereafter, your name and profile will be widely advertised so that struggling individuals feel safe to approach you. We definitely encourage you to speak openly about wellness, mental health, and vulnerability so as to increase awareness of this program and increase uptake.
Please contact Dr. Iram Yunus at contact@bhmsa.ca if you are interested in joining our program or if you have more questions.