
Humans of Medicine (WA) is an initiative by WAMSS Mental Health that aims to share doctors’ personal stories about their journey through medicine, with a view to providing medical students with some insights into managing the highs and lows of this thing which Osler called a life course.
This project is sponsored by the Doctors' Health Advisory Service (DHASWA) and Psychiatry Interest Forum (PIF).
DHAS WA aim to promote, educate and protect the health of doctors and medical students in WA. Their services include a 24/7 telephone advice line for doctors in need of help or wanting to speak with a DHAS WA doctor 08 9321 3098.
PIF gives information for anyone considering a career in psychiatry. Join the RANZCP’s Psychiatry Interest Forum at www.ranzcp.org/pif
To learn more or get involved, send an email expressing your interest to: [email protected]

Medicine – superficially, it appears simple enough for the stereotypical medical student (driven with a sprinkling of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder). There are learning objectives, examinations and key performance indicators that need to be achieved in order to advance. The same can be said for fellowship training; don’t fail a rotation, complete workplace-based assessments, pass summative assessments and collect your letters. Pretty straightforward, right?

WAMSS Mental Health is proud to present our video series: Beyond the Scrubs! With the goal of opening dialogue about mental health among medical students through sharing individual experiences, the series will involve students from all cohorts within the medical community, so grab some popcorn, relax, and tune in to watch the fascinating stories told by your mates unravel on screen!

Medical students are selected for qualities such as academic prowess and excellence. However, with academic success comes other qualities that, in large amounts, can hinder a doctor. Whilst attention to detail is important when charting medications or writing a good discharge summary, perfectionism can negatively impact our mental health.

January 2020.
I had just finished internship and had recently been accepted onto the Basic Physician Training program after months of hard work preparing my application and interview. I felt on top of the world. Having spent 3 weeks on the family trip of a lifetime, I was fully rested with a palpable excitement to come back to Perth and start my specialty training.