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]


Dr Beth Western – Keeping yourself in sinus rhythm

I have been a Doctor for 7 months now and what a wild ride it has been. There have been…

Leah Whitmore – An internal struggle against expectations

Children add an additional layer of complexities to an already complex journey. I’m not just talking about the strict routines…

Dr Nicholas Faint – medicine: ‘easy’ to practice, difficult to integrate?

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? 

Pristina Goh – ‘You are exactly where you need to be’

Transitioning from pre-clinical to clinical years in Medicine can be challenging. We find ourselves adjusting to the long hours of placements and study, leaving whatever time is left for leisure and (hopefully) rest.  

Dr Jarrad Paul – Self-Flagellation by Proxy

Workplace bullying and harassment is a horrible blight on our profession that happens to others, but not me. Not me because I’m too careful, I don’t ruffle feathers, I’m competent and don’t make a fuss… until it did.

Dr Lianne Leung – food for thought (and other basic physiological needs)

Dr Lianne LeungIntern A few weeks into our internship, we had a horrendously busy day. None of us juniors on…

Hunter Gurevich – on speaking up

Hunter GurevichChair of Transfolk WACurtin Medical Student “Is there any LGBTI health on the medical syllabus?”“No.”“Do you think there should…

Dr Mudra Shah – making mistakes in medicine

Hello! My name is Mudra and I am a junior doctor, and a human being. Most people (including me) often forget the latter. I am writing to tell you that at the beginning of my internship, I made a mistake. Spoiler alert, the patient lived.

Beyond the Scrubs – Ep1: Maladapative Perfectionism

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!

Dr Jemma Hogan – your training is a marathon not a sprint

My journey through medicine has been an interesting one, with periods of hardship but also personal growth…. For me, this started back in January 2018 when I had been accepted into Paediatric training and was just about to start the job of my dreams.  

Dr Jazmin O’Reilly Hawes – the gift of imperfection and trust

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. 

Dr Dean Choong – dealing with hardships and developing coping strategies

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.