PAW Network

Physicians Advocating Wellness (PAW groups) are already well established in Maple Ridge and White Rock and there is a lot of interest in getting more groups off the ground in various other communities around the province. To learn how these grassroots groups came together, read our PAW history.

The goal is to have many more PAW groups across the province. To that end, here are some tips for launching one in your community:

• Find a core group of people who are passionate about physician wellness and committed to setting up a program and making it work. This involves time and creativity.
• Plan an event. It can be as simple as inviting a group of physicians to a restaurant for dinner to encourage often-needed collegiality, or as formal as arranging for a speaker to facilitate a group discussion on a relevant topic, such as physician depression, compassionate communication, or more non-professional themes such as financial planning. Events are particularly important for doctors without hospital privileges, as they may lack connection with other doctors. Isolation can play a big role in a variety of physician health issues.
• Liaise with your local health authority for funding. Marketing can be a useful component in setting up a PAW program, and the health authorities may be able to help with funding for such things.
• Read some of the stories of BC physicians, as told by Ann Gibbon, who are advocates for physician health, and have been actively involved in the PAW Network. You can find them on the left navigation.

Physicians understand what other physicians experience professionally on a daily basis. PAW groups embrace not only the professional aspects of a doctor’s life, but the personal as well. And that is good for physicians, their families, patients and communities.