4 Comments

  1. Its all lip service

    April 15, 2017 at 8:35 am

    I would like to know what the fallout of self reporting is! A doctor I worked with on a transient basis told me that he had been strongly encouraged to self report an episode of depression for which he was allowed time off work during internship by his hospital. He self reported this episode, and felt that this was what had ruined his medical career- 6 years later he was still having to prove his fitness to work to AHPRA and was a significant impediment to any offer of a training job.

    Reply
    • John Sammut

      April 27, 2017 at 10:15 am

      Thanks for the comment.

      The diagnosis of a mental illness or any other form of impairment in and of itself does not require mandatory reporting, but rather the combination of an impairment coupled with a belief this impairment placed the public at risk of substantial harm in the practitioner’s practice of the profession. It is a very common myth circulating at the moment that practitioner’s should be wary of seeing someone for their impairment: eg: OCD, high anxiety, depression because the mere fact they are seeking help for their impairment constitutes mandatory reporting: It’s important to remember – it does not.

      If there was a requirement to prove fitness for work when changing jobs, it would be on the basis of an ongoing impairment for which notification was required and on the basis of which, conditions would have been placed upon a practitioner’s
      registration/work. These conditions are reviewed regularly and lifted when the impairment allows for such a change without placing the public at risk.

      Reply
  2. Vicky Dawes

    April 16, 2017 at 11:57 pm

    This is true but it is worth highlighting that medics seeking help for mental health issues may find it negatively impacts their ability to get insurance cover. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/about-us/about-our-work/discrimination-in-insurance

    Reply
  3. Jill Orford

    July 14, 2017 at 7:52 am

    Mental health is serious, we shouldn’t ignore it. “It’s okay to tell your doctor that you are not okay.”

    Reply

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