Peter's story

Peter Bowen-Roberts is a semi-retired Nanaimo-based physician who works as a locum and hospitalist (a doctor who looks after hospital patients without a regular physician).

He has not started a PAW group but embraces the idea for the role such a group can play in both preventing physician health problems and supporting doctors who may need help.

Here are his thoughts on what elements are required to for a successful PAW group:   

“You need a core group of interested and committed people. And you need a formula that is exciting. You need speaker topics of interest to doctors, and they need not be exclusively medical themes. There are plenty of things doctors would like to hear about, such as retirement, collegiality, and coping skills for life transitions such as divorce and death.

He said he would like PAW groups inspired by something other than a cataclysmic event that might affect a medical community, such as a doctor suicide.

He said PAW groups also need funding commitments for functions such as secretarial and administrative support and speaker fees.

Dr. Bowen-Roberts, who, among his other work, teaches a course at the University of British Columbia Faculty Development department, entitled 'ABC for teachers'. It is designed for physicians who teach. The course includes elements such as setting up a good teaching environment, the teaching encounter and feedback and assessment.  

He believes in the importance of making sure young doctors participate in PAW groups. He notes that doctors don’t always practise the healthiest lifestyles.

“I’d like to see the younger generation involved so it develops good personal health habits.”

As told to Ann Gibbon