This 18-minute DVD was produced in 2005 by NT-based Formation Studios. It forms one part of a 12-month long project “Improving the Wellbeing and Self-Care Practices of Junior Doctors in the Northern Territory”. The DVD was produced to be nationally applicable and is packaged with a report of the whole project, and a teaching module for use with the DVD.

Two successful wellbeing workshops were trialed, with participants showing improved levels of wellbeing understanding, skills and motivation afterwards. Assessments of wellbeing levels were also made, over a 6-month period in 2005. Results were based on small numbers (up to 16 doctors) and revealed poor levels of wellbeing in parallel with (or slightly worse than) comparable groups of doctors. The results supported the understanding that the intern and junior hospital years are ones of high stress and significant challenges to wellbeing.

The project achieved its aims of assessing the need for wellbeing education and the effectiveness of such teaching. The resulting DVD package presents a wonderful resource for use in education programs at the level of interns and junior residents. Other potential audiences are final year medical students and vocational trainees including GP Registrars.

Distribution of the DVD in January 2006 is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and is to all Australian postgraduate medical councils, medical schools and Directors of Clinical Training at hospitals.