How to improve the wellbeing of junior doctors: building the evidence

Mentoring programs can be valuable tools for safeguarding the health and job satisfaction of medical interns

A stressful and demanding internship year has traditionally been regarded as a rite of passage for doctors in Australia. A heavy workload, long hours, new job performance anxieties, a hierarchical work environment, looming applications for specialist training programs: all place considerable stress on junior doctors, who experience high rates of fatigue, burnout and depression.1 With increasing focus on their mental health, support programs for interns, including mentoring, have been recommended by national professional bodies.2