UTAS Rural Clinical School

🐻🩺 A Beary Successful Day at Teddy Bear Hospital! 🚑🦷

We loved visiting and working with the Kinder students at Riana Primary School yesterday as part of our Teddy Bear Hospital program.

Our visit was filled with hands-on activities as the children helped guide their teddies through a range of medical-related experiences, creating a fun and engaging way to learn about healthcare. 🩻

A big thank you to our amazing medical students and the school who made this fun and hands-on learning experience possible. 🌟

🧦 It’s time to break out our funkiest socks to help break down the stigma around mental health in doctors.

Pictured here are staff across Hospitals North West in hearty support of CrazySocks4Docs Day.

Celebrated on Friday 5 June this year, CrazySocks4Docs is a day when we are encouraged to wear fun, colourful socks in support of a serious message—raising awareness of the mental health and wellbeing of all doctors and healthcare practitioners around the world. 💙

🩺 Dr Geoff Toogood, the founder of the CrazySocks4Docs movement, was awarded the 2023 Australian Mental Health Prize for a doctor with lived experience. He is a consultant cardiologist, with lived experience of depression and anxiety. He faced discrimination at many levels and was determined that once recovered, he would create an awareness movement to break down the stigma around mental health among doctors and health professionals.

The movement he began in 2017 is now a global phenomenon. The annual CrazySocks4Docs Day aims to normalise conversations around mental health challenges of doctors, support health practitioners' wellbeing and send a message of solidarity.

The theme for this year is “Safe to Speak Up”.

If you want to take part in the campaign tomorrow (5 June), it’s easy.
📱Post a photo of some really crazy coloured socks, or of yourself wearing those socks, on social media with and start the conversation!

It is a good time to remember there are support services available.
📞 The helplines below are free and are open every day.
• Drs4drs for doctors and medical students in Australia: 1300 374 377 (24/7)
• Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7)
• A Tasmanian Lifeline: 1800 98 44 34 (8am-8pm)
• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
• 13 YARN: 13 92 76 (24/7)
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 (24/7)
• Mensline Australia: 1300 789 978 (24/7)
• Headspace: 1800 650 890 (3pm-10am)
• Su***de Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 (24/7)
• Open Arms Veterans and Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
• QLife: 1800 184 527 (3pm-9pm)

🔗 For more on the movement, please visit: www.crazysocks4docs.com.au

🌟 The Rural Clinical School and University of Tasmania School of Medicine teams had a fantastic time attending the Tasmanian Rural Health Conference in Devonport over the weekend.

Nicole and Miranda presented their evaluation on the success of the end-to-end program across the North and North West and we look forward to their work being published.

🩺 🌟 What an incredible spotlight on Dr Oli for National Careers Week and so well deserved! As a UTAS Rural Clinical School 2025 alumnus, it’s inspiring to see his journey and the way he continues to give back locally through the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club and Lifesaving Development Camps.

A powerful reminder that community service enhances the already meaningful work clinicians do every day. 🌊👏

🔗 Read more about Oli’s story via the link below.