Peer Support Program Welcomes New Leader

 

The Medical Society of Prince Edward Island (MSPEI)’s new peer support program lead is settling in and ready to support Island doctors. PEI physician Dr. Megan Miller stepped into the role as the Program Lead for the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Program last month. She’s no stranger to this type of leadership role. She served as MSPEI’s Chief Physician Recruiter from January 2021 to March 2024 and is the provincial lead of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program. 

 “I decided to throw my hat in the ring for this position because I see the Peer-to-Peer Program as an opportunity to help shift the culture of medicine,” Dr. Miller said. “Physicians are expected to perform at a high level all the time. There’s a very unrealistic expectation that we can be perfect at our jobs. When we experience an adverse clinical outcome, people can experience a lot of shame and secrecy associated with this. The P2P program is helping to create a culture in medicine where physicians support one another, are better able to acknowledge that working in medicine is challenging and acknowledge when we’re struggling. I’d like to get to a point where reaching out for support is just part of working in a challenging profession—part of the human experience—where it’s not only encouraged but normalized.” 

The Peer-to-Peer Program is modelled after the work of Dr. Jo Shapiro, founder of the Center for Professionalism and Peer Support at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Shapiro is a national and international peer support development expert whose work focuses on shifting away from a culture of isolation and shame, to one that values shared responsibility, support, and well-being. Though the P2P program does not replace clinical counselling or therapy, it is designed to provide opportunities for proactive and responsive peer support to current or retired PEI physicians who have experienced, or are experiencing, career-related stressors or feeling burnt out. 

 “This program works well in conjunction with the Physician Health Program and MSPEI’s Physician Coaching Program. It’s part of a larger wellness initiative at MSPEI that involves a host of programs and other resources,” Dr. Miller said. “I believe there’s some really important overlap with these programs as well, and I hope more of my colleagues take advantage of what’s offered and do so in the early stages of struggling rather than waiting until things are at a crisis point.” 

 The P2P program has been offered on the Island since 2021 and currently has approximately 20 trained peer supporters available. The program was initially led by Dr. Nicole Green, PEI emergency medicine physician, who received an Award of Excellence from the PEI College of Family Physicians in 2023 for her role in this successful program. 

 “They are big shoes to fill, but I’ve been a peer supporter since the program launched on PEI and have worked with Nicole in this role, and she’s been very helpful with the transition,” Dr. Miller said. “When Nicole talked about being ready for a change and was thinking of stepping back from the position, it just happened I was also feeling ready for a change myself. I was able to speak to Nicole in depth about what the role entails and I’m very grateful for her guidance and support.”  

 Physicians can self-refer to the program or, with their permission, they can be referred in by a colleague or other partner in the medical community. Additionally, if it becomes public knowledge through media coverage or some other means, that a physician may be experiencing a career-related stressor, the Peer-to-Peer Program may initiate contact with that physician to see if they would like support. 

 “Regardless of the stage of career people are in or what’s going on in their lives, the main message I want people to receive is that it’s OK to ask for help when we’re facing a challenge,” Dr. Miller said. “Physicians are really great at helping other people, but we often find it difficult to ask for and accept help for ourselves. There’s so much benefit that can come when we’re able to find the courage to reach out, and I encourage our physicians to make use of the excellent programs MSPEI has to offer.  

MSPEI offers the Peer-to-Peer Program free to eligible MSPEI members. This is made possible in part by a multi-year Affinity Fund provided by the CMA, MD Management, and Scotiabank. 

 

Additional information about the program can also be found on MSPEI’s website https://www.mspei.org/peer-to-peer/ 

 To view information on all of MSPEI’s physician health and wellness offerings, visit: https://www.mspei.org/physician-health-and-wellness/