What does balance look like for you?

Embarking on a bushwalk? Spending time on a hobby? Making memories with family?
 
What does balance look like for you?  
 
A GP-produced video is posing that question to doctors in a bid to prompt discussion about the importance of work–life balance and its role in personal wellbeing, professional satisfaction and longevity in general practice.
 
Featuring GPs from across Australia, including RACGP leaders, medical educators and registrars, the video depicts doctors undertaking the activities they enjoy outside of work that help them maintain balance and wellbeing.
 
RACGP WA Core Education Head of Training Dr Vanessa Matabang said the initiative is an important step forward in highlighting that doctor wellbeing is a responsibility of both the individual and the system.
 
‘The evidence is clear that poor wellbeing, burnout, and mental illness affect doctors across all phases of their careers and can impact workforce sustainability, capability, professional satisfaction and the quality of the care we provide,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘GPs aren’t exempt to the effects of stress and psychological distress.
 
‘Wellbeing in general practice isn’t simply about how well a doctor copes with the demands of medicine alongside their personal priorities; it’s about cultivating a culture and working environment in which doctors can sustain the work of caring for others without losing the capacity to care for themselves.
 
‘That’s why initiatives like this matter – they shift the focus from reacting to adversity to proactively building healthy, sustainable and empowering ways of working.’

The team behind the project: Dr Susan Selby, Dr Nicola Jursevics, Dr Kristy Palmer, Dr Julie McClellan, Dr Vanessa Matabang, Dr Katie Cunneen, Dr Jaclyn Brown.
 
The campaign was developed as an educational resource for registrar training in a bid to embed the importance of work–life balance right from the start of a GPs’ career.
 
It’s a timely reminder, with the RACGP’s latest Health of the Nation report revealing that just 47% of GPs feel they can maintain a good work–life balance, and 69% of GPs said they experienced burnout in 2025.  
 
Dr Julie McClellan, RACGP National Lead Medical Educator – Registrar Wellbeing, said the campaign’s idea came after the college’s GPs in Training Wellbeing Committee identified a need for practical, relatable resources demonstrating what sustainable medical careers look like in real life.
 
‘Initiatives like this are so important because the habits and approaches doctors develop during training often shape the way they practise throughout their careers,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘We wanted to introduce the concept of work–life balance early and show that prioritising wellbeing is not only possible, but essential for delivering high-quality patient care and sustaining a long, fulfilling career in general practice.
 
‘We hope these stories encourage registrars to reflect on their own wellbeing and to build healthy, sustainable habits from the very beginning of their careers.’
 
Dr McClellan said good work–life balance is ‘one of the foundations of a sustainable and fulfilling career’.
 
‘We know that burnout is less likely when doctors live and work in ways that align with their values, which means making time for the relationships and interests outside of medicine that bring meaning and joy to our lives,’ she said.
 
‘Healthy work–life balance is not simply a nice-to-have; it is an essential part of professional practice and delivering high-quality patient care.
 
‘At the heart of it is recognising that we are people first and doctors second.’
 
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GPs in training registrars work–life balance