The House Staff Advisory Council has developed a residency stress support group in collaboration with the Center for Professional Health. These faculty members are willing to assist house staff with work-related or personal problems in a confidential manner. Additionally, these advisors have access to other resources if special problems need to be addressed. There is a long tradition of concern at Vanderbilt for the impaired professional. Greater awareness has led to increased recognition of addiction problems in our faculty and students and a continued interest in the treatment of the impaired professional.
Physicians can become dysfunctional in a variety of ways, just like the patients they treat.
Their individual problems often manifest in ways that can harm the patients whom they serve, the institutions that employ them, their families, and the colleagues with whom they work. Physicians often have difficulty admitting their problems with drugs or alcohol, and too often, do not get the help they need until a crisis is reached. Early interventions in confronting physicians who are heading for trouble are needed and if necessary, intensive treatment programs for the compromised professional can be made available. Initiating this process can be difficult for colleagues and supervisors. If advice or recommendations are needed the following faculty may be consulted.