Checklist for supervisors

For the area you work in, identify the presiding community structures.

• What is the economic basis?  e.g. agriculture, mining, tourism
• What are the major social structures? e.g. RSL (Retired Servicemen’s League), CWA (Country Women’s Association), local sporting clubs
• What access do the local people have to health services?  
• What about education and entertainment?  

• Are there any health risks associated with the local lifestyle?
• Have local events (e.g. business closures, drought, bushfires) affected the town in any way?
• How do the local people feel about the current state and future prospects of their community?
• How do people feel about their personal role and prospects in the community?

• Is there a locally based mental health service?
• Are there any visiting services from larger centres?
• Are there any specialists (e.g. child and adolescent psychiatrists) who provide telepsychiatry services to your area?

• The aged?
• The homeless?
• Youth?
• People with drug and alcohol abuse problems?
• The disabled?
• People living with mental illness?

Consider both medical and general support services (e.g. Meals on Wheels, supported accommodation).

Consider the accessibility of your place of work to your patients.  Consider especially patients with limited mobility and/or without access to their own transport.

Consider your own professional support needs.  What services can you access locally?  What services are reliant on visiting teams?  

Can you access language or cultural interpreters in your area for Aboriginal patients?  For patients from other non-English speaking backgrounds?

Read the sections of you local Mental Health Act that relate to treatment orders and arranging patient transfer.  How do these differ from arrangements in any previous places of work?

Consider your own stress management practices.  What coping strategies do you regularly use to deal with everyday stress?  What about difficult periods or crisis situations?

Consider your personal and professional support networks.  If you were in need of support / advice who would you ask?  What access do you have to support networks compared to your last place of work?

What social / recreational opportunities are there in the local area?

Identify any professional areas (e.g. Aboriginal health, Australian health laws) where you would like information or advice.  Can you identify any people who you could use as peer supports?

In your local area, are there any of the following: grand rounds, journal club, case discussion groups, online/videoconference networks?

Find out about formal networks in your discipline (e.g. psychiatry) and your local region (e.g. Country Psychiatrists Association).