Manage your own health as a health professional – with Professor Craig Hassad

Physio Foundations

This week on Physio Foundations I spoke with Professor Craig Hassad from the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University about how health professionals and health professions students can look after their own health throughout their careers.

Professor Craig Hassed OAM is a highly experienced general practitioner and mindfulness expert who has worked within the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University since 1989. He is the coordinator of the Monash mindfulness program and developed the world-first mindfulness-based healthy lifestyle course called the Health Enhancement Program for health professions students. In 2019 Craig was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to Medicine.

Craig has published 13 books and 14 book chapters, has featured in documentaries and authored over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is regularly invited to speak and present courses in Australia and overseas and has worked with Australian and international universities to develop similar content to help health professions students maintain their health and wellbeing.

In this episode:

• 0:00 About this episode
• 0:23 About Craig
• 3:10 About the Health Enhancement Program
• 5:25 How can the Health Enhancement Program help health professions students?
• 6:54 Behaviour change is not that easy
• 9:17 Self care is an essential responsibility for ourselves and our patients
• 10:15 How can mindfulness help health professionals?
• 12:50 Three tips for avoiding distraction when studying
• 19:11 Drinking information like we’re drinking from a firehose – how to manage information overload
• 21:00 Getting interrupted during complex tasks degrades your attention and leads to errors
• 23:08 Free resources for you to use

Read more about Craig:

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm/general-practice/our-people/craig-hassed

Free courses run by Monash university

Mindfulness for wellbeing and peak performance

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mindfulness-wellbeing-performance

Maintaining a mindful life

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mindfulness-life

Mindfulness for life – book by Dr Craig Hassad

https://www.booktopia.com.au/mindfulness-for-life-craig-hassed/book/9781922539014.html

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Always seek the guidance of a qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.