Wellbeing and Support
Supporting Your Wellbeing — Because You Matter
At the British Orthopaedic Association, we recognise that caring for others starts with caring for you. Trauma and orthopaedic practice is hugely rewarding — but it can also be demanding, both professionally and personally. Whether you’re in training, established in practice, or working across the wider orthopaedic team, how you feel and function every day matters to your performance, your relationships and the quality of care you deliver to your patients.
These page are designed to support you with practical tools, guidance and resources tailored for our community. You’ll find self-help strategies, wellbeing assessments, links to professional support, personal stories and external resources — all in one place to help you reflect, recharge and access help when needed. You are not alone in this, and it’s a sign of strength to look after your own health and resilience.
Explore the resources at the links below to find support, build your resilience, and maintain balance in your professional and personal life — because thriving in your career goes hand in hand with thriving as a person.
Things you can do to help yourself
It is easy to underestimate how much of ourselves we give to our patients on a daily basis and if things go less well, we have to give more. It is also easy to get very busy and wrapped up in our work and for it to become overwhelming in itself or to have a negative effect on our personal lives.
Personal Wellbeing Stories
As medical professionals, we have not always been good at looking after ourselves over the years and many of us have suffered as a result. The first key thing to understand is that it is OK to feel this way and to look for some help. You are not alone even if sometimes you feel it.
External support and resources
What you can do to support your overall mental health and wellbeing very much depends on who you are and where you are. There are many places to seek help and below are a few links we hope will help.
Neurodiversity Webinar
The BOA held a webinar discussing Neurodiversity on 13th September 2023, with guest speaker, Kerry Pace. **Please note users must be logged into the website to access and watch the recording**
Wellbeing Webinar
We hear from four orthopaedic surgeons who have been exploring and implementing ways of supporting colleagues, and have opportunity for follow-up discussion and questions. **Please note users must be logged into the website to access and watch the recording**