Women’s workshops promote work/life balance

By Sonya Felix

This article reprinted with permission from the Medical Post. For free registered access to Medical Post online, go to www.CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca .

If, like many female healthcare professionals, you have a tough time balancing the needs of work and life, you may want to consider a little trip to Tuscany this spring to attend an international workshop designed to help women take better care of themselves.

Created in partnership between the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, the workshop is being held from April 30 to May 3, 2012 at Montash University Prato Centre, Prato, Italy. This will actually be the second workshop in the series called "A Fine Balance." A domestic version is taking place at Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario from March 30 to April 1.

"The inspiration came out of watching and talking to professional women with whom we interacted through our offices," says Jane Tipping, the education consultant at U of T’s Faculty of Medicine. "It was very easy to see that many of the women were taking on more and more responsibilities that were not going to lead to any formal recognition or rewards in terms of career advancement yet they were engaged in work that was important and needed to be done." 

Women working in healthcare professions may be very caring in their advice to others without giving themselves the same level of thoughtfulness and care, adds Maria Bystrin, a member of the workshops’ planning committee and director of continuous professional development at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Covering topics such as mindful meditation and how to care for self while caring for others, the workshops are meant to ‘walk its talk’, says Bystrin. "Participants will not be sitting passively listening to what experts have to say on the topic of life balance. The workshops will provide input on how, when push comes to shove and choices have to be made, it is self-care and relationships that are neglected."

A wide cross section of healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, physicians, nurses, occupational therapists and medical technicians – of all ages and with different life situations – are expected to attend "A Fine Balance". Visit the website for more information on the workshops.