Self-Care for Healthcare

Healthcare practitioners play a vital role in supporting the health of others, yet their own mental well-being can often be overlooked. Long hours, high emotional demands, and systemic challenges can take a toll over time, leading to stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. This course was designed to recognise that reality and respond to it. Focusing on the unique pressures faced by healthcare workers, this course offers practical, evidence-based tools to help you manage stress, build resilience, and promote your mental well-being – not only for yourself, but for the quality of care you provide. Prioritising your own well-being is not a luxury – it’s a professional necessity and an ethical responsibility.

This course forms part of a Training Programme to improve mental wellness in dietitians and other healthcare professionals in South Africa, funded by a Small Grant from Global Health Partnerships. It has been co-developed by the Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA) and the Perinatal Mental Health Project, University of Cape Town. This activity is accredited for 3 clinical CEUs.

If you find this topic useful, or know of others who may find the course useful, we kindly ask that you share it with them, so that we can support each other in creating resilient healthcare practitioners and healthier, more sustainable work environments.

This activity consists of:

6 Learning lessons:

1. 1. Welcome and overview (15 – 20 minutes)
   2. What is mental health (20 – 25 minutes)
   3. Understanding your stressors (20 – 25 minutes)
   4. Practical ways to manage your stress (20 – 40 minutes)
   5. Strategies to manage stress and improve resilience (25 – 35 minutes)
   6. Putting ideas into practice and staying accountable (20 – 25 minutes)

Activities, resources, tools and practical strategies (additional learning time depends on the resources and tools you wish to use)

A pre- and post-training assessment and feedback forms (15 – 25 minutes)

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Recognise the signs and symptoms of burnout, compassion fatigue, and stress.
2. Identify key factors that affect mental health, including workplace and personal stressors.
3. Understand how workplace culture can support or undermine your mental well-being.
4. Reflect on your own well-being needs, patterns, and boundaries.
5. Apply simple, evidence-based strategies for self-care and resilience.
6. Know where and how to seek support, when needed.

Note: If you struggle to start the course, please follow these instructions:

1. Register an account for free on ADSA Learn at https://adsa.org.za/student-registration/.
2. Check your email to verify your ADSA Learn account.
3. Make sure that you are logged on.
4. Go to the Self-care activity page and click on “Add to basket”.
5. Complete the checkout process (you will be billed R0).
6. You will receive an email once you have been successfully been enrolled.
7. You can return to the course at any time through your ADSA Learn Profile (make sure you are logged in first).

For any problems, please contact us at adsalearn@adsa.org.za.