References
‘Giving a piece of you’: the lecturer experience of aiding student wellbeing
Abstract
Background:
The mental health of ambulance clinicians is a national priority. For student paramedics, the risk and inherent vulnerability to poor mental wellbeing are significant. However, evidence exploring support in universities for paramedic students and the role of academic faculty in this within paramedic preregistration programmes is limited.
Aims:
To explore the experiences and perceptions of university lecturers towards supporting student paramedic wellbeing.
Methods:
A qualitative research design was adopted to explore the experiences of six paramedic senior lecturers from three urban universities. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and thematically analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Findings:
Themes of ‘navigating the professional role,’ ‘the whole student’, ‘enabling cultural change’ and ‘supporting resilience and preparedness for practice’ were identified.
Conclusions:
University lecturers play a crucial role in student paramedic wellbeing and the unique role and identity of paramedic academics should be embraced. Paramedic programmes should consider a proactive approach to emotional health within the curriculum, alongside peer support, student-centred initiatives and tailored trauma support.
Within the last decade, there has been a rise of 500% of undergraduates experiencing poor wellbeing (Thorley, 2017) alongside a national increase in demand on university counselling services (Macaskill, 2013).
Although precise data regarding student mental health is unknown, research suggests university students are at a high risk of mental health conditions (Office for National Statistics, 2018) because a multitude of complex biopsychosocial factors, including age (Kessler et al, 2007), social transition (Student Minds, 2018), financial strain (Richardson et al, 2017) and academic stressors (Banerjee and Chaterjee, 2016).
Furthermore, higher education institutions (HEIs) have seen a 79% increase in instances of death by suicide since 2007 (Universities UK, 2018). Student mental health is receiving growing attention and has been described as a core educational and governmental priority (Education Policy Institute, 2018).
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