Student wellbeing and progression
A growing number of wellbeing concerns are evident in the student population and these can influence student retention and progression. The link between student wellbeing and student learning is well established and guidance is in place to consider physical, social and psychological wellbeing within the Advance HE Education for Mental Health Toolkit – Wellbeing and Learning. These considerations need to extend to the placement learning environment.
Placements are essential learning experiences for students as part of their employability journey. This importance is reflected by the growing number of placements within higher education and its prominence within the employability agenda with placements being reported as the most common employability activity.
However, placement experiences can also be extremely stressful, and can be a cause of attrition. It is crucial to support students to manage their own wellbeing during this potentially challenging time.
Reluctance
Why are students not talking to their placement supervisors? It is frustrating as a placement supervisor, knowing that a student is struggling but when you try to explore this with the student, they are reluctant to discuss any issues. Placement supervisors can feel frustrated, and helpless. How can they support someone if they are unaware of what the student is struggling with? Being able to identify these factors would enable reasonable adjustments to be put in place to better support them.
Disclosure
We need to bring the placement supervisor and student together - bridging the gap, enabling students to have psychological safety to be able to disclose any concerns that they have, without feeling judged or that it will affect the outcome of their placement.
As highlighted in the Advance HE Education for Mental Health toolkit, student learning and student wellbeing exist in a transactional relationship, constantly impacting on each other. This is relevant in all learning environments and just as important in placement settings. The relationship can be positive or negative and therefore any information and support that promote a positive experience of wellbeing will help facilitate a positive learning experience during placements.
Building the bridge
We collaborated with students and placement supervisors to create two wellbeing templates that could be used to encourage open communication between students and placement supervisors in advance of them commencing their placements. The templates were designed to offer a safe space to share information and prompt open and honest discussions. This collaborative approach empowered students and their placement supervisors to start the conversation regarding wellbeing from the beginning of placement.
The feedback has been extremely positive. Students and placement supervisors have reflected how the templates have helped to open the dialogue up about wellbeing and have highlighted things that might not have otherwise been discussed. Placement supervisors reported that knowing this information in advance of the student commencing their placement, enabled them to tailor the learning environment and adequately support the student. Open, safe, honest communication is key.
PROTECT wellbeing on placements
We have now created the PROTECT framework – which serves as a comprehensive guide for enhancing student wellbeing during placements. The PROTECT framework emphasises the importance of prioritising wellbeing, fostering respect and trust to promote open communication and offers information to support dialogue between students and placement supervisors.
P – Prioritisation: Focus on the wellbeing of students and the importance of self-care. Foster responsibility among students and educators for mutual support.
R – Reflect: Encourage students to reflect on their previous placement experiences, learning, and potential growth for this placement.
O – Opportunity: Create opportunities for students to express concerns, ask questions, and engage in their learning process
T – Trust: Build a safe and respectful relationship between students and educators where students feel valued, respected and able to disclosure any concerns
E – Expectations: Actively involve students in discussions about the student and educators expectations of the placement
C – Compassion: Cultivate empathy and understanding towards each other. Creating a supportive and inclusive space for personal and professional growth Empower students in taking initiative to advocate for their learning and wellbeing needs
T – Transparency: Encourage open and honest conversations to ensure there is a shared understanding.
Making a difference
Are you involved in student placements? What role can you play to make a difference for student wellbeing on placements? Do you want to know more about the PROTECT framework to support you with this?
Sarah Drake is the Occupational Therapy Professional lead and Kelly Walker is the Physiotherapy professional lead in the School of Health Sciences at the University of East Anglia, UK. Sarah and Kelly are passionate about student wellbeing and ensuring this is supported both within the university setting and while students are on placements.