Preserving healthcare student wellbeing - what do we need to know to retain them?

The World Health Organisation made protecting mental wellbeing a focus of the 2021 International Year of Health and Care Workers in response to the noted stressors experienced by frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic, academic burnout and emotional exhaustion were already cited as sources of psychological distress in healthcare students, with reports that Covid-19 had further exacerbated this. While the pandemic generated unprecedented levels of enrolment on healthcare degrees there remain concerns within national healthcare workforce commissioning bodies that Covid-related student experiences will be detrimental to their retention as staff. To this end, a survey was distributed in June 2021 to Scottish healthcare students to explore the wellbeing resources they were using, their perceived value, and whether gaps existed in the available support. This paper reflects on the work-life balance and work culture challenges that the students outlined, pastoral support, and the potential role of self-care in the curriculum.