Impact of a resilience and wellbeing program: A longitudinal cohort study of student dietitians

Abstract

In response to growing evidence that student healthcare professionals find professional practicum stressful and that it negatively affects their mental health, a six-session psychoeducation Resilience and Wellbeing Program was implemented by a professional counselor in Year 3 of the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Griffith University, Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate student dietitians' perceptions of whether the program improved their ability to cope with practicum stressors. The study used a longitudinal cohort design, with students completing surveys at three time points: before and after the program and after the final practicum.The study was completed with two cohorts of students between 2018 and 2020 (n = 111). Most respondents (95%) found their professional practicum to be stressful or challenging on at least some occasions, mostly due to constantly being assessed (56%), finances (40%), and being away from usual supports (38%). Almost all students rated the program as having some value (99%), with the content about stress and self-care the most highly rated. Qualitative comments revealed the program helped students to manage stress by prioritizing their personal needs. Students used stress management skills during the practicum to achieve balance in their lives, despite pandemic conditions.

Building a resilient future workforce: Analysis of initiatives in Australian and New Zealand dietetics curricula

“…Resilience content was commonly delivered through face-to-face workshops, which have been shown to measurably increase tertiary health student resilience. [12][13][14] Curriculum designers could use these findings to embed resilience throughout programs in a scaffolded way to prepare graduates to transition to the workforce.…”

“…12 Almost all participating students reported the program to be valuable for stress and selfcare. 12 There is a need to explore resilience education in the current environment where healthcare workers feel the impact of global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 21 This study aimed to explore the ways in which dietetics programs across Australia and New Zealand embed resilience content within curricula.…”

“…In the context of health professional education, resilience can best be defined as ‘the dynamic capacity to overcome adversity, drawing on personal, social and organisational resources, to achieve personal growth and transformation’ 11 . Resilience can be developed through lived experiences; however, current evidence describes how resilience can be fostered through teaching well‐being, 12 mindfulness, 13 coping, 14 and reflection 11 . It can be argued that resilience is the outcome of setbacks, whereby some individuals positively adapt, whereas others can suffer long term from these challenges 15 .…”

“…Despite resilience being specified in dietetics professional standards and as a desired graduate attribute, little is known about the ways in which credentialed dietetics programs address resilience within curricula. One Australian university recently published an evaluation of a six‐session psychoeducation Resilience and Wellbeing Program aimed at promoting resilience and well‐being in dietetics students prior to placement 12 . Almost all participating students reported the program to be valuable for stress and self‐care 12 .…”

“…One Australian university recently published an evaluation of a six‐session psychoeducation Resilience and Wellbeing Program aimed at promoting resilience and well‐being in dietetics students prior to placement 12 . Almost all participating students reported the program to be valuable for stress and self‐care 12 . There is a need to explore resilience education in the current environment where healthcare workers feel the impact of global challenges such as the COVID‐19 pandemic 21 .…”