{"id":1870,"date":"2020-03-01T13:17:11","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T13:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/ebn\/?p=1870"},"modified":"2020-03-01T13:24:31","modified_gmt":"2020-03-01T13:24:31","slug":"university-mental-health-day-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/ebn\/2020\/03\/01\/university-mental-health-day-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"University Mental Health Day 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Barrett, F<\/strong>aculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being a University student is an exciting and life-changing experience. However, some of the academic, financial and personal challenges faced by students can have a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing (APPG, 2015<\/a>). For healthcare students, the additional challenges posed \u2013 including the need to complete clinical placements along with academic work \u2013 can put them under even greater pressure (Turner and McCarthy, 2017<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Students, educators and practice supervisors need a clear understanding of the challenges faced by those undertaking healthcare practitioner education, the impact these can have on mental health and wellbeing, and the support that can be provided. There is also a need for research that allows professionals to identify evidence-based interventions to enhance student mental health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

In the UK, Thursday 5th<\/sup> March 2020 is University Mental Health Day. Each year, this Day provides the opportunity to highlight the importance of student mental health and share best practice that improves mental health within Universities (https:\/\/www.unimentalhealthday.co.uk<\/a>). Last year\u2019s event saw 248 events involving 122 Universities, along with social media activity with a reach of over 29 million using #UniMentalHealthDay<\/p>\n

To mark University Mental Health Day 2020, Evidence Based Nursing Journal is exploring some of the pressures faced by healthcare students and how Universities and practice settings can best support the mental health of learners.<\/p>\n

Our latest editorial explores whether Universities are doing enough to support student health and wellbeing (Barrett & Twycross, 2020<\/a>). Over the coming week, we will publish two blogs from students that shine a light on some of the stressors associated with their programmes, including when they have a pre-existing mental health condition. We\u2019ll also publish a blog that explores the role of pets and companion animals with those who are undertaking a programme of study.<\/p>\n

Then, on Wednesday March 11th<\/sup> at 8pm (UK time) EBN (@EBNursingBMJ ) will host, along with @liz8ailey, a Twitter chat that provides the opportunity to discuss issues surrounding student mental health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

To join in, add #ebnjc to your tweets; you can also follow the chat by searching for the same hashtag. The Twitter chat on will focus on four questions;<\/p>\n