Resources 

Human dimension

This section is a reminder of the huge importance of the human dimension on placement - i.e. the relationships between students and students, between students and their GP tutor, between students and patients. 

1. For student engagement and learning on placement, having a sense of belonging matters 

• Posited as the key variable in whether students persist with their studies and are successful in the Higher Education Academy’s “What works?” student retention and success programme, sense of belonging is strongly associated with academic and social engagement while at university. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/belonging-inclusion-and-mental-health-are-all-connected/ 

2. Mattering matters - students need to feel that they matter, and are not just in the way - enhances learning, reduces burnout

• “Some of this suffering can’t be avoided,” she acknowledged. “You’ll have a first patient who dies. There will be unexpected bad outcomes. It’s unavoidable. But even in those moments, a student can be of value to the patient or their team and there are ways we can let them know they are valued. We can enhance the experiences of our students by letting them know, ‘We want you to be here, you cancontribute, you’re in nursing and medicine because you have qualities that will make you a great nurse or doctor.’ https://www.nursing.virginia.edu/news/mattering/ 

3. Getting to know you as GP tutor and your lived experience of practice is central to student learning

• Here are some suggestions from our GP tutors on how to build relationship at the start of placement https://sites.google.com/view/educator-development/educator-development-opportunities/nuggets-workshop-7th-september-2022 

4. Building relationships across students as course mates enables learning and engagement

• When asked what would help students feel a greater sense of belonging, developing closer or more friendships was the most popular choice for all respondents (46 per cent) across all demographic categories....“Getting to know people on my course better” was a close second at 42 per cent

• ... it’s key to create opportunities for peer learning and collaboration from day 1, ... through group activities and assessment – when students interact extensively through their learning, it ‘naturally’ forges stronger links with each other and they create a real ‘community’... it works better to forge those stronger connections and friendships through the natural process of learning, rather than (only) through social interactions outside of the course. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/belonging-inclusion-and-mental-health-are-all-connected/

Please access the GP3 Student Guide  click here