Healthcare education has always been demanding given the considerable stakes. Equipping tomorrow’s healthcare leaders with the knowledge and tools to make well-informed, split-second decisions is a tall task. In today’s climate, even Herculean.
There was a time when many of us thought, Once the pandemic is behind us, life will go back to normal. But that was wishful thinking. More than four years after the onset of COVID-19, we’re still feeling its effects, in some places more than others.
From mounting administrative responsibilities to plummeting student assessments and countless concerns in between, the world of higher education is struggling to bounce back. Educators are carrying much of the load as they try to keep academic programs, students and themselves afloat.
Although solutions will vary across institutions and from person to person, there are ways to address educator stress, while also helping learners develop new skills to excel. This article will discuss some of the most prevalent stressors before offering suggestions to combat them and in turn, empower learners to regain their academic foothold after several disruptive years.
Overworked and Under-Supported. Here’s Why Teachers Are Stressed Out.
More Responsibility and Fewer Resources
So much has changed in such a brief time, including how, when and where educators work. Successfully navigating such profound change requires support. Yet, many educators feel as though they’re being left to fend for themselves. With enrollment down, colleges and universities are struggling to cut costs without compromising quality and course offerings. As both budgets and staff dwindle, the teachers who remain are working longer and harder to fill the gaps.
Mental Health Among Students is Deteriorating
More than 60% of college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health condition. As campus wellness centers struggle to keep up with the surge in demand for services, many students are turning to teachers for guidance. But without formal training, most aren’t equipped to help, leaving both sides feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.
Pandemic Fallout
Growing numbers of students have fallen behind in reading comprehension and lack basic skills to engage meaningfully with academic texts and other materials. There are myriad reasons for this, with two of the most significant being the ubiquitous smartphone and the disruption caused by the pandemic. The effects of both extend beyond formal education.
Incivility in the classroom is on the rise. Ranging from subtle to overt behaviors, incivility could look like tardiness, inattentiveness, poor communication or cell phone usage, all the way to verbal and physical outbursts. Regardless of severity, the disruptive nature of each behavior makes it difficult for teachers to effectively engage learners.
4 Ways to Combat Educator Stress and Inspire Students
Although the picture we’ve painted is troubling, it’s not beyond repair. There are several ways to combat educator stress and reignite a love of learning within them and their students. Our top four suggestions are below.
1. Practice Compassionate Leadership
Many educators cite a more responsive, supportive culture as one way to address stress. For school leaders, this could look like:
- Listening to teachers: Whether it be about funding, scheduling or anything else that impacts educators, administrators who consult their staff on how to utilize resources and implement change demonstrate that they value teacher input. This can go a long way in creating a safer, more collaborative and respectful environment.
- Understanding the underlying causes of stress and offering suggestions to address them: Taking genuine interest in how your staff is feeling lets them know they’re not in it alone. Even better would be to help them take action to overcome challenges. For instance, administrators could encourage teachers to attend sessions like NHA’s upcoming webinar, “Civility in the Classroom: Strategies for Allied Health Educators,” where they can learn how to navigate difficult, and increasingly common, situations.
- Cultivating a culture of self-care: Encouraging teachers to set and maintain boundaries—and respecting them as an employer—is key to a better work-life balance. If possible, schools could also provide mental and physical wellness resources to help educators manage or even prevent workplace stress.
2. Perform an Academic Portfolio Audit
The feeling of being spread too thin is perhaps the greatest stressor of all for today’s educators. As teachers struggle with limited resources, colleges and universities are also wrestling with enrollment and funding downturns due largely to a growing preference for non-traditional career pathways and a changing job market.
With all that in mind, this is an ideal time for schools to consider their program offerings and whether it makes sense to change, merge or eliminate existing ones. Performing an academic portfolio review, like the one outlined in this step-by-step guide, can help leaders understand how to appeal to a changing market, meet new demand and maximize resources.
3. Develop an Externship Program
Experiential learning allows students to put theoretical knowledge to the test, think critically and gain incredible insights. Partnering with a local medical employer to develop an externship program allows schools both to supplement classroom learning with meaningful experiences and relieve some of the burden on teachers.
4. Leverage the Right Resources & Insights
The right technology can have an extraordinary impact on teacher wellness and student achievement. That’s because working with a partner like NHA that offers a robust suite of learning resources—complete with implementation guides, lesson plans and powerful analytics—can streamline administrative tasks and help educators take a more proactive approach with less effort.
Featuring real-world simulations, interactive activities, case studies, progress assessments and more, NHA’s content-rich, right-sized resources drive engagement and help students master a breadth of job-relevant skills. Equipped with tools like flashcards, audio glossaries, audio-assisted reading, visual aids and closed captioning, resources support various learning styles and help students address weaknesses (anything from reading comprehension to time management) more proactively.
By collaborating with a partner like NHA, schools can better support:
- Core learning in areas like anatomy and physiology and medical terminology by bringing these foundational subjects to life through multimedia content and simulations
- Competency-based skills proficiency by encouraging students to put their knowledge into practice by way of interactive, hands-on learning
- Professional skill development like communication, empathy and collaboration—all critical to team-based patient care and all becoming increasingly sought-after competencies by employers
Equipped with NHA’s Performance Analytics, educators who include these learning resources as part of their curriculum have access to powerful data insights that facilitate:
- Streamlined assessments and grading, saving teachers invaluable time and energy
- Actionable insights to easily identify learner strengths and weaknesses and develop targeted interventions
- Personalized learning to help bridge knowledge gaps and support individual interests
- Opportunity for continuous improvement with the ability to closely monitor individual and class progress
At a time when time and resources are so limited, these kinds of on-demand insights are truly game changing.
Building a Stress-Free Future: Choosing the Right Tools and Partnerships to Empower Teachers and Students
Effectively addressing teacher stress will take effort, but it will be more than worthwhile. Because it’s likely that whatever helps educators feel and perform better, will empower students to do the same.
By practicing compassionate leadership, assessing program offerings, engaging in strategic partnerships and leveraging resources like those offered by NHA, schools and universities can make meaningful headway in the battle to combat educator stress and help students overcome learning obstacles.
NHA is with you every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more about how we can work together to support educators and help the next generation of allied healthcare professionals succeed.
