scholarly journals Students experiences of peer-support during a Master’s thesis process

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Pirjo Kaakinen ◽  
Marjo Suhonen ◽  
Sonja Lutovac ◽  
Raimo Kaasila

Working as an expert in health care requires peer-support skills. The aim of the study is to describe students’ (n = 8) experiences of peer-support from other students during their Master’s thesis process. This study was a qualitative and the data (n = 29) was collected from the students through a number of repeated open questions during one year. The data were analysed by a qualitative content analysis. The results show that students both received and gave individual and mental peer-support during their Master’s thesis process. The results also show that students need to be active in peer-support group such as to share ideas, to discuss openly and to read peers thesis. The peer-support helped the students to formulate research plan and think more critically based on others students’ feedback. Peer-support received in a group can help increase opportunities for learning working life skills for Master’s thesis students, but further research is needed. More widely in health care, it is important to be aware of the existence of peer-support and discuss how it can be promoted.

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-92
Author(s):  
Gunilla Eklund ◽  
Jessica Aspfors ◽  
Sven-Erik Hansén

This study aims to investigate teachers’ experiences regarding their master’s theses directly after finishing teacher education and after one year in the profession. Previous research exposes the field as problematising the relationship between teachers’ independent scientific work and their professional qualification. Healey’s (2005) model, characterising four distinctions between research and teaching, provides a frame for analysing the theoretical concepts used in the present study. In this empirical study, 18 teachers were interviewed twice, immediately after completion of teacher education and after one year in the profession. The qualitative content analysis results in three themes characterising the teachers’ experiences with their master’s theses, focusing on their learning experiences and their relation to the teaching profession. These themes are subject knowledge, research-related knowledge and self-knowledge. The results show that the master’s thesis can be perceived as a tool for developing teachers’ knowledge, yet there is a need to facilitate the integration of their knowledge into their daily work and its relevance for the school community.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269
Author(s):  
Ina Otte ◽  
Anna Werning ◽  
Alexa Nossek ◽  
Jochen Vollmann ◽  
Georg Juckel ◽  
...  

Background: Being aware of the challenges that may occur during the implementation of peer support work in psychiatry is important to facilitate the integration of peer support workers (PSWs) into multidisciplinary mental health-care teams. Aim: The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges faced by PSWs during their integration into hospital-based mental health-care teams. Methods: Qualitative content analysis of nine open-ended, semi-structured interviews with PSWs is undertaken in five adult psychiatric hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Results: The analysis of the data revealed three themes: (1) ‘Pioneers and the pressure to succeed’; (2) ‘a colleague, a rival or yet another patient?’ and (3) ‘sharing of information, boundaries and professionalism’. All three themes relate to several concrete challenges on different systemic levels and have the potential to impede the PSWs’ integration process. Conclusion: Specific implementation strategies which address potential barriers on the different systemic levels should be developed and applied prior to the start of the integration of PSWs into multidisciplinary mental health-care teams.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Kelly ◽  
Shelley Doucet ◽  
Alison Luke ◽  
Rima Azar ◽  
William Montelpare

BACKGROUND Individuals with health care needs and their caregivers require substantial informational and emotional support. Providing this support is a major challenge for care providers, who are often not able to adequately address barriers and may not be aware of available services and programs. Online P2P support offers an accessible and inexpensive source of support; however, the breadth of these supports on social media has not been previously documented. OBJECTIVE This study was a scoping review of research examining the use of peer-to-peer support on social media by individuals with health care needs and their caregivers. METHODS This review used the PRISMA-SR method to search for articles from 1997 to 2019. RESULTS A total of 94 articles were included. Patients and caregivers use many social media websites for P2P interaction, including: Facebook (n = 19), Twitter (n = 7), and YouTube (n = 6). Providing and receiving informational and emotional support were important uses of social media for P2P support; however, the specific needs and experiences of patients and caregivers appeared to change as knowledge regarding the condition(s) improved. Despite the many benefits associated with participating in online P2P groups, concerns related to ethics, privacy, and the potential to spread misinformation are outlined as risks associated with its use. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that patients and caregivers engage in P2P support on social media to receive informational and emotional support from peers, despite known risks and limitations. Social networking websites were revealed to be particularly suited for P2P support communication.


2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 124-133
Author(s):  
Soo-Jeong Lee ◽  
Laura Stock ◽  
Victoria Michalchuk ◽  
Kelsie Adesoye ◽  
Kathleen Mullen

Background: Musculoskeletal injuries from patient handling are significant problems among health care workers. In California, legislation requiring hospitals to implement safe patient handling (SPH) programs was enacted in 2011. This qualitative study explored workers’ experiences and perceptions about the law, their hospital’s SPH policies and programs, patient handling practices, and work environment. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with 21 participants (19 nurses and 2 patient handling specialists) recruited from 12 hospitals located in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis. Results: Multiple themes emerged from diverse experiences and perceptions. Positive perceptions included empowerment to advocate for safety, increased awareness of SPH policies and programs, increased provision of patient handling equipment and training, increased lift use, and improvement in safety culture. Perceived concerns included continuing barriers to safe practices and lift use such as difficulty securing assistance, limited availability of lift teams, understaffing, limited nursing employee input in the safety committee, blaming of individuals for injury, increased workload, and continuing injury concerns. Participants indicated the need for effective training, sufficient staffing, and management support for injured workers. Conclusions/Application to Practice: This study identified improvements in hospitals’ SPH programs and practices since the passage of California’s SPH law, as well as continuing challenges and barriers to safe practices and injury prevention. The findings provide useful information to understanding the positive impacts of the SPH law but also notes the potential limitations of this legislation in the view of health care workers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232098783
Author(s):  
Stacey Power ◽  
Keelin O’Donoghue ◽  
Sarah Meaney

Ireland has had a reliance on voluntary groups to provide peer-to-peer bereavement support. The aim of this study was to explore volunteers’, within these voluntary groups, experiences of supporting parents following a fatal fetal anomaly diagnosis. Purposive sampling was used to recruit volunteers ( n = 17) and face-to-face interviews undertaken. NVivo12 was utilized to assist in the thematic analysis of the data. Five themes; “motivation for altruistic acts,” “being challenged,” “value of education and training,” “supporting volunteers to support others,” and “it is not a sprint, it is a marathon” were identified. Volunteers felt comfortable in their peer-support role but found the lack of knowledge regarding newly implemented termination of pregnancy (TOP) services challenging. The importance of education/training was identified, emphasizing the need for collaboration with health care professionals and other voluntary organizations for support. The findings illustrate the need for collaborative working between health care professionals and volunteers to assist them in supporting bereaved parents.


Author(s):  
Tahnee L Bridson ◽  
Kym Jenkins ◽  
Kieran G Allen ◽  
Brett M McDermott

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Stimac Grbic ◽  
I Pavic Simetin ◽  
A Istvanovic

Abstract Issue Care for people with severe mental disorders requires approach that is focused on a person's strengths, not his weaknesses, and is a shift from a deficit model that is often associated with mental illness. Care users and their family members play an important role in this approach. Description of the Problem Mental disorders are the leading group of diseases in Croatia, according to the number of days of hospital treatment. The number of hospitalizations is high, and the rate of hospitalization for depression has tripled in the last twenty years. Such indicators highlight the need for reorientation of mental health care, from hospital-based to community-based, by organizing mobile community intervention teams. Results In Croatia, psychosocial peer teams were established by the NGO Ludruga, financed by local government, to provide peer support to persons with mental disorders. The main activities are: development of a personal recovery plan, home visits and providing psychological support to persons with mental disorders, organizing support groups and education of peer workers. The teams consist of a peer worker, social worker, psychologist, and operate under the supervision of a psychiatrist. The teams have been operating for five years, have had over a hundred users so far and are a significant help to the healthcare system in preventing rehospitalizations. Lessons The goal of therapeutic interventions in mental health care should be recovery. Recovery involves empowering a person to take responsibility for themselves and their health. Peer workers play an important role in the recovery process, providing hope for recovery. Their role must also be recognized by the health system. Key messages People with mental disorders and their families should be co-creators of care and recovery-oriented interventions. Only by comprehensive interventions, tackling all determinants of health, therapeutic goal can be achieved.


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