One of the overarching issues affecting most students, unsurprisingly, is online learning. Although some are still attending labs, social distancing means that mingling with other students is near impossible. Asynchronous lectures seem to have been adopted in lieu of lives for many reasons e.g. poor Wi-Fi, time management, and crammed timetables. This means that although students can avoid breakout rooms, most of their studying is solo.
A recent piece in the PDA’s BAME Newsletter written by GP practice pharmacist and PDA Regional Committee Member, Nahim Khan highlights how many lecturers and students alike are missing face-to-face teaching. Despite the desire to continue learning in the safest way possible during the pandemic, the struggle to feel connected while working via Microsoft Teams seems pretty much universal.
Although in the same storm, most students are not in the same boat. Some have been looking after relatives that are shielding or living in busy households, some have dependents to care for alongside studying. Not only this but some students are alone, grieving, or otherwise struggling with their mental health. The different circumstances people find themselves in are immeasurable. These two issues, however, seem to be the most consistent.
The PDA recognises the importance of mental health services to pharmacy students. We donate £1 per member to Pharmacist Support, which has now surpassed £120k. We want to ensure all student pharmacists are aware of the free and confidential support which is available to them through the charity.
Learn more
Pharmacist Support is an independent charity which provides a wide variety of support services to pharmacists and pharmacy students. They have resources targeted specifically at supporting students.
Their Wardley Wellbeing Service has workshops, factsheets and webinars on managing wellbeing, stress, anxiety, and advice on how to practice skills like mindfulness, assertiveness and connecting with others.
Pharmacist Support also has a number of helplines and resources like financial assistance, listening friends (a confidential helpline for people seeking a place to talk about their issues & concerns), a specialist advice helpline, and an addiction support programme.
Contact details are available on their website.
Online communication is not the same
Virtual fatigue isn’t just being fed up with talking to lecturers, other students, and friends via video. It’s feeling exhausted because of the effort it takes to maintain conversations online and looking at a screen for hours, amongst other factors.
Most people already recognise this issue, but it is good to remember. Regardless of whether talking online is between two best friends via a zoom call or during an online seminar, it can be exhausting to talk online.
Pharmacy is an intense course and a cohort provides a support network of people who understand the stresses of an MPharm. The work hard, play hard motto seems to apply well to pharmacy students; downtime is key to ensuring students make the most of their learning.
In lieu of this support network or being able to sit in the same room as this support network, taking time to relax is even more important. Planning in downtime might seem bizarre to some, but if it means that pharmacy students take some time for themselves to relax and refresh, then it’s worth it.
Online Communication Tips
- Give your eyes a rest and take a screen break
- Stretch your legs and step outside if you can
- Turn off ‘self-view’. You wouldn’t normally be able to see your own face and it can add to the strangeness of video calling
- Switch to voice calls. Not every chat needs to be a zoom meeting
- As we come out of lockdown, students can enjoy more freedom
- The PDA have previously released advice to MPharm students on the importance of complying to government guidance.
Being anxious about virtual meetings is normal
This is something that has been brought up repeatedly in conversations with student members from all universities across the UK.
A quick “breakout room” search on Twitter pulls up embarrassing stories many students seem to be having, many are staring in silence at blank squares or talking and getting no response. Equally, if there isn’t a quiet place in a student’s house or they don’t have good Wi-Fi, having a camera on and participating in meetings is difficult.
Where people can, it’s helpful to see talking online as practice. A lot of students, and professionals, don’t like to deliver presentations face-to-face but do it because it is a useful skill to develop in healthcare, and practice makes perfect. Online communication will not always be the norm, but its use will increase even post-pandemic.
Apps like My GP have proved useful in the face of increased waiting times and the need for social distancing and video consultations are seen as a novel way of providing more flexible and accessible pharmaceutical care to a wider range of patients.
Practising verbal and non-verbal communication online may be incredibly valuable for pharmacy. It is the way people are learning, continuing professional development is expanding, and ultimately is considered a growth area for patient services within healthcare so if you are a student participating in online learning be sure to turn your camera on!
Tips for meeting virtually: treat it as a skill you’re learning, because it is!
- Practise with friends, family, or start with one on ones. Try sharing your screen or using the chat function
- PDA member events and meetings are safe spaces
- The PDA encourage members to have their screens on, but it can be helpful to start learning how to turn your camera and microphone on and off
- Prepare- check your camera, lighting and sound
- Add a background if you’d rather – a photo or choose from those available
- Find a quiet place if possible and tell those you’re living with about your call. Remember, everyone is holding meetings at home at the moment and understand that having total quiet at home is often not possible
- Use the chat function to participate or ask questions by typing in meeting where appropriate
- Some meetings will set rules like using the raise hand function and muting yourself when others are speaking. Remember to pay attention to these
- Prepare your questions in advance, particularly if you’re nervous about speaking
- Speak up where you can and develop your confidence
- Don’t be too hard on yourself- everyone has had to adapt and learn how to meet virtually successfully.
By Hannah Baker, PDA Student Recruitment Assistant
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Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, pre-regs and for the first three months of being provisionally registered/newly qualified.
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