Dental students receive mandatory counselling
All dentistry students from the University of Alberta are now required to attend counselling sessions.
The new measures were introduced after a second-year dental student committed suicide and now the faculty want to ensure that stress doesn’t overwhelm any more youngsters.
Dr Verna Yiu, who started the project following the death in 2002, said that the stigma attached to counselling needs to be removed and added that students often don’t seek help until they are absolutely desperate.
As end of term exams kick in stress levels begin to heighten at universities across the country.
The University of Alberta is expanding its student support program again in 2009, employing more faculty advisers to support for medical and dental students. However, Dr Yiu believes that other faculties need to be taking similar steps.
The meetings between student and advisor last around 15 minutes and are scheduled four times a year and advisors keep records of personal, financial or emotional problems that might need to be followed up.
Dr Yiu said that it was remarkable what the students were going through and claimed that 27 out of 202 students required significant follow-up help.
Supporting Dr Yiu’s comments, Dr Laurie Mereu said that medical students are twice as likely to develop depression than the general public and added that these students are used to be being top of the class but find it is a different ball game when they are educated with their peers.
Dr Mereu said that working with patients in a busy hospital environment can also heighten stress levels in students.
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