Mental wellbeing of allied health students in clinical training: a scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: Understanding the effect of clinical training to mental wellbeing of allied health professions (AHP) students and the contributory factors may help guide wellbeing initiatives developed by institutions and facilitate reflection from the clinical education community. This scoping review aimed to understand how AHP student mental wellbeing is affected by clinical training and map current recommendations to improve practice. Methods: Guided by the Arksey and O’Malley framework, a search was conducted in major databases and supplemented with snowball sampling and personal reference lists. Included papers discussed effects of workplace clinical training on mental wellbeing and focused on entry-level programs. Excluded articles focused on non-AHP health disciplines, years without clinical training, or post-registration programs only. Results: Thirteen studies were included from 1,026 records screened. The majority reported high levels of stress and adverse psychological consequences in AHP clinical students. These effects were influenced by interactions with supervisors, staff and patients, the dual workload as students and healthcare providers, the stage of transitioning from classroom to clinic, and the burden of training on personal conditions. Discussion: AHP students in the workplace experience adverse effects on wellbeing due to the workload, social environment, and other factors associated with training. Strategies to assist and empower students are needed. Educators and institutions should also be equipped to provide wellbeing support. Further research is needed to evaluate the effect of workplace factors on AHP students’ wellbeing over time, to assess effectiveness of interventions and explore positive effects on mental wellbeing, especially from low- and middle-income countries like the Philippines.