The “Silent Firefighters”: an examination and evaluation of peer support sessions for medical laboratory professionals in Canada

Abstract

Purpose The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) Peer Support Project was a formal and virtual peer support group pilot for medical laboratory professionals in Canada to determine its application for CSMLS members and obtain information regarding the current state of medical laboratory professionals’ mental health, well-being and burnout. CSMLS learned what is contributing to stress at work, coping strategies and barriers to accessing support or help for their mental health among medical laboratory professionals. Design/methodology/approach The qualitative and exploratory pilot study examined medical laboratory professionals from Canada. Two peer support groups were facilitated in April and May 2022 by a trained mental health clinician. Peer support delivery was virtual and delivered via Zoom. The purposive sample featured medical laboratory technologists, Educators and Supervisors/Directors who were CSMLS members. The qualitative analysis was conducted via analytical memos and incorporated both manual and NVivo software analysis. Findings Overall themes were identified within the data analysis and included barriers to mental health care; increased stigma for mental health; mixed messaging regarding mental health; feeling invisible; medical laboratory professionals would like to manage stress better but their increasing workload demands and challenges with scheduling and staffing add to their stress. Participants also highlighted their role and its context using metaphors such as “the silent firefighters”, and “the Bass Guitar of the Hospital”. Based on the evaluations, the peer support sessions encouraged participants to address their own mental health, validate their experiences and increase their comfort level in discussing mental health. Social implications It identified a potential resource for medical laboratory professionals and determined that further mental health resources would be beneficial for their field. It also identified their strong commitment to patient care and their role as a medical laboratory professional. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine peer support as a mental health resource for medical laboratory professionals. Additionally, its focus was on a Canadian population with virtual delivery.