How do different communities of pharmacy students in the United Kingdom approach study and personal support?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2022.221.584594Keywords:
Academic support, BAME, Ethnicity, Help-seeking, M.Pharm., Race, Sense of belonging, Well-beingAbstract
Objectives: This study aimed to discover how a diverse pharmacy student population in the United Kingdom engages with academic and non-academic support, and what might prevent them from doing so.
Methods: Pharmacy students (in all years of study) completed an online survey seeking information on: demographics; confidence in studying; and where/how students seek academic and personal support. The survey outcomes were statistically analysed to compare differences between Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and white students.
Results: When seeking help from academic staff, 38.8% of BAME students felt they were negatively perceived. All students are significantly more likely to seek help for academic issues than for personal and well-being ones, with most students preferring to ask family and friends rather than university support mechanisms.
Conclusion: The results strongly indicate that support mechanisms present within universities to help students are seldom utilised and may explain the reduced academic performance of both white and BAME students.
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