Bouncing Forward: Mental Wealth for All

[Extract]
What is wellbeing and why is it important? The WHO definition reads “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

There is currently a significant and increasing amount of interest worldwide in how we can best support our learners and faculty, including health professional educators, to maintain and nurture their wellbeing, in challenging circumstances. Does your institution currently assess wellbeing, through an annual survey, focus groups or involvement in strategic discussions? There is also a focus on strengthening an individual’s ability to overcome adversity, manage stress, and thrive in their personal and professional life and in embedding wellbeing into academic and clinical organisational curricula, plans, policies, and practices.

We should be putting people at the heart of what we do! “An individual’s well‐being impacts on their capacity to learn and perform competently. Learner well‐being and supporting their acquisition of skills in self‐care for lifelong practice is therefore core business for educators”