News & Events
Preparing our healthcare students to support individuals at risk of suicide
The National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) with funding from the Health Service Executive’s National Office for Suicide Prevention (HSE-NOSP) have spearheaded the development of a suicide prevention training module.
The module has been designed for undergraduate healthcare students, it's development receiving recent additional support from the UCC Centre for Integrated Research in Teaching and Learning SATLE fund.
The majority of those who die by suicide have had contact with a healthcare professional in the months prior to their death, yet the curricula of most health and social care courses in Ireland lack any sort of suicide prevention training.
Today, September 10th, is World Suicide Prevention Day and marks the launch of recruitment to an optional four-week pilot of this module for 1st- 4th year healthcare students at University College Cork (UCC) and University College Dublin (UCD).
UCC leading the way
Set to be piloted in October, this work represents a crucial step towards integrating suicide prevention training into the education of future healthcare professionals.
Professor Helen Whelton, Head of College of Medicine and Health says: “The College of Medicine and Health is hugely proud of this initiative, which aligns with Ireland's National Suicide Prevention Strategy, ‘Connecting for Life’ and contributes to the Higher Education Authority’s ‘National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework’. The University's support for the project is a testament to its commitment to producing healthcare professionals who are prepared to support individuals at risk of suicide.”
Module Overview
The module content is structured into four weekly two-hour in-person sessions, covering critical topics including risk and protective factors, effective communication skills and safety planning.
Professor Ella Arensman, Chief Scientist of the NSRF explains: “This module, developed by the NSRF has been informed by a comprehensive research process. This includes a scoping review of international literature, a national survey of health and social care academics, a World Café of key stakeholders, and focus groups of undergraduate healthcare students.”
An additional unique aspect of the pilot study is its interprofessional approach, designed to bring together students from various health and social care disciplines. “This is a unique and valuable opportunity for students to learn about and from each other on how they can collaborate in future practice to support people at risk of suicide, and their families”, said Dr. Aoife Fleming, Vice Dean of Interprofessional Learning, and Senior Lecturer at the School of Pharmacy in UCC.
Mr John Meehan, Assistant National Director, Mental Health Planning and Head of the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention says: “The HSE-NOSP warmly welcomes the pilot introduction of a new and innovative Suicide Prevention Module for undergraduate healthcare students in UCC and UCD. The HSE-NOSP sees this as an important enabler to realise the vision of an Ireland where fewer lives are lost to suicide.”
Pilot and Evaluation
The four-week module is being offered to UCC 1st - 4th year healthcare students from October 1st, with Tuesday or Wednesday evening sessions being delivered on campus from 5:30 – 7:30pm. The training will be evaluated through pre- and post-surveys, and follow-up interviews, to assess its effectiveness, accessibility, feasibility, and appropriateness.
Ethical approval has been granted, and all necessary support and safety protocols are in place, including from UCC Student Health and Wellbeing and UCC Student Counselling, in the event that any participants find the topic distressing. Participation in the module is voluntary, and students who complete the module will receive a certificate upon completion.
The findings from this pilot will inform future iterations of the module and the development of a train-the-trainer programme, ultimately making suicide prevention education available to all healthcare courses nationally.
Relevant staff at UCC are encouraged to support this initiative by promoting the module to their respective healthcare students.
For information on mental health supports and services closest to you freephone: 1800 111 888, visit: Mental health – HSE.ie or make contact with your GP. In an emergency, please call 999 or 112.
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For further information or specific queries, you can contact Dr. Michelle O’Driscoll at michelle.odriscoll@ucc.ie or Ms. Kerrie Gallagher at kgallagher@ucc.ie.