Mental health of students in higher education

Medical and other healthcarestudents with mental disorderMedical and other healthcare students are prone to the same risks andproblems as other students. There are a number of reasons why thesestudents are of particular interest to health services. One is that they arethe NHS professionals of the future and the NHS naturally has an interest inensuring that its workforce is able to practise safely and competently.There is a further concern that arises from the fact that thesestudents come into contact with vulnerable patients. The existence of amental disorder may lead to risk to patients, both now and, even more so,when the student graduates and enters his or her chosen profession. TheGMC document Medical Students: Professional Behaviour and Fitness toPractise (General Medical Council, 2009a) provides detailed information onwhat is expected of medical students. It sets out criteria that should raiseconcern about fitness to practise, describes how medical schools should tryto detect such problems at an early stage and how they should deal withstudents who are thought to represent significant risks to patient safety.For nursing and midwifery students the equivalent document is Guidanceon Conduct for Nursing and Midwifery Students (Nursing and MidwiferyCouncil, 2009).Medical and other healthcare students are expected not only toachieve factual knowledge and technical competence, but to develop anddemonstrate conduct that is responsible and informed by the highest ethicalprinciples. This assigns responsibilities to healthcare students which donot apply to other students. Those who are responsible for the educationof healthcare professionals are required to ensure that students not onlyacquire the requisite knowledge and skills but also that their conduct meetsacceptable standards. This process of assurance may involve assessment ofpsychiatric well-being.Medical students are expected to be aware that their own poor healthmay put patients and colleagues at risk. They are expected to seek medicalor occupational health advice, or both, if there is a concern about theirhealth. They should also be aware that they may not be able accurately toassess their own health and be willing to be referred for treatment, and toengage in any recommended treatment programmes if advised to do so. Itis expected that they will be registered with a GP.Although patient safety is generally seen as the paramount concern,the rights of the student as set out in disability discrimination legislationmust also be considered. It is important also to be aware that fear ofbeing suspended or excluded from the course may deter a student whoexperiences problems from seeking help. This could lead to a significantand perhaps remediable problem being undetected and untreated, bringing64 http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk