Преподаватели медсестер призывают уделять больше времени личным беседам с студентами для предотвращения кризисов

Nursing students do not always arrive at university as confident, independent learners. Nor do difficulties always announce themselves through poor grades or obvious disengagement. A student may be academically capable yet overwhelmed by financial pressures, family responsibilities, uncertainty about university expectations or the transition into higher education. “In my experience, the most productive conversations have not necessarily begun with an action plan” Victoria Smith If these difficulties are not recognised early, they can escalate into poor engagement, distress, attrition and, ultimately, concerns about professional development and patient safety. For nursing lecturers, identifying students in difficulty is therefore more than a pastoral responsibility. It is part of creating a culture in which learners can develop the confidence and competence expected of future registrants. Yet there is an uncomfortable contradiction: universities are being asked to provide more personalised support at precisely the time when financial pressures are making that support harder to deliver. Across the UK, universities are facing sustained financial challenges, with staffing reductions, recruitment freezes and course restructuring increasingly common. The consequence for nursing education is not simply fewer resources; it can mean less time. When academic staff are covering vacant posts, managing larger cohorts and absorbing additional responsibilities, protected time for meaningful conversations with individual students becomes increasingly difficult. This matters because supporting a student in difficulty cannot always be achieved through an e-mail, a signposted webpage or a 15-minute appointment. Students often need someone to listen before they are ready to identify what needs to change. In my experience, the most productive conversations have not necessarily begun with an action plan. They have begun with allowing a frustrated or distressed student to talk without feeling judged. This can reveal the issue beneath the presenting behaviour. A student who appears defensive may actually be struggling with academic expectations; one who is disengaged may be overwhelmed by competing responsibilities; another may be achieving highly while quietly considering leaving the course. This is where supportive frameworks such as motivational interviewing and Egan’s skilled helper model can be valuable. Both encourage the learner to explore their circumstances, recognise their own behaviours and develop solutions rather than simply being told what to do. I have found the structured nature of the skilled helper model particularly useful when developing my confidence as a lecturer. It provides a framework for exploring where the student is now, where they want to be and what might help them move forward. However, frameworks should not replace professional judgement. A distressed student may first need empathy and reassurance rather than challenge. Conversely, a student who repeatedly attributes difficulties to external factors may benefit from careful questioning about their own actions. The skill lies in knowing when to listen, when to challenge and when to signpost to specialist support. One student I supported initially blamed the university after failing an assessment. Allowing her to express her frustration without immediately defending the institution gradually changed the conversation. Through questioning, she recognised that she had relied on an assignment-support video but had not read the assessment brief, marking criteria or feedback. She subsequently developed a study schedule and became more engaged. The important intervention was not providing the answer; it was creating enough space for her to understand her own situation. Another student was performing well academically but felt overwhelmed by placement, employment and family responsibilities. She was considering leaving nursing despite wanting the career progression it offered. Exploring what leaving would mean helped her recognise how strongly she wanted to continue and prompted her to consider practical sources of support. Both experiences reinforce the importance of relationships. Students are more likely to disclose difficulties when lecturers appear approachable, interested and available. Small interactions before and after teaching can therefore be significant. Online meetings can also provide advantages, offering privacy and flexibility, although empathy can be harder to communicate through a screen. The challenge is that relationship-building requires time, and time is increasingly treated as a scarce resource. Financial efficiency cannot become synonymous with reducing human contact. In nursing, where students are preparing for a safety-critical profession, early intervention is an investment rather than an optional extra. Universities need to recognise that supporting learners in difficulty is not separate from educational quality. Lecturers need manageable workloads, opportunities to communicate with colleagues about emerging concerns and realistic time for individual student support. Technology, peer networks and accessible digital resources can complement this work, but they cannot replace a trusted conversation. My continuing development will, therefore, focus less on finding a perfect intervention and more on remaining curious about what sits behind a student’s behaviour. The goal is to create a learning environment where students feel able to speak before a difficulty becomes a crisis. That requires skilled lecturers, supportive systems and, above all, sufficient time to listen. Victoria Leanne Smith, lecturer of nursing at University of Stirling