Introduction

There is a facility to provide Counseling services to the needy students in various levels and has been considered as a best practice of our institution. The program has outweighing effect on various other programs and it has shown remarkable mental and physical comfort among students.

Title Of The Practice

WHEI (Ward Hortative Encyclopedic Initiative)

Objectives Of The Practice

• The prominence of this programme is to focus the holistic development of students by addressing their issues like academic and scholastic issues, psychosocial issues, physical and reproductive health issues.
• To foster the leadership skill and confidence among the students.
• To give an explicit and frequent evaluation of achievement.
• To motivate the students for their sustainable development.

The Context

Level 1:

Students of Al Shifa College of Nursing congregate from families with different cultural diversities and socioeconomic status. During their academic period students are facing so many challenges. These issues are overcome through WHEI by addressing their academic as well as personal problems. In order to mould each student a mentor is assigned for 10 to 15 mentees during each academic period. This mentor is aware of each mentees strength and weakness in their academic as well as personal life. Based on this, both mentor and mentee set goals to rectify their problems. The mentor conduct periodic meetings to evaluate each mentees progress. This helps all the students to upgrade their professional and personal life in a fruitful way.

An app named HEED & HEAL has started its functioning to facilitate the students for selecting their mentor and communicating their problems. The mentor will be selected through the app and no mentor can able to recognize the student unless the student/mentee wish to do so. The confidentiality and problem solving efficacy are the key elements of the app.

Level 2:

In some cases, the faculties can’t be the final word to manage the students and hence student will be referred to Students Supportive Guidance Program (SSGP). In our college two staff are trained for providing counseling services; Mrs. Najiya V K (Department of Mental Health Nursing) and Mr. Prasanth K (Department of Child Health Nursing). They attended a certified course in Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) on SSGP and counseling. In some cases these trained faculties can’t manage and hence the next level of reference will follow.

Level 3:

We have an agreement with Dr. Jishnu Narayanan, HOD of Department of Psychiatry cum Consultant Psychiatrist in our parent hospital KIMS Al Shifa Hospital, Perinthalmanna. As a tertiary level of care he will be looking into the problems and will be giving adequate care to our students.

The Practice

WHEI focus on communication skill development programme, interpersonal relationship, spiritual ideologies and interactive sessions on stress, positive living and self-esteem.

After admission a Personality assessment is done for each student during their orientation programme to identify their strengths and weaknesses. An online study skill inventory is used for the newcomers to identify the strengths and weaknesses in academics and it is resolved through mentoring. Apart from this, a series of lectures is conducted regarding gender, values, sexuality and reproductive health. A trained faculty is available in the campus itself who is appointed as Student Support and Guidance Program Nodal Officer.

A subject clinic is functioning to improve the academic standards and to raise the level of comprehension of slow learners by remedial classes and separate sessions for viva and unit tests. Repeated revision and unit tests were rendered for academic progress.

For career advancement of students, campus interviews and recruitments are regularly conducted in the college by our parent institution and by various esteemed institutions.

Evidence Of Success

The practice has helped in moulding the personality of the students through a holistic approach. It also made a platform to identify both academic and personal challenges and problems of students and provide them appropriate remedies to solve those problems.

Problems Encountered And Resources Required

Follow up response rate is less due to the anxiety while attending the counselling session which can be resolved by assuring more privacy and confidentiality. Time constraint and multitasking for the faculty members are the problems encountered during this practice.