Evaluation of suicide awareness programmes delivered to veterinary undergraduates and academic staff.
In an effort to increase suicide awareness skills among veterinary undergraduates, a three-hour suicide awareness workshop (safeTALK) was delivered to third-year Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies undergraduates as part of their professional development curriculum. Students were able to opt out of the session by contacting the course organisers. A total of 26 of 151 (17 per cent) third-year students attended the workshop, and 17 completed a feedback questionnaire. The vast majority of the students reported that after completing the workshop they were more likely or much more likely to recognise the signs of a person at risk of suicide, approach a person at risk of suicide, ask a person about suicide, and connect a person at risk of suicide with help. Five veterinary academics attended a two-day Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) course, and all reported that the course was effective in improving suicide awareness and intervention skills.
Veterinary Teaching Organisation/Division of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal Dick School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG. richard.mellanby@ed.ac.uk
R J
RJ
Mellanby
N P H
NP
Hudson
R
R
Allister
C E
CE
Bell
R W
RW
Else
D A
DA
Gunn-Moore
C
C
Byrne
S
S
Straiton
S M
SM
Rhind
D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000193:education; D003479:Curriculum; D004520:Education, Veterinary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012582:Schools, Veterinary; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018634:Veterinarians / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014730:Veterinary Medicine; D055815:Young Adult; D000092864:Suicide Prevention