First responder to medical emergencies is not the most relaxing job, but paramedics¡¯ stress levels increase when they move into academia.

A review of research into occupational stress among Antipodean academics has identified ¡°transition from field of practice¡± as a major trigger. The study, by academics at Australia¡¯s Southern Cross University (SCU), highlights the ¡°culture shock¡± of moving into a ¡°looser, less structured¡± profession with multiple responsibilities.

¡°Any role transition can be psychologically stressful,¡± the researchers??in the?Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. ¡°Navigating the transition from the field of practice to academia requires staff to take on an academic identity¡­a process of simultaneously ¡®letting go¡¯ and learning new ways of thinking and being.¡±

The paper cites a 2019 study of Australian and New Zealand paramedics who made the jump from clinical practice into academia. ¡°[They] reported stresses related to lack of support and role uncertainty, lack of acceptance by their clinical peers and a lack of constructed academic identity. Balancing teaching, research and publishing led to significant stress and feelings of inadequacy.¡±

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A 2014 study of occupational therapists in 11 Australian universities found that many were ¡°weighing up¡± whether academia was a ¡°good fit¡±. Richard Lakeman, a co-author on the more recent paper, said that he had observed the same phenomenon among his colleagues who had been ¡°nursing directors and accomplished physios and psychologists¡±.

¡°You can be at the top of your game as a health professional, and then you¡¯re at the bottom of the ladder in the academic world. There¡¯s a lot of: ¡®Shall I? Shan¡¯t I? Is this really for me?¡¯ We¡¯ve had quite a lot of our local workforce go back into clinical practice, saying ¡®Forget it, enough of this.¡¯¡±

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Dr Lakeman said that salary was a factor, with professional clinicians sacrificing A$50,000 (?27,000) or more to work in academia. Clinicians accustomed to ¡°dealing with the person in front of you¡± also struggled with a less personal environment.

¡°I?was a group facilitator in a mental health unit,¡± he said. ¡°When I went into education, I thought I¡¯d facilitate groups of really keen students. It wasn't like that at all ¨C it was all about, ¡®What¡¯s the exam?¡¯ and ¡®You need to publish X number of papers.¡¯¡±

Lead author Megan Lee, an SCU doctoral candidate, said that academic workloads also presented a problem. ¡°A lot of early career researchers take on 100 per cent teaching roles just to get their foot in the door,¡± she said. ¡°Then they realise that to get promotion past lecturer position, you need to be actively researching and publishing.

¡°But you have to do that outside your 100 per cent teaching role. Where do you fit in research, teaching and family, plus quality of life?¡±

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The review identified workloads, casualisation and managerialism as major factors in academics¡¯ occupational stress. But the most surprising finding was the lack of research around other stressors ¨C particularly student evaluations.

Dr Lakeman said that while many colleagues reported being stressed by anonymous student feedback, the issue earned scant mentions in studies. ¡°A lot of the literature is quite old,¡± he said.

¡°Only a few pieces of work have been published in the last five years [but] technology has escalated. People can sit on their mobile phones and fill out evaluations. This goes hand-in-hand with the rise of social media ¨C this overvaluing of anonymous feedback.¡±

The research team aims to generate fresh data through a on?the impact of anonymous student feedback on teaching staff.?

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com