Previous
studies have posited that students studying in medical-related fields are
particularly susceptible to high levels of academic stress with implication
for both psychological and physical health. This study set in the environment
of a newly established public university in Ghana, seeks to evaluate the levels
and component stress among students offering nursing and midwifery in the
top-up module in the University of Health and Allied Science, Ho. In
descriptive study using a modified version of the pre-validated
College Undergraduate Stress Scale, 315 second and third year Midwifery 82 (26.03%),
Nursing 155 (49.21%) and Public Health Nursing 78 (24.76%) students obtaining
bachelors degree in top-up module were surveyed for this study. Among the total study population, 109 (34.60%)
experienced high stress level, 106 (33.65%) experienced moderate stress level
and 100 (31.75%) experienced less stress level. Stress levels were higher among
the female participants. Participants with children under 13 years and female
participants with breastfeeding babies showed higher levels of stress. A majority of students in the sandwich top-up bachelor
degree programme experience moderate to high stress mostly due to curriculum
overload. Therefore, innovative means should be sought to lessen the level of
stress among this category of students. For example, pre-recorded video lectures could be incorporated
into the module to lessen the overload in school work.
Cite this paper
Yankey, F. W. , Dankwah, D. A. , Adu-Aboagye, L. , Asempah, A. , Prempeh, E. B. A. , Forkuo, S. and Doe, G. A. (2017). Stress among Nursing and Midwifery Students Offering a Top-Up Module in the University of Health and Allied Health Sciences, Ho. Open Access Library Journal, 4, e3318. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1103318.
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