Supporting the pastoral needs of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students: a phenomenological exploration of the educator's experience

Background: Educators routinely support students with complex pastoral needs in higher education. Yet, the diversification of the student population, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current cost of living crisis mean students are more likely to need pastoral support than ever before. Concurrently, educators are experiencing heightened workload pressures and productivity demands. Despite this, educator experiences of providing pastoral support are scarcely explored within existing research. Aim: To explore how educators make sense of their experiences of supporting the pastoral needs of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students in the United Kingdom. Method: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was the methodological approach adopted; an interpretative endeavour attending to the detailed examination of lived experience. A small, homogenous, and purposively selected sample of eight diagnostic radiography educators were recruited. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews conducted over Microsoft Teams. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed as detailed by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009). Findings: Three superordinate themes were developed: “Disorientation and Distress”, “Connectedness” and “Acceptance and Coping”. The educators’ experiences were characterised by periods of disorientation and distress, during which they felt unprepared, overwhelmed and uncertain, interspersed with periods of connectedness, having nurtured meaningful pastoral relationships. The educators attempted to construct and enforce boundaries to manage uncertainty and relied upon supportive interpersonal relationships in the workplace. They made meaning of their approach as one informed by roles and experiences outside of their educator role. Conclusion: Educators experience role ambiguity, exacerbated by dual identities (radiographer and educator). In managing complex pastoral needs, they perform emotion management, leading to recommendations for educator support, including peer supervision. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the experiences of educators, identifying opportunities to enhance pedagogic practice, offering the potential to improve the educator, student and ultimately, service user experience in diagnostic imaging.