Navigating challenges in a unique educational setting: social supports for hospital school teachers
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Social support, hospital schools, hospital school teachers, resilience
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Abstract
Hospital school teachers operate within a complex, multidisciplinary environment, supporting learners experiencing illness and medical treatment while providing individualised instruction response to learners’ diverse and often fluctuating needs. Such demands increase teachers’ vulnerablity to stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue, underscoring the importance of resilience-building strategies, including workplace social support. This study explores the nature of collegial support among hospital teachers in Ireland. Employing a narrative inquiry approach, data were collected from 16 hospital teachers across three Irish hospital schools. The findings identify three dimensions of social support: Reciprocity and sharing in community, Individual efforts, and Informational guidance. The hospital-based professional ‘community’ emerged as central to fostering reciprocal support, with both formal meetings and informal interactions facilitating the management of emotional and practical challenges. Teachers also reported employing self-regulatory strategies, including emotional masking, boundary setting, and compartmentalisation, to navigate role-related demands. However, perceptions of marginalisation beyond the hospital context, along with instances of disengagement among some hospital staff, raised concerns regarding the consistency and effectiveness of available support systems. Overall, the findings emphasise the need for structured, context-sensitive support systems, enhanced professional recognition, and targeted professional development to strengthen resilience among hospital teachers.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Deirdre Harvey, Maria Campbell
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