BA (Hons) Health & Social Wellbeing course preparation
To help you feel prepared for your BA (Hons) Health & Social Wellbeing course, we’ve gathered together a range of activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now. Read on to find out more:
Suggested reading
You’ll be given detailed information about which textbooks to read for the programme modules, and introduced to the University Library, as well as the many eBooks we have for you to access, when you begin your studies in September. So we don’t recommend rushing out to buy texts before you arrive. But, in the meantime, if you can pick some up second hand, or access them online, we recommend reading the following:
The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World, Michael Marmot 2016 (Think about: what causes health and wellbeing?)
Dear NHS: 100 Stories to say Thank You, Adam Kay (Ed) et al 2020 (Think about: what does the NHS mean to me and my community?)
Useful websites to visit
The King’s Fund is an excellent, reliable research and think-tank resource on a wide range of health and wellbeing matters
The Health Foundation is also an excellent source of analysis, information and policy across health and social care issues
The Institute of Health Equity provides a good range of analysis on health inequalities and the wider determinants of health
The Health Foundationis an excellent source of information and policy analysis on health, wellbeing, and care
Things to do over summer
There are a range of ways that you can prepare for your degree over the summer months and anything which stimulates your thinking about health, social care, and wellbeing in the UK would be useful. Keeping up to date with current news in the health, social care and wellbeing arena is vital throughout your studies/professional life.
Reading
Reading is at the core of completing a degree programme, however, this does not mean exclusively academic reading. Creative literature, biographies, blogs, novels, etc. can also provide useful insights to supplement your academic reading.
Films and documentaries
Film and documentaries can also be a rich source of information, however, be critical in your viewing and always question the sources and alleged ‘facts’. The following links are really useful to watch in preparation for your studies:
Documentaries to listen to on the radio/audio are also very useful for example:Re-think health: Amol Rajan and guests including Professor Sir Michael Marmot discuss health inequalities in the UK, why they exist and how they might be reduced.
Volunteering
Volunteering is a valuable way, not only to achieve personal development, but also to build the transferable and specific skills sought by employers. The University values your contribution as a volunteer and through the Volunteer Award, Edge Hill Works seeks to reward your community involvement.
The award has been designed to allow you to log and reflect on the hours you spend volunteering. For further information on how you can achieve this award upon commencement of your course, please visit the Careers Centre web page.
Thinking about future careers
It may seem a long time to graduation, however, you have taken the first step to a successful career in health, wellbeing and social care roles. There are very many of these, around 1.5 million people work in the NHS and a similar number in social care roles. Throughout your degree at EHU we will encourage you to think about career roles and to develop an attractive portfolio of skills for future employers. We encourage you to access national resources to explore the wide range of careers available to our graduates, for example: