Presenter Email
MCVICKEA@erau.edu
Location
Mori Hosseini Student Union Events Center (Bldg #610) – Rooms 165 B/C
Start Date
3-4-2020 10:45 AM
End Date
3-4-2020 12:15 PM
Submission Type
Presentation
Keywords
Stress Management, Holistic Education
Abstract
We understand aviation professionals require excellent training to optimally perform and execute highly specialized skillsets, intellectually, physically, and psychologically. Within the aviation industry, individuals are trained to operate, maintain, and manage, multi-million-dollar assets, yet are lacking the basic knowledge and fundamentals of their own body, including the stress response. According to a 2019 stress ranking survey, pilots rank 3rd for highest stress professions while transportation industry workers ranked 8th. Historically, aviation professionals have been left to address symptoms of stress to their own accord, impacting personal health and organizational safety. However, with the collaborative influence of health education, transportation safety, and medical research, the experiences related to stress and effective stress management can be positively supported and integrated into the educational process. By empowering students to effectively learn from, understand, and make effective choices around managing their response to stressors, they will be able to make choices in support of personal health and well-being directly influencing and enhancing skillsets, productivity, and job performance. In efforts to reduce educational stress and to better equip our future leaders in aviation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has embedded an aviation stress management course into the Air Traffic Management Curriculum, with anticipation to eventually integrate stress management education across campus programs. We believe a holistic approach to aviation education, including stress management education will have a positive impact on our next generation aviation industry professionals.
Presenter Biography
Amy McVickers is an adjunct professor within the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ, teaching Aviation Stress Management. She is a physical health and exercise science educator and practicing physical therapist. As an educator and physical therapist with over 24 years of experience, her recent concentration has focused on educating professionals, special populations, and collegiate students in understanding experiences of stress and how it influences personal and professional performance while developing strategies to promote resiliency.
Amy’s educational studies include a master’s in education with an emphasis on teaching diverse learning styles. Enhancing her degrees in health sciences and physical therapy, she holds teaching certifications in holistic health and stress management, including therapeutic yoga, imagery, deep relaxation, breathing, and meditative practices. Her academic teaching incorporates her understanding of human anatomy and physiology, ergonomics, disease prevention, and health and wellness to support performance in demanding industries and work environments.
Courses taught at the undergraduate level include Aviation Stress Management and UNIV 101: College Success.
Included in
Health and Physical Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons
Aviation Stress Management: A Holistic Approach to Aviation Education and Training
Mori Hosseini Student Union Events Center (Bldg #610) – Rooms 165 B/C
We understand aviation professionals require excellent training to optimally perform and execute highly specialized skillsets, intellectually, physically, and psychologically. Within the aviation industry, individuals are trained to operate, maintain, and manage, multi-million-dollar assets, yet are lacking the basic knowledge and fundamentals of their own body, including the stress response. According to a 2019 stress ranking survey, pilots rank 3rd for highest stress professions while transportation industry workers ranked 8th. Historically, aviation professionals have been left to address symptoms of stress to their own accord, impacting personal health and organizational safety. However, with the collaborative influence of health education, transportation safety, and medical research, the experiences related to stress and effective stress management can be positively supported and integrated into the educational process. By empowering students to effectively learn from, understand, and make effective choices around managing their response to stressors, they will be able to make choices in support of personal health and well-being directly influencing and enhancing skillsets, productivity, and job performance. In efforts to reduce educational stress and to better equip our future leaders in aviation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has embedded an aviation stress management course into the Air Traffic Management Curriculum, with anticipation to eventually integrate stress management education across campus programs. We believe a holistic approach to aviation education, including stress management education will have a positive impact on our next generation aviation industry professionals.
Comments
Presented during Concurrent Session 10A: Air Traffic Management