Student placements

Before you begin your placement

Before starting placement, you will be emailed with any relevant information. Please read these emails carefully to ensure you complete all necessary tasks prior to your placement commencing. We will also ask you to complete a “Starting placement” questionnaire. This requests the information we require to set you up with IT access, the Trust systems and also so we can give you information on training/requirements specific to you and your placement.

During the first week of your placement

You will be expected to book an appointment with us here in Student Support so we can provide you with a Smartcard. Please ring our office on 01225 432157 to arrange an appointment. If you don’t already have a Smartcard you will be required to bring:

• 2 forms of photographic evidence – valid passport & driving licence (full or provisional) &
• 1 proof of address – bank statement or utility bill dated within the last 3 months

OR

• 2 proof of address – bank statement & utility bill dated within the last 3 months &
• 1 form of photographic evidence – valid passport or driving licence (full or provisional)

Please note: Smartcards distributed from other Trusts can still be used. Please inform us of this when you call. 

Student Access Badge

If you require an access badge to grant you access to the wards/areas please can you ensure that you bring your photo ID and a £5 deposit to the Student Support office. The deposit MUST be cash of the correct amount because we don’t have change – no deposit means no access badge.

Access badges MUST be returned at the end of your placement block, we will now be asking all students loaning the badges to sign a disclaimer to say that if access badges are not returned at the end of each placement block or within 1 month (28 days) they will be de-activated and your £5 will be used to replace the card.

Support during your placement

On placement there are a number of people who can support you. You should have a named professional, a mentor/educator/supervisor who will be responsible for directing your learning, helping you meet your objectives and signing your documentation. It is important that this person is in date with their professional updates and training, otherwise your assessment may be invalid.

There will also be a professional with responsibility for student learning within the area you are working in. Wards and departments will have Educational Lead for nursing students whilst the allied health professions will have a Clinical Educator (or equivalent) who coordinates student activity.

Your Link Lecturer should be your first port of call if you have any issues or difficulties on placement so it is important that you are familiar with who that person is for your area.  For some professions your Personal Tutor or Academic Advisor will undertake this role.

The Student Support team are here to help you if there are any issues whilst on placement so please do not hesitate to contact us at any time and we will do our best to assist you.

Your responsibilities whilst on placement

Whilst on placement we expect you to adhere to the trusts values and behaviours as outlined in your induction. If you are sick or will be absent for any other reason, it is your responsibility to inform both University and the placement area prior to the start of your shift. You must also update both parties daily about your status and expected return. Failure to comply with your universities policy for sickness absence on placement may affect your ability to achieve professional behaviours competencies.

Working hours are dependant on your profession and the area in which you are working. There are strict guidelines about how many hours you can work issued by your Universities and the trust and you must adhere to them. Please do not ask to work long shifts if the placement area does not work them. Some areas may not allow students to work long shifts even if their staff do due to the nature of the area. It is difficult to sustain learning for a prolonged period of time in a busy acute area.

It is important that you introduce yourself to patients and that they understand that you are a student and give their consent for you to be involved in their care prior to undertaking any treatment. You are expected to wear your university identity badge at all times.

If you have any concerns about patient care and safety (or if you are worried about the support you are receiving) whilst on placement, there is a clear escalation policy issued by Universities.

Raise your concerns with the placement manager and Link Lecturer straight away, and document your concerns with dates and times and names of those involved.

Please ensure you are familiar with your universities policy and procedure relating to the escalation of concerns in clinical practice. If you are required to provide a statement in relation to an incident, you must involve the University immediately so they can provide you with support.

The only exception to this rule is if you are asked to provide information to the police. You should still inform the university as soon as possible but should not refuse to make a statement in the absence of their involvement.

After you have finished your placement

After you have completed your placement at Barnsley Hospital, we ask you to return to PARE and fill in an evaluation for the placement(s) you have completed.

Evaluations are an extremely important tool for us to continually improve they way we work and what we provide for healthcare students who undertake clinical placements with us.

Without your feedback we have no idea what we are doing well and what we could do better.

Student evaluations can also be used as evidence for the professionals who have supported you to demonstrate competence in the educational aspects of their roles.