Travel Arrangement
Sort out your travel arrangements.
If you’re confident on how to get to your placement, without getting lost, it’s one less thing to worry about and will help make your first day more comfortable for you.
If you have time, why not take a test-trip to your placement the day before you start? “Nothing can prepare you to be less nervous. However, ensuring you give yourself plenty of time to reach your placement destination/area and know how to get there if placed far away from home address, an hour or more; this will not make you less nervous but more in control of your emotions and feelings and give you time to try and focus”
“Always find out about parking facilities including permits well in advance so you don’t end up paying full price.”
“Buses will be the end of you but it’s easier and cheaper than driving. Try and walk to placement if you can it helps with the sleeping.“
How do you know what to expect?
“It’s to be expected to be nervous about entering a new environment for the first time, so don’t worry too much.”
“Going into your placement with an open mind is the best way to learn.”
“Your practice assessor will be an extremely important contact for you during your placement and can be the ‘make or break’ for your placement experience. So it’s understandable that many students are concerned about their mentor. Meeting your mentor prior to your placement (where possible) can help alleviate this concern.”
“I met with my practice assessor 2 weeks beforehand. Finding out how lovely she was really reassured me!”
“It’s also good to know that most practice supervisors and assessors will have supported many other students before you, so they have a good understanding of what you will be going through. “The mentors really do have your best interest at heart and are understanding that you may not be comfortable in all situations.”
Worried about… Not knowing enough or making mistakes?
You’re not alone.
1/4 of students said this was their biggest concern about starting their first placement; this is why you are on placement—to learn, so enjoy your learning.
“Practice do not expect you to know everything/anything on your first placement”.
“All that you need to be able to do is work hard and listen.”
“Ask lots of questions – it won’t make you look like you don’t know anything when you feel like you should – it shows that you are interested”
“Admit mistakes, understand the rationale to why something may have been a mistake, accept it and learn from it.”
“Keep a good stash of pens on your person. Have a new notebook for each placement to put information to research or look up later.”
Worried about…fitting into your new team, or being a burden to them?
That’s normal too; 20% of students have this same worry .
Here are some of your do’s and don’ts about fitting in to your new team:
DO:
- Explain what you are confident at doing, and what you are nervous about.
- Ask questions but respect when people are busy.
- Be yourself
- Use active listening skills and smile
DON’T
- Get involved in conflicts between other members of staff
- Shy away from nitty gritty jobs— get involved!
- Get defensive when you receive constructive feedback—you’re there to learn
- Use your mobile phone (unless on break). It looks like you aren’t interested.
Time management is key
The concept of 12 hour shifts, night shifts, whilst staying away from home in a new environment WHILST studying, can be overwhelming!
Don’t panic. Take everything one step at a time, and before you know it, you’ll get into the swing of balancing shift work, uni work, and you time!
Keep a note of the skills you are achieving each day. This will make evidencing your practice easier at the end point assessment.
“Use your time wisely. Hospital libraries are really useful when trying to do a module assignment away from Uni. Always try to remain positive and talk to other students, your practice supervisors or assessor or your tutor if you have concerns.”
“Try and set aside a day off a week to do uni work, it makes it easier than leaving it to the last minute”
“Try to hit the ground running, aim to get something accomplished on your portfolio and signed every day; that way you will not have to worry about it in the last week and panic.”
Look after yourself
“Make sure you are getting enough to eat, drink and enough sleep. It may seem like you don’t have enough hours in the day, but without looking after yourself, everything will become more difficult.”
“Ensure you can prepare yourself something to eat, such as a ready meal or having a fridge to place some milk in to have breakfast. It is really important that you eat as well as you can on placement, you need all the energy you can get, if you do not eat properly you become very fatigued and cannot perform well”.
“Drink water not coffee on night shifts as you will struggle to sleep in the day”.
“Comfy shoes are a must. Keep deodorant in your bag. Keep hydrated, have a plastic water bottle with your name in the office, have a gulp every time you walk past. “
“Comfy shoes is a must, your feet will ache by the end of your shift if you are on your feet all the time.”
FINALLY
“Believe in yourself. You are capable otherwise you wouldn’t have made it onto the course”