Preparing for Nursing and Midwifery Placements: Mandatory Requirements and Expectations, Schemes and Mind Maps of Nursing

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Student placement

information guide

Department of Nursing and Midwifery

BSc(Hons) Adult Nursing

Contents

• Contents....................................................................................................................
• About this document
• What is a placement?................................................................................................
• Preparing for Placement: Expectations and Professional Conduct
• Induction
• Mandatory requirements before starting placement
• Working With Your Mentor
• Tips for a Successful Placement
• Before starting the placement
• When on placement
• Placement Documentation
• Absence for Military Reservist Duties........................................................................
• Access Plans for Students with Disabilities and Reasonable Adjustments
• Accommodation for Placements
• Adoption Support Leave............................................................................................
• Adverse Weather (Snow/Flood)
• Annual Leave Policy..................................................................................................
• ARC
• Authorised Absence
• Bank Holidays
• Basic Life Support/Intermediate Life Support
• Car Parking
• Carers Leave
• Compassionate Leave
• Disability Services
• Students with a Disability
• Disclosure Barring Service (DBS)
• Disclosure of Criminal or Pending Criminal Convictions
• How to complete the declaration
• Dyslexia
• Elective Placements
• Erasmus Opportunities............................................................................................
• European Union Requirements
• European Union Working Time Directive
• “missed assessment application” Extenuating Circumstances – now known as
• Fitness to Practice
• Flu Vaccinations
• Good Health/Good Character Annual Declaration
• Good health and good character - what do we mean?
• Grading in Practice..................................................................................................
• Health and Safety
• Accident Reporting in Practice
• Lone Working
• Lone Working – Vehicle Insurance
• Needle-Stick Injuries
• Information Points
• Interviews for Employment
• Invasive Procedures................................................................................................
• Jury Service
• Latex Allergy
• Legislative Requirements
• Learner Support Fund
• Manual Handling
• Maternity and Maternity Support Leave
• Meal Breaks
• myUWE Student Portal
• NMC Progression Points (2010) (12 week rule)
• Noroviruses
• Numeracy................................................................................................................
• Occupational Health Service
• Paid Employment Outside of the Nursing or Midwifery Programme
• Partner leave/Maternity Support Leave (formally paternity leave)
• Patient/Carer Feedback Forms
• Placement Allocations
• Placement Charter
• Practice Absence Report Line
• Practice Academic Teams
• Practice Hours
• Practice Support Line
• Practice Support Net
• Pregnant Students
• Professional Communication
• Professional Practice Office (PPO)
• Professional Suitability and Professional Conduct Policy........................................
• Raising and Escalating Concerns
• Raising and Reporting Concerns that a Nurse or Midwife is not Fit to Practise
• Reasonable Adjustments
• Retrieval of Practice
• Self-directed Study Days during Practice Placements
• Shift Patterns
• Sickness and Absence Reporting
• Sickness or Absence – what to do
• Sickness or Absence of fewer than 6 days
• Sickness or Absence of 6 days or more
• Making Up Practice Hours at the End of the Programme
• Social Networking
• Stress
• Student Advisors
• Student Ambassadors
• Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Adoption and Partner Leave
• Supernumerary Status in Clinical Placement
• Supervision of Learning Days (SoLD)
• Time Keeping
• Timesheets
• Travel Claims
• Uniforms and Dress Code
• University Health Centre
• Vaccinations............................................................................................................
• Wellbeing Service

About this document

This document is designed to help support you whilst on placement. The aims of the document are to:

• Answer any placement related questions you may have
• Identify where you can access sources of support It is set out in alphabetical order with information for each topic and is designed to be read online for hyperlinks to the appropriate published information.

Programme Management Team Contacts

Glenside Campus Progamme Lead Debbie Cross Year Leads Debbie.Cross@uwe.ac.uk Nicola Mason Year 3 Lead Nicola2.Mason@uwe.ac.uk Sue Clompus Year 2 Lead Susan.Clompus@uwe.ac.uk Gloucester Campus Programme Leader Richard Stock Richard.Stock@uwe.ac.uk

What is a placement?

A placement is where a healthcare student applies theoretical learning to practice and develops practical skills and professional competence to enable them to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Learning Outcomes for registration. All placements have been audited to ensure that they meet your learning needs.

Preparing for Placement: Expectations and Professional

Conduct

These are the essential requirements in order to safeguard patients and service users, professional colleagues and you.

Induction

All nursing and midwifery students must attend a mandatory Trust or organisation led specific induction before going into clinical practice in Year 1. Failure to attend will result in you not being allowed to start placement. Trust inductions include essential information relating to health and safety, personal safety, IT access, local Trust policies (for example, administering medication) and dress code. You may have to attend further Trust inductions throughout your placement or if you are placed in another NHS Trust or organisation.

• Know The Code: The Code professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives.
• Contact the placement in advance to discuss the type of placement, working hours, off-duty, dress code, car parking, etc.
• Research and arrange/organise your travelling arrangements, childcare etc.

When on placement

• Be friendly, enthusiastic and professional in your manner
• Meet with your mentor as soon as possible to discuss your learning needs and the clinical staff expectations
• Be willing to participate in care and help your colleagues
• Ask for help when you need it. Always admit when you don’t know something
• Be punctual and adhere to the area’s dress code, policies & procedures
• Get to know the patients/clients, staff and personnel allied to the placement area
• Take advantage of any learning opportunities internal and external to the placement area
• Find out what learning opportunities are available to you outside the placement area and take advantage of them with your mentor’s agreement
• Reflection is a valuable learning tool, so take the opportunity to reflect on your experiences with peers; with your mentor; and by keeping a reflective diary
• Get to know the common conditions with which patients/clients present
• Ask appropriate questions
• Read the placement area’s student literature
• Discuss any concerns with the staff as and when they arise
• When it’s quiet, or if you are unsure whether there is anything you can do to help, ask the staff what you can do or talk to patients or clients and develop your communication skills
• Placement staff may choose to let you go home early. If they do, please be appreciative and don’t assume you will to do this every shift. Beware asking to leave early as it may appear to the staff that you are not interested in learning and are not committed to your course.
• Contact the Practice Support Line on 0117 32 81152 as soon as possible if you are having problems.

Placement Documentation

Read your placement documentation (OAR) before starting the placement so that you understand what is expected of you. The documentation states the learning outcomes and level you need to achieve whilst on placement. It is your responsibility to complete the main parts of the document, including any self- assessment. Please note, failure to complete all parts of the documents as required may lead to you being referred in the module. This could prevent progression from year 1 to year 2, and from year 2 to year 3, and delay qualification as a registered nurse.

Mentors may find it a challenge to prioritise YOUR documentation against their other commitments in practice, therefore, it is a good idea to have your assessment document with you at all times when on placement so that you can complete items as the opportunity arises. However, beware leaving it at the placement as there is a risk it may be lost. Submission dates for your documents are set around exam boards and are final. Please ensure that you and your mentor are aware of your submission deadlines as per your module handbook. Failure to submit your paperwork within 24 hour window will be considered a non – submission. If you are having problems completing your documents and your mentor is unable to help, then contact the Practice Support Line as soon as possible.

Absence for Military Reservist Duties

See Sickness and Absence Reporting.

Academics in Practice (AiP’s)

See Practice Academic Teams

Access Plans for Students with Disabilities and Reasonable

Adjustments

An Access Plan is an informal meeting, designed to give the student an opportunity to discuss their needs around placements and any support or reasonable adjustments that could be put in place including access to the placement, parking and travel, the working day including shifts and nights/weekend work. It may also cover equipment and documentation and anything else that is relevant to their learning experience on placement. Following the meeting, a short report will be written by the Disability Advisor, which will be circulated to everyone present at the meeting. It is then the responsibility of the student to show this report to the appropriate staff members whilst on placement in order for any support and adjustments to be put in place. If you feel that you may benefit from having an access plan, please contact your Academic Personal Tutor (APT) in the first instance.

Accommodation for Placements

Students are able to arrange accommodation for placements if they are unable to travel to placement on a daily basis; however this will incur additional costs. Please contact the Student Advisors via the Information Points for further advice.

Basic Life Support/Intermediate Life

Support

All students undertake basic life support (BLS) training each year. Each year, students need to complete the adult BLS MCQs online before you attend the session and bring the result print out with you with a pass mark of 75%. In addition, first year students must also complete and bring the Pediatric BLS MCQ with a pass mark of 75%. All third year students undertake aspects of intermediate life support (ILS) training as part of their life support (LS) session. You need to complete two MCQs online (Adult BLS & Automated External Defibrillation) before you attend the session and bring the result print out for both with you. The pass mark is 75%.

Car Parking

Car parking whilst on placement is limited or non-existent at most Trusts. It is therefore advisable for students to find out before starting their placement if there are any facilities for student car parking. On-site parking at UWE Bristol is available at Glenside and Frenchay campuses by purchasing and displaying the relevant parking permit. For Gloucester Campus students, the nearest parking facilities is at Gloucester Quays.

Carers Leave

See Sickness and Absence Reporting.

Compassionate Leave

See Sickness and Absence Reporting.

Disability Services

The http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/disabilityservice/disabilitysupport/typesofsup port.aspx offers a wide range of support for students who have a disability or long term health condition. They offer a wide range of support services including assisted technologies, assessment and support for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, and support with reasonable adjustments for placements via an access plan.

Students with a Disability

You will have been asked to declare any disability on your occupational health form on admission. If you have a disability which may affect your placement, discuss your concerns initially with your Academic Personal Tutor in order that they can offer the appropriate support and arrange an access planning meeting in liaison with the Programme Management Team.

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS)

All nursing and midwifery programmes require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to starting the programme and you will not be allowed into practice until you have DBS clearance. You must send your certificate to Admissions as per the joining instructions as we no longer receive a copy. All students with a police conviction or caution on their DBS certificate will be seen by the programme leader in order to decide whether they are eligible to remain on the programme. If you have a concern about your DBS certificate, please contact the programme management team. Please also see the UWE Student Conduct Policy http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/studentconductpolicy.aspx

Disclosure of Criminal or Pending Criminal Convictions

Nursing and midwifery are self-regulating professions. A significant aspect of self-regulation is knowing what is right or what is important. All nurses and midwives are required to abide by the NMC rules and standards which include the code. It is therefore essential for you as a student to disclose any criminal or pending criminal convictions you may have. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) does not apply and all convictions, including those which are spent, must be disclosed. Student nurses must undergo a DBS check and will be required to complete a disclosure application form. All information will be treated in confidence. If you receive a criminal conviction during the period of your nurse training, it is a requirement of both the University and the NMC that it is declared. In the first instance, this should be reported to your Academic Personal Tutor and programme leader or year tutor. How to complete the declaration Students have to self-declare that they are of good health and good character prior to starting Years 2 & 3 by logging into ARC and completing the declaration. In Year 1, students have to have DBS clearance prior to starting NP1. At the end of year 3, all students are required to complete a declaration of good health and good character to be eligible to register with the NMC. Students who do not complete the Good Health/Good Character declaration within the allotted time frame will have the following sanctions applied:

1) Prevented from attending practice until this is completed 2)

Seen under the Professional Suitability Policy 3)

Registration delay at the end of year 3.

Students who do complete the Good Health/Good Character declaration but are subsequently found to have either misrepresented their situation or not informed the Programme Leader of any changes will be dealt with under the Professional Suitability Policy.

European Union Requirements

In Adult Nursing, students are required to fulfil the NMC guidance (Annex 1) in the Standards for pre-registration nursing education (2010); EU Directive 2005/36/EC. Students are required to have clinical instruction in relation to:

• General and specialist medicine
• General and specialist surgery
• Child care and paediatrics
• Maternity care
• Mental health and psychiatry
• Care of the older person
• Home nursing Content is delivered in both the practice and theory modules for all requirements. In addition, you will complete learning activities for child in Year 1, mental health in Year 2 and maternity in Year 3.

European Union Working Time Directive

European Union Working Time Directives mean that no-one should work more than 48 hours in one week. Ideally, students should not work more than 42 hours whilst at UWE Bristol to ensure that you are fully rested and able to maximise your learning whilst on placement. The maximum hours to be worked over a 4 week period are 192 hours. Under the same legislation, students are entitled to two days off a week but these need not be consecutive. You must also have an 11 hour rest period within a 24 hour period, e.g. you cannot do a night shift followed by a late shift if both fall within the same 24 hour period. This would also mean, it is not acceptable to do a night shift and then attend lectures the next day in University.

Extenuating Circumstances – now known as “missed

assessment application”

If you experience something major that affects your ability to sit an exam, complete placement or submit a piece of coursework, you may be eligible to submit a “missed assessment application”. Please see the revised academic guidelines. In the first instance, please contact the Information Point.

Fitness to Practice

The NMC state that all students must be fit to practice. See below regarding Good Health and Good Character.

Flu Vaccinations

You may be eligible to have a flu vaccination whilst on placement. Staff involved in direct patient care including students should be advised to enquire about vaccination when in a

placement where the seasonal flu vaccine is offered to staff. Visit here for more information. Please see Vaccinations section below for information on general Vaccinations.

Good Health/Good Character Annual Declaration

Good health and good character are fundamental to fitness to practise as a nurse or midwife. All nursing and midwifery students are expected to work towards being able to apply the code at the point of registration and should be guided by The Code: professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives. An important determinant of good character is the individual’s commitment to, and compliance with, The Code. The rules relating to good health and good character require nurses and midwives to selfdeclare their fitness for entry to the register, on renewal of registration and readmission to the register. Additionally, a supporting declaration from a third party is required on application for first entry to a part of the NMC register. For students, this is provided by the Head of Department at the University of the West of England.

Good health and good character - what do we mean?

Good health is necessary to undertake practice as a nurse or midwife. Good health means that you must be capable of safe and effective practice without supervision and are able to make good quality decisions about peoples’ care. It does not mean the absence of any disability or health condition. Many disabled people and those with health conditions are able to practise with or without adjustments to support their practice. If you are a nurse or midwife in poor health, it means that you are affected by a physical or mental health condition that impairs your ability to practise without supervision. Good character is important and is central to the NMC code in that nurses and midwives must be honest and trustworthy. Your good character is based on your conduct, behaviour and attitude. It also takes account of any convictions, cautions and pending charges that are likely to be incompatible with professional registration. Your character must be sufficiently good for you to be capable of safe and effective practice without supervision.

Grading in Practice

All Year 2 & 3 students will be graded in practice if they have passed the placement. Formative grading occurs in Year 2 with summative grading in the final Year 3 practice placement.

Health and Safety

Accident Reporting in Practice If you have an accident in practice, you must follow the Trust’s local Accident or Incident policy. You should also ensure that the accident/incident is reported to the University by using the UWE Bristol online accident report form

. You may wish to contact the Academic in Practice to support you with this.

• Ensure the patient agrees to receive care from a student without direct supervision from a registered nurse or other healthcare professional
• That the tasks undertaken are within the scope of practice and competence and follow guidelines set by the University, and NMC. If you are not sure please contact the Practice Support Line or your APT for guidance. Check the decision making framework in your OAR and, if applicable, the field specific skills framework found in your OAR
• Uniform - to check what dress code is expected for particular experiences (see Uniform Policy)
• Mobile phone use by students during community placement cannot be reimbursed by the university
• Personal Security - If you’re able to visit a patient or client on your own you must tell your mentor or community team who you are visiting, how long you expect to be and expected return time; someone must be aware of your whereabouts on placement. Please follow the placements guidance on this as you may be expected to check in after every visit Lone Working – Vehicle Insurance Students who choose to use their own car or motorbike whilst allocated for community experience must ensure that they have arranged business cover through their Motor Insurance Company. Students are responsible for ensuring they hold a current valid driving licence, their vehicle is taxed, has a current MOT certificate, and they have appropriate insurance with business cover or are covered by the organisations insurance. You cannot make claims for wear and tear of the car, including tyre wear and tear. If you cannot evidence Business Cover for your motor vehicle, the indirectly supervised learning opportunity must not take place. Needle-Stick Injuries If you sustain a needle-stick injury, you must follow the Trust’s local Needle-stick Injury policy which will include attending Occupational Health as soon as possible. You must also ensure that the incident is reported to the University by using the UWE Bristol online accident report form You may wish to contact the Practice Support Line to get support from your Practice Academic Team.

Information Points

Information Points are located near reception at both Glenside and Gloucester campuses and can support students with many issues. including academic university regulations and procedures, advice about fees, university regulations and providing replacement student ID cards and uniforms.

Interviews for Employment

Students are entitled to the equivalent of one day in Year 3 to attend and prepare for job interviews which can be counted as practice hours. You should have these recorded on your timesheets (if during placement) and signed for by your mentor or APT once appropriate evidence (such as a letter or email inviting you to interview) has been seen. Open days/recruitment events Attendance at these are NOT counted as practice hours and should be undertaken during a day off.

Invasive Procedures

You may have the opportunity to either visit or complete a placement within Operating Departments. It is imperative that your health and safety is maintained whilst you are in this clinical area. Staff who work in operating departments have enhanced health clearance before they undertake procedures known as "exposure prone procedures". Exposure prone procedures means when you might insert a hand into a wound. Student Nurses do not have this health clearance. Student Nurses can ‘scrub’ to handle instruments and observe more closely, but cannot participate in any procedures in which they might be inserting their hands into a wound. Please ensure that you adhere to this guidance for your own protection.

Jury Service

Students need to contact the programme management team to discuss this further, to explore the impact on their studies and to develop a plan of action.

Latex Allergy

Healthcare workers who frequently use latex gloves are at risk for developing latex allergy. It can also cause irritant contact dermatitis. This causes dry, itchy, irritated areas on the skin, most often on the hands. It can be caused by the irritation of using gloves, or it can also be caused by exposure to other workplace products. Frequent hand washing, incomplete drying, exposure to hand sanitizers, and the talc-like powder coatings (zinc oxide, etc.) used with gloves can aggravate symptoms. If you have or suspect that you have a latex allergy, you should contact your APT or programme management team. It may also be advisable for you to seek advice from your GP.

Legislative Requirements

The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (the order) required the NMC to establish and maintain a register and, in doing so, to prescribe the requirements to be met as to the evidence of good health and good character in order to satisfy the Registrar that an applicant is capable of safe and effective practice as a nurse or midwife. The requirements for registration are specific (please see NMC website for further information).

NMC Progression Points (2010) (12 week rule)

The NMC (2018) has set minimum requirements that must be met by the first and second progression points for pre-qualifying nursing and midwifery education, which states that all outcomes within a progression point period must be achieved and confirmed within 12 weeks of entering the next part of the programme. Progression points occur at the end of Level 1 (Year One) and at the end of Level 2 (Year Two). This applies to all theory and practice modules. Non achievement by the end of the 12-week placement will require you to intermit (step off), from the programme until you have passed.

Noroviruses

Noroviruses are transmitted directly from person to person and indirectly via contaminated water and food. They are extremely contagious. If your placement area has a norovirus outbreak, please ensure that you adhere to the local Trust policy. It may be advisable for you to contact the Practice Support Line for Practice Academic Team support.

Numeracy

All students are required to undertake a timetabled online in-class numeracy test in each academic year as part of your practice module. Students are able to practice the test via the Mandatory Training Blackboard site. ExpressoMaths drop in support is available at both Frenchay and Glenside campuses: Study skills at UWE Every student gets four attempts each year. Failure to pass by the end of each year will mean you cannot pass practice. Your profile will be discussed at the Award Board to consider whether further attempts will be offered.

Occupational Health Service

The University has a contract with the Avon Partnership NHS Occupational Health Service for assessment, advice and guidance in relation to fitness to come onto a nursing programme, fitness to return to the programme and practice placements following a time out, and other health related matters. Please note that all back injuries must be assessed by OH prior to returning to placement. If you sustain a back injury, please inform the programme leader as soon as possible so that they can refer to you to Occupational Health and make a plan to support you. You may be asked to contact the service directly for telephone advice before a referral is made for you. All students should declare all health conditions before you start on the programme so that a judgement can be made whether you are fit to undertake the programme. If you do not declare a known health condition which compromises your ability to be on the programme, this may be considered under the UWE Bristol Professional Suitability and Professional Conduct Policy.

Paid Employment Outside of the Nursing or Midwifery

Programme

All pre-registration nursing and midwifery courses are regarded as full-time courses. You have a professional responsibility to ensure that you are fit to attend your practice learning opportunity and/or University and to ensure the safety of those under your care as well as for your own health and well-being. You should adhere to the European Working Time Directive. (see page 13). Paid shifts must not be substituted for placement or theoretical learning.

Partner leave/Maternity Support Leave (formally paternity

leave)

See Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Adoption and Partner Leave.

Patient/Carer Feedback Forms

Pre-registration student nurses are expected to obtain feedback from patients and carers regarding their care delivery using the Patient and Carers Feedback Form. The aim of obtaining feedback from patients and carers is to support evidence of learning for the Ongoing Achievement Record (OAR) which in turn will help the mentor’s assessment process. It is at the mentor’s discretion as to which patient or carer is considered appropriate; please follow your mentor’s advice here.

Placement Allocations

Placements are allocated through the Professional Practice Office and each placement must meet the NMC requirements of the programme. If you have a personal reason to not be allocated to a particular placement area or specialty (for example, family member is a service user or works in that area), then you can do so through negotiation with the programme team. You must be prepared to travel to the placement allocation within the university’s geographical locations/placement circuits, based on your offer at admission. Because of the complexity of placements and the need to ensure transparency, tracking and equity, students are not allowed to contact and/or organise their own placements.

Placement Charter

The practice education of nursing and midwifery students is a partnership between students, university staff and placement areas. The Nursing and Midwifery Placement Charter outlines the expectations and responsibilities of all those involved. The charter’s underlying principles are that all individuals will be treated with courtesy and respect and be treated as a valued member of the wider inter-professional team.

Practice Absence Report Line

If you are absent from placement, you must report it to the Practice Absence Report Line and your placement as soon as possible on your first day of absence. On contacting your placement, please make sure you:

• Speak to your mentor or other registered nurse