What to expect on your health placement as a student

Practice learning experiences offer the chance to gain real-world experience in your chosen profession. Your placement will enable you to develop the skills, knowledge, and expertise that you need to become a part of the future health and social care workforce. 

What's more, each placement will give you the chance to meet the learning objectives that are specific to your course.

What will be expected of me?

• Be punctual.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Act in a professional manner.
• Adhere to dress/uniform code.
• Show a positive attitude.
• Demonstrate initiative.
• Work within scope of practice.
• Be aware of limitations.
• Be interested and motivated to learn from practitioners.

How do I get the most out of my placement?

Practice placements are a great way to gain valuable experience. It's vital that you make the most of it. Here are our top tips:

• Maintain a reflective journal.
• Be prepared.
• Be open-minded.
• Ask questions.
• Ask for feedback.
• Take advantage of every learning opportunity.
• Introduce yourself to everybody.
• Look after yourself.
• Don’t be afraid to challenge.
• Take time to reflect.

How will the University support me?

Before you start your placement, we provide a placement preparation session, give you a placement handbook, and provide relevant mandatory training. You'll also be assigned a named academic who will support you whilst on placement to ensure you're fully supported throughout. 

How will practice staff support me?

You'll work alongside staff in your placement. Here, you'll have:

• an introduction to the organisation and placement area
• help to identify clear aims and objectives
• an allocated assessor/educator/supervisor
• regular constructive feedback
• meetings to review progress and discuss future development
• opportunities to work within an interprofessional team
• support, supervision and will be given guidance.

Placement locations

The University works in partnership with major healthcare providers across Kent and Medway. The location of your placements can be up to 90 minutes from your term-time address, and you'll need to be available to work irregular shift patterns, which will include weekends and nights.

We work with major healthcare providers across the Kent and Medway region and not all healthcare is provided by the NHS. You may also experience placements with private, voluntary, and independent health and social care providers, giving you a breadth of pracitcal experience.