Surviving Your Placement in Health and Social Care: A Student Handbook

"This book provides a comprehensive account of the issues concerning students' placements. It is well structured and represents great value."
Social Policy and Social Work (SWAP)

"This attractive workbook provides a wealth of tools and ‘top tips’ for students of health and social care struggling to survive the demands of 21st century practice placements. The authors artfully distil their knowledge, experience and expertise in placement learning in order to accompany the student on their journey from novice to qualified professional."
Stephanie Hobson, Head of Practice Education, Oxford Brookes University

"The book is an interesting read which I will recommend to other student nurses with particular emphasis that it does focus upon reader engagement through the handy-tips, reflective elements, quizzes, etc all to enable us health care students to experience positive placements to enhance practice."
Carla Whittaker, Nursing Student, Chester University, UK

"I found the text to be set at a good level for new students of nursing, allied health and social care especially for the early placements in their programme of study. In an easy and engaging style the book offer a range of useful tools to helps students make the most and get the best from their placement experiences. I would be happy to recommend this to students on a range of courses."
George Bell, Northumbria University, UK

"This well written book is easy to understand and covers everything you would want to know about the practice experience from how to deal with emotional situations to having clinical assessments, from personality clashes to failing your placement. Every possible worry is addressed with positive conclusions. It places much emphasis on reflection, supervision and time management which are essential to student nurses’ future practice. The interactive approach is user friendly and helps the student develop their skills from junior to experienced practitioner."
Lynda Luke, Sexual Health Nurse, Glasgow, UK

As students in health and social care professions, you will spend up to half of your time out on placement. This accessible and practical book is designed to help you make the most of this invaluable learning experience and is suitable for use in all areas of practice, whether you are training to be a nurse, midwife, occupational therapist, social worker or physiotherapist.

In student friendly language it covers all the main areas of placement learning, including:

• Developing a learning contract
• Reflective practice
• Using supervision
• Managing time
• Evidence-based practice
• Capturing your learning in a personal and professional portfolio
• Failing placements

This book of highly practical chapters provides reflection exercises, questions, tests, ideas and tools to use on your placement, case studies to read and practical tips throughout to help you achieve your best on placement, in whatever area of practice you are in.

Surviving Your Placement in Health and Social Care is key reading for all health and social care students, including nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and radiographers amongst other.

Margaret Spencer worked with people with learning disabilities for eight years before starting work at Sheffield Hallam University in1992. She has been involved in the expansion of practice placements and their assessment for fifteen years and was part of the development of the unique joint accreditation course for placement educators between Derby University and Sheffield Hallam University Occupational Therapy programmes. Joan Healey worked as an occupational therapist with older people for 11 years before joining Sheffield Hallam University in 1997. In the area of placement learning her role has included developing new and non-traditional placements and leading a work-based learning occupational therapy programme.