Nursing Placements at Aston University
Explore our nursing placements opportunities
Aston Nursing Placement
Clinical experience is a key aspect of the BSc Nursing Studies programme, and our placements offer nursing students exposure to a wide variety of clinical settings essential to becoming a confident and capable nurse. Our partnerships with NHS trusts and hospitals support students to discover their field of interest in the nursing sector and supply them with the key skills to become registered nurses upon graduation.
Placement providers
- Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust (BCHT)
With BCHT, students can expect to join a warm welcome to an inclusive organisation, with a dedicated clinical education facility to support student development and a student forum where students can share experiences together. BCHT placements are unique in that students get to experience a place to work very different compared to the typical hospital setting, in which students gain first-hand experience of caring for and getting to know patients in a setting in their own homes and community.
BCHT provides all of the services for Health to people who live in the Birmingham region and includes five divisions:
Adult Community - Students will provide urgent care to adults in their own homes (outside of ambulance service) or community settings. Examples include supporting people struggling with exacerbations of long-term conditions or struggling with COPD. The ultimate goal is to keep these people out of the hospitals and safe, healthy, and comfortable in their homes. Adult specialist rehabilitation - Students will work in in-patient settings including Moseley Hall, West Heath, Care centres, or healthcare services in the HMP prison in Birmingham. Services are also delivered in the West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre, an exciting and active centre delivering services such as prosthesis fitting and rehabilitation. Children's Healthcare in Birmingham - Once babies are born, children are referred for assessment alongside their families. Our students will support children and families with any healthcare needs. Nursing students also will gain exposure to caring for children who are very poorly, including palliative care as well as a rapid response. Dental hospital - Placements won't experience placements in the dental field, however, students are invited to observe the 11 speciality areas of dentistry that take place in Dental hospitals across Birmingham. Healthcare services for people with learning disabilities in Birmingham - need explanation here of types of services.
- Royal Orthopaedic Hospital
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital specialises in patients with bone and musculoskeletal conditions. Most patients who attend the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital receive surgery, meaning you will have the opportunity for surgical placements including spinal surgery, oncology, joint replacements, and arthroscopic procedures.
You will also have the opportunity to work with the Royal Orthopaedic community service in patients' homes, attend placements in theatres, and work with specialist nurses.
You will be allocated a practice assessor who will support you during your placement, in addition to practice supervisors and other members of the interprofessional team.
- Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub
The Birmingham and Solihull Training Hub plays a key role in transforming and delivering the NHS primary care workforce. The team is dedicated to ensuring that patients receive quality care from competent and competently trained healthcare professionals. You will gain key experience working in an interdisciplinary team composed of a variety of healthcare professionals, which may include: GPs, physiotherapists, paramedics, pharmacists, healthcare support workers, and mental health workers.
In general practice placements, students will be involved in the care of a variety of patients from birth to the elderly, all with a variety of health needs. Students will gain exposure to all types of experiences, including
- Health promotion and education
- Immunisation for children and adults
- Administration of travel vaccinations
- Injection treatment regimes
- Patient consultation with GP and A&P
- COP and asthma diagnosis and management
- Blood pressure management AND ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
- Heart disease management
- Wound care clinics
- Diabetes diagnosis and management
- Baby clinics and postnatal checks
- Sexual health and signposting
- Women and Men's mental health support.
- University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust
UHB is one of the largest trusts in the United Kingdom and has the largest single-site critical care unit in Europe. The key priority of placements with UHB is to ingrain the fundamentals of patient care in your practise as a nurse - the actions that make a difference in the lives of patients through the care you deliver, whether that is spending time with the patient and making them feel better about themselves, relieving their pain, making them feel more comfortable, and protecting their privacy and dignity.
You will learn key skills of a nurse, such as medicines management, IVs, Intravenous Cannulation, Venepuncture, and more.
There are many excellent opportunities with UHB placements, including learner-led clinical learning environments. In this setting, students have the opportunity to lead care, where third-year students lead the ward with support from practice supervisors, and work closely with 2nd and 1st-year students. You will also be part of the nursing team participating fully in patient care and have the opportunity to work with Solihull Community Healthcare nursing colleagues.
Hear from some of our Nursing placement providers
FAQs
- Placement Allocation
You must complete 2300 hours of practice learning to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This is split over the 3-years of the programme, and you are expected to complete the required number of practice hours each year to progress into the next year of your programme.
Placements are scheduled at key points throughout the year to give you the opportunity to gain the proficiencies required by the NMC and to put the theory gained from university into practice. Placements are allocated to give you a range of experience across hospital and community settings and in a range of specialisms. This will help you to develop the skills and knowledge required to fulfil the role of a newly qualified nurse at the point of registration.
- Getting to placement locations
You are expected to get yourself to placement for the start of your shift, whether this is by public transport or personal vehicle. You may be able to claim travel expenses through the Learning Support Fund.
- What are shifts like?
You are expected to complete a range of shifts that reflect the shift pattern of a registered nurse. This includes day and evening shifts, long days, night shifts, weekends, and bank holidays. You complete a 37.5-hour working week whilst on placement that reflects the hours of the placement area. This allows you to experience the range of activities that a service offers and prepares you for the role of a registered nurse as well as giving you optimum opportunities to achieve your proficiencies.
- How will my performance be evaluated during my clinical placement?
You will be allocated a registered professional on each shift who will be your practice supervisor. You will also be allocated a practice assessor for each placement. The practice assessor will evaluate your performance on placement and will complete your assessment of proficiency at the end of the placement. There are a series of proficiencies to complete in clinical practice, and you will be supported to achieve these by the nurses and healthcare teams that you work with.
- Can I request a specific area of practice for my clinical placement?
It is not possible to have complete freedom to choose where you go on placement. There are many students to accommodate, and placement capacity is carefully planned to support all healthcare students at each organisation.
However, we work with students to support their interests and aspirations and we have a negotiated placement opportunity in year 2 of the programme where you will have the opportunity to choose where you go. This could be a placement in another country if you are interested in gaining experience in a different healthcare setting abroad.
- How can I address any concerns or issues during my placement?
You are supported on placement by the healthcare team, your practice supervisors, and your practice assessor. Many organisations also have an education team that supports you whilst on placement. In addition, the academic team at the university are always available for support and will maintain regular contact with you to address any concerns you may have.
- What should I wear during my clinical placement?
Organisations have strict uniform policies that you are made aware of on your induction. You are provided with an Aston uniform, which you are expected to wear whilst on placement. All organisations follow a strict bare below the elbows policy, which means no jewellery, false nails, or wrist watches. You are expected to present yourself professionally and adhere to uniform policy at all times on clinical placement.