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Practical advice
This section contains a range of practical advice for student nurses on placement - from dealing with disagreements to tackling bad practice.
Latest articles
Military project highlighted the psychological impact of war injuries
Throughout my nurse training I have been working part time with the Heart of England hub of the Mental Health Research Network.
Consistency brings quality
Many nursing students say placements are the best part of their pre-registration nursing programmes, yet the quality and consistency of learning in practice can be problematic.
Handover experience taught me the risks that lie in listening to gossip
At the start of a morning shift, I was present as a night nurse handed over details of a patient, Mr Smith, to the ward’s day staff.
Ask about spirituality even if it is out of your comfort zone
Why are nurses so reluctant to talk with patients about spirituality? Perhaps it is simply British reserve coming to the fore, says Kerry Stott
Be prepared for violent, racial and sexual verbal abuse
Terry Ferns and Liz Meerabeau find that nursing students experience racial and sexual verbal abuse .
Be proud of your student nurse status
Nursing student Helen Orme has decided that she is no longer 'just a student'; she is a nursing student and proud of it.
Boundaries between nurses and patients must be clearly defined
While on a critical care placement in a medical admissions unit, a 29-year-old with a history of heroin misuse was admitted following a paracetamol overdose.
Consistency brings quality
Many nursing students say placements are the best part of their pre-registration nursing programmes, yet the quality and consistency of learning in practice can be problematic.
Dealing with patient complaints as a student nurse
Disgruntled patients can be intimidating, but staff nurse Joanne Hardy has advice for nursing students on how to deal with their complaints .
Disagreements with colleagues
If you fall out with colleagues on a placement, there are ways to make things better, says autonomic liaison nurse Joanne Hardy .
Enjoy every placement, says third year student nurse
Every placement will feel new, but enjoy the variety, the experiences and most of all, being a student nurse because it will all be over sooner than you think, says third year nursing student Adele Lea.
Feeling excluded from the team as a student nurse on placement
While on a placement, nursing student Rebecca Parmenter learned how to deal with the exclusion and hostility from staff nurses on placement.
Getting off to a good start
The characteristics associated with being a good student are well documented, but in nursing and midwifery, where 50 per cent of the undergraduate course is spent in practice, it is essential that students demonstrate the same characteristics on placement as they do in the classroom (see box below).
Courses & Careers
This section offers practical and professional advice at every stage of your nursing career.
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