Practice placements
Practice placements are an integral part of the Bachelor of Nursing with Honours programme.
Fifty percent of the learning and teaching occurs within the practice setting, often providing the students with some of their most memorable and invaluable experiences.
Placement outline
Year 1
- Community nursing (includes care of the adult, health visiting, district nursing, maternity care, children, older people, mental health and learning disabilities)
- Medical ward
Year 2
- Mental health (community based)
- Long term conditions community placement
Year 3
- Honours placement
- Care of older people (acute assessment, rehabilitation, continuing care, dementia care)
- Clinical Elective
Year 4
- Honours placement
- Management placement (choice of placement by student, can be hospital or community based)
Placement settings
Placements are all within Lothian and the Borders and occur in the National Health Service (NHS), independent and voluntary sectors.
Edinburgh prides itself in having centres of excellence in many areas of patient care such as cancer care, cardiac surgery, transplantation, burns and plastic surgery, and a nurse led minor injuries unit.
Hospitals
Some of the hospitals include:
Community care
Some of the Community settings include:
- Primary care – surgeries, medical centres and health centres in the five Community Health Partnerships in Edinburgh, Mid, East and West Lothian.
- Mental health care in the community including placements such as the Cowgate Centre for homeless people.
- Nursing homes for older people, hospice care and community treatment centres.
The location and quality of the placements are closely monitored to ensure the students gain optimal learning and experience the 24 hours a day, seven days a week nature of nursing and health care.
Students work and learn alongside experienced nurses who act as mentors, passing on their established skills and assessing the students progress and levels of achievement towards registration.