Clinical placements

As part of our nursing, midwifery and paramedic science courses, you’ll be required to complete clinical placements. These will allow you to develop your knowledge, skills and practice within healthcare settings, under the supervision of qualified practitioners.

Placement localities

Your placements may take place across Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire, and these are divided into localities. For the duration of your course, you’ll typically be allocated one placement locality.

Previous students have completed their placements in the NHS, with healthcare organisations and charities. These have been across several settings, including clinical assessment centres, GP surgeries, hospitals, and out in the wider community. The location of your placements will vary depending on your chosen course and field of practice, and you can view full details of these by visiting your relevant course page.

You may be placed at one of the following organisations:

On rare occasions, you may be allocated a placement further afield, outside of the localities.

How we allocate placements

We prioritise students on a number of factors, considering the following:

Students with dependants
Students living in their own homes (or that of a parent or legal guardian) at the start of the course
Students who choose to live in university accommodation.

All the above are subject to availability and as such, may change.

There may be opportunities to change your locality, but these are limited and are again dependent on capacity and availability.

We’ll provide you with further information about localities at the start of your course and during your local induction to your practice environments.

Travel and accommodation

You’ll be required to travel to your clinical placement locations and cover the upfront costs associated with this. However, you may be eligible to apply for reimbursement of these costs through the NHS Learning Support Fund. Depending on your course, you may find it easier to find privately rented accommodation near your placement locality. Understandably, accommodation availability varies between the different localities.

We’ll provide you with further information about accommodation options at the start of your course and during your local induction to your practice environments.

Working hours

Throughout your placements, you’ll work a variety of shifts, including nights, to ensure you get an accurate representation of working in a healthcare setting. Your shifts can start as early as 7am and end after 9pm but will likely be within this timeframe.

Salary

You won’t get paid for the work you do on your clinical placement as this forms part of your teaching and learning experience.

Support

While you’re out on placement, you’ll be supported by practitioners, who’ll have knowledge of your course and will guide your learning and development. During this time, you’ll continue to have contact with your personal tutor, either remotely or face-to-face, to see how you’re getting on, offering you additional support if needed. We’ll let you know who your tutor is before you start at your locality.

You’ll also work with a strong community of healthcare workers who’ll help you during your placement and share their experiences with you.