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Practice Experience Allocation Changes – Policy Guidance for Nursing Students

Introduction 

The allocation of practice placements is challenging due to the changing nature of service provision and the aim to provide a range of quality practice experience for all students across several programmes. This is influenced by factors external to the University and the need to meet curricula requirements of programmes. The process below sets out how requests for reallocations of placements are managed across Nursing and Midwifery programmes within the Department of Health Sciences. 

Background information 

In order to manage the process of placement allocation it is important that we hold information about each student, which may have a bearing on the planning of their placement allocation. Ensuring the accuracy of this information will allow for better planning and fewer changes being required to planned allocations close to the commencement of the placement; for example ensuring your semester time address information is up to date.

What are ‘exceptional circumstances’? 

Exceptional circumstances are unforeseeable and unavoidable factors that will affect your ability to attend your allocated placement. These circumstances will be beyond the routine challenges of everyday life and will not include factors which are within your control, or which you might reasonably be able to avoid. As a student on placement, you are required to undertake a rounded experience in placements located across a wide geographical area. Your placement location will vary across our placement circuit, so you must anticipate and prepare for a variable journey time over the course of your practice learning. A placement change request is treated as a highly exceptional occurrence and will only be permitted in cases where you have clearly evidenced exceptional circumstances and where there is capacity within the placement circuit.

The Panel will not normally accept the following as acceptable exceptional circumstances for a change to placement allocation: 

  • Ongoing arrangements for routine childcare 
  • An interest (or lack thereof) in a specific client group or prior experience with the client group 
  • Individual preferences 
  • Concerns over public transport, travel or shift time 
  • Changes to shared travel arrangements 
  • Moving home (unless this results in a journey time of more than four hours in total per day) 
  • Constraints or perceived convenience in relation to paid work commitments elsewhere 
  • Minor illnesses/conditions or planned health appointments 
  • Disabilities for which reasonable adjustments have been made.
  • If you have a personal health issue that you consider serious enough to seek a change to a forthcoming placement  please do not use this form. Instead, please approach your personal supervisor directly who will discuss referral to the Fitness to Practise Committee.

How and when do I make a request?

Although you may wish to discuss your personal difficulties with your supervisor, they cannot request a change of allocation on your behalf. You are also asked not to contact the Practice Education Support Team (PEST) or the Student and Academic Support Service (SASS) directly to seek a change. All requests must be submitted on the relevant form (link below) within two weeks of receipt of placement allocations details via ARC Placements on the Web (POW). Requests made after this period of time may not allow sufficient time for review. 

Please submit the form electronically (see link below) and fill in the form as fully as possible (your request will be considered as submitted – you will not be asked to elaborate if insufficient information is included).

Students should discuss their placement allocation concerns with their personal supervisor who may be able to offer advice and guidance in the first instance. Students are expected to read the  policy in full before submitting their placement change request. 

How is my request considered?

Formal requests to change allocations will be considered by a panel in the department comprising the Practice Lead/Deputy Lead, the Head of Student & Academic Services (Teaching & Learning), the Practice Education Support Manager, Chair/Deputy Chair of Fitness to Practise Committee and Subject/Programme Leader. If one or more of the panel members is unavailable, an additional member of staff may be co-opted onto the panel. Students cannot attend these meetings. The panel is committed to an equitable and consistent approach to all requests.

How will I be notified of the decision?

You will receive an email to your university email account confirming the panel’s decision.

What happens if my change request is not agreed? 

Given that your exceptional circumstances will have been considered by the Panel against the existing capacity of our placement providers, the decision made will be final. .

If you still consider that you cannot attend the placement in question, you will need to speak to your personal supervisor about possible plans which may include an application for Leave of Absence until your circumstances have resolved such that you can meet the requirements of the programme.

Request form