Nursing and Midwifery placements

The Allocations Team assigns student nurses to placements.

You can find out about your placement by logging on to your ARCPOW account using your student ID (needs a University login to access). This will provide details about your allocated placement including contact information.

What we do:

• We ensure your academic and personal record is maintained. (This is done from class registers, portfolio documentation and by liaising with other staff and outside bodies).

• We arrange insurance cover for you while on placement.

• We provide information to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for your registration.

• We provide figures and statistics required by both staff and NHS personnel.

Please help us to keep your records up-to-date by informing us of the following:

• If you have changed your address/phone number/email address.

• If you have changed your name; whether by marriage, divorce or deed poll.

• If you are off sick or absent from a placement or session at University.

We negotiate your placements with a variety of outside agencies in the community, hospital, home or simulated practice learning environment settings.

All primary care placements (District Nurse, Health Visitor, School Nurse) are allocated outside your home area at the request of the Primary Care Trusts.

Please note: Placements may be at any location across the West Midlands region and beyond. An integral part of the course is to participate in care given over 24 hours; therefore, you will be expected to adopt the various shift patterns governed by your placement area.

It is your responsibility to make contact with a placement area following publication.

Contact should be made two weeks prior to starting - and definitely not less than one week before. Placement areas welcome this early contact as it gives both parties an opportunity to address the questions or concerns.

You will find contact details for your allocated placement by logging on to your ARC POW account.

We aim to release information relating to placements at least four weeks in advance. Please log on to your ARC POW account using your student ID to view your placement (needs a University login to access).

You should contact your placement provider at least two weeks before you are due to start. You need to introduce yourself and enquire about your working arrangements.

For clinical placements, if you wish, you could ask if it would be possible to make a visit before you start your allocation. This will give you the opportunity to arrange your transport, find out exactly where the work area is situated, possibly meet your mentor and view the working environment.

You must complete 37.5 hours per week, or 75 hours over two weeks (some placement areas do their off-duty roster on a fortnightly basis).

Students are required to follow the shift patterns in line with their placement area. This was highlighted in your interview for the programme.

If you are rostered to work you must do so. However, if the work area you are allocated to happens to be closed, then you may take the day as a study day. All the bank holidays are taken into account when your programme is devised, so you are not missing out.

You must visit the Absence Reporting section of BCU iCity and report your absence to the University and your placement area. You must provide details of your absence and your expected date of return. As soon as you are fit to return to placement, you must report your return to placement to the University and to your allocated placement area.

You must contact your Course Leader and the Nursing Placement Team as this will affect where we can allocate you a placement. We also have to inform the Practice Placement Managers as they will need to arrange a risk assessment for you.

The BCU Nursing Practice Learning Support Team manages the practical assessment process and offers advice and support to students and practice assessors in placement areas.

The team's role includes:

• Monitoring and adaptation of the practice learning assessment process will be facilitated where reasonably possible to meet the needs of our customers;

• Advising students and assessors about elements of the practice learning assessment process;

• Liaison with Practice Placement Managers about all practice issues relating to student nurse education;

• Monitoring students' attendance in practice and investigating absence from placement;

• Annual review of portfolios to ensure that standards are maintained.

Virtual nursing placements use simulation technology to provide nursing students with practical experience in a safe and controlled environment. They help build confidence in communication, professionalism, patient assessment, and clinical reasoning, while also developing essential digital skills needed in modern healthcare. This approach allows you to practise safely, gain confidence, and strengthen your understanding of patient care.

Read more about how virtual placements are used widely within Nursing Education and how these placements will benefit your professional development: Hill & Mitchell (2024).