Health industry placements - Pre-placement

Havant and South Downs College (HSDC) use an app to develop employability skills assessments.

Providers and employers in Leeds collaborate on an assessment day with health values at its core. The activities used on the day provide useful information for students about what’s involved in the placements on offer.

Agree on the timing and model of the placement to fit with the employer’s and student’s needs and the structure of the curriculum.

To plan the placement so that students can apply their knowledge and skills and learn from the placement experience.

Discuss timing and models of placement with the employer.  It is important to remain flexible to suit the employer placement requirement and your curriculum planning.

Identify with employers the specific knowledge and skills students should have before starting their placement.

To prepare the student and help employers to integrate them into work teams as soon as they start the placement. 

Leeds City College makes sure that students gain their Basic Care Certificate as a pre-requisite for their placement.

See the template below showing the types of health-related knowledge and understanding required.

Area

Description

Student assessment

Basic care

Health, safety, and safeguarding

Manual handling, including bed-to-chair transfers

Infection control

Assisting with washing and dressing

Bed making

Assisting with mealtimes

Communication

With team and colleagues

With wider colleagues/departments/community

With patients and families

Reporting and recording

Restocking and stock rotation

Writing the care plan (care home/community setting)

Preparing risk assessment (care home/community setting)

Assisting with enrichment activity

What kinds of activities are appropriate for different patient types

Importance of patient activity/interaction

Taking physiological measurements

Weight, Height, BMI, Blood pressure, Oxygen sats, Heart rate, Temperature, NEWS2 scores, Urine outputs, blood glucose monitoring

History taking

Health and wellbeing advice

Drug and smoking cessation, alcohol, diet, exercise

Dementia awareness

Skin

Integrity checks

Identifying ways to aid recovery and improve integrity

Behaviours

Area

Description

Student assessment

Employability

Role and relationship to other roles

Care values – empathy, kindness, and patient centred

Excellent time keeping – flexibility of hours worked

Excellent communication skills – empathy and patient centred

Team working and collaboration

Reliable and enthusiastic

Confidence

Maintain confidentiality

Eager to learn, ask questions, and support others

Appearance

Clean, tidy, and hygienic

Wearing appropriate PPE to a situation – FIT mask

Minimal jewellery and make up

Clean, looked after nails, and regular hand washing

Mobile phone use

Understand the mobile phone policy

Understand the social media policy

Area

To consider

Notes (lessons learned)

Curriculum

Produce an overview of the health T Level curriculum in language that makes sense to employers.

Be prepared to dispel the myth that this is not work experience.

Structure the timetable to cover the prerequisites employers request before students start their placements.

Although not mandatory, the care certificate provides evidence of knowledge, skills, and behaviours valued by employers.

Student readiness

Identify ways in which employers can raise awareness of the wider context, options, and progression within health settings, to make effective use of the 35 hours of taster activity.

Weston College uses 3 days of employer-led taster activities to add breadth. Chichester College Group has developed four days of online employer-led activities such as 'a day in the life of’ showing the breadth of opportunities and specialist training.

Timetable student assessment windows with enough time to prepare.

Be aware of assessment pressure points and build in time for resits.

Allow plenty of time to match students to placements and build in enough time for them to re-apply if their applications are unsuccessful.

Matching takes longer than expected, as it has to consider multiple factors including career aspirations, geographic fit, aspirations, and suitability.

Placement planning

Explain to employers the constraints on being able to welcome students on placement.

Examples include winter pressures (Nov – Feb) and peak holidays reducing staff mentors.

Plan the placement over two years by plotting the times when students can be on placements and when they can’t. This will help when working out the best way to use the placement hours available.

Weston College uses this approach when negotiating appropriate models with employers. They have a 2-year curriculum plan for each T Level. They also use individual students’ placement timetables to track and monitor their time on the placement.  They work with the employers to identify the best timing and develop plans accordingly.

Consider how the timing of placements can help to make the best use of staff and other resources.

Staff resources can be used effectively by planning block placement for some students when others are in the classroom.

Capture the agreed placement arrangements, roles, and responsibilities in some form of SLA.

The student, provider, and employer must sign the industry placement agreement to secure all parties' agreement and commitment to the placement.

Providers

What

Why

Leeds collaboration

Providers and employers in Leeds have agreed on one model of industry placement for all students to ease planning. An induction day is held at the end of July in Year 1, followed by two days per week day release starting at the beginning of Year 2 in September.

This model builds students’ knowledge and skills base before they start the placements. It increases confidence levels and prepares them for the realities of their placement.

Manchester City College

Work tasters are used to support effective placement matching. The college has developed a process for allocating students in small groups to work across five or six employers during the 35 hours. The process culminates in matches being made based on preferences and fit.

This approach to using work tasters enables students to view the different options and gives employers the chance to meet them.

Weston College

Students start their placements with a week-long induction to the employer, followed by day release in Year 1 during which students complete the care certificate and care skills passport.

At the end of Year 1, students return to their placements for a further week during which they plan the content of the Year 2 placement. This is done with assessors, placement officers, mentors, and supervisors. The Year 2 placement comprises blocks of between one and three weeks. A final week is being planned to support employability options, progression, and next steps.

Initial induction raises students’ awareness of the breadth of opportunities, specific career options, skills needed, and training provided. Year 1, day release builds a good understanding of care in different settings. 

Involving the whole delivery team in planning Year 2 helps to make the placements meaningful for students and valuable to their employers. Block release builds in-depth and specialist skills and knowledge.

Havant and South Downs College (HSDC)

HSDC has a policy that no student should travel more than an hour to their placement ensuring a geographical fit. Matching is based on aspirations and placement availability.  Placements tend to use block models, reflecting employers’ requirements.

This approach allows HSDC teams to be creative and find opportunities that enable the development of skills and experience required by the students. Interesting opportunities have evolved.