Practice allocation

Apprenticeship routes

Learners on the Foundation Degree in Science in Health and Social Care: Nursing Associate programme who are also paid employees remain in their current clinical base whilst on the programme. However, in line with the NMC (2018) Standards for Pre-Registration Nursing Associate Programmes and as a learner, you are required to undertake work-based learning opportunities that allow you to develop and meet the Standards of proficiency for Nursing Associates (NMC, 2018). These learning experiences support nursing associates to deliver safe and effective care, to a diverse range of people, across the lifespan and across a variety of settings. These experiences will support Nursing Associates to meet the holistic needs of people of all ages.

For further information see the Practice Learning section.

In order to achieve this, the Department of Health Sciences is responsible for the allocation of your practice experiences in collaboration with partners. Their role is to identify and allocate learners to the appropriate practice experiences at each stage of the programme to ensure learners have the right opportunities to meet the Standards of proficiency for Nursing Associates (NMC, 2018). The individual learner allocation will be discussed and shared with the Clinical Undergraduate & WBL Development Lead (CUWBLDL); the practice education teams at York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust; Advanced Training Practices (ATPs) and Private and Voluntary Organisations (PIVO) involved in the partnership;  Programme Lead; Deputy Programme Lead; and e-portfolio team.

Individual learning plan & tripartite reviews

Learners on the employer-led route into the programme will be required to meet the requirements of the Apprenticeship Standards for Nursing Associates (2018). As part of the requirements for the apprenticeship you will have an individual learning plan which is a live document detailing how the apprenticeship framework will be achieved and will be updated throughout your programme. Alongside the individual learning plans, you will be expected to attended tripartite reviews between yourself, your employer and key university staff. These reviews will be conducted every 3 calendar months. If you do not attend, you are at risk of losing funding and therefore putting your place on the course at risk. 

Direct entry routes

For students who access the programme directly through the University, the Department of Health Sciences allocation team will have the responsibility for allocating a student to suitable practice areas for work-based learning across the lifespan and across a range of settings. A suitable breadth of placement experience will be identified shared with the appropriate practice education team in order to ensure that the students have the right opportunities to meet the NMC Standards of proficiency for Nursing Associates (2018).

Adjustment to allocated placements

All practice learning areas are subject to educational audit to ensure they provide an environment that supports your achievement of the programme learning outcomes. The Department has a team of staff dedicated to practice allocation. For each experience they consider a number of complex factors, of which the most important is to ensure you will meet the programme learning outcomes, proficiencies and knowledge, skills and behaviours related to your apprenticeship route. The equity of travel for all students is also taken into account. Please note that no changes will be possible unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

If there are health related reasons why you should/should not be allocated to a placement area then you should raise this with your Personal Supervisor/Academic Assessor who will seek guidance from Occupational Health (OH) via the Fitness to Practise Committee in relation to the suitability of placement allocation. If you believe that there are exceptional reasons why you should not be allocated to a specific practice area (and where OH guidance is not already in place) you will be invited to complete a placement change request form before the start of that placement. There are limitations in practice capacity, however, where possible, we will endeavour to offer you alternative allocations for reasons of health or exceptional circumstances.