Placements

Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services North Oxfordshire Community Team

Rob Andrews (Mental Health)

An enthusiastic, welcoming, extremely positive team of skilled and caring individuals who are happy to pass on their skills and experience and who lead by example.

Unfailingly positive and supportive to patients, carers and colleagues, they are all highly professional, skilled practitioners who retain the ability to be open to learning themselves.

Oncology Ward (Long Stay), Churchill Hospital

Tiegan Andrews (Adult Nursing)

During this placement I have been made to feel as though I became an important member of the oncology staff.

I was consistently being supported and at the same time challenged in ways to make me learn more and help me become more confident. All of the members of MDT worked together to ensure the patients were cared for with the highest competence, ensuring at all times that they could help each other get the tasks for the day done, working highly effectively as a team, showing me as a student how important it is to work well in a team and also showing me how to do this.

East Oxford Health Centre, Health Visiting Team

Koleen Bandoja Aravejo (Adult Nursing)

Excellent mentorship and placement

My mentor and the rest of the team were so supportive and pushed me to do my best. My mentor gave me her time, patience and expertise and explained to me everything on the subject that interests me. She is very honest, and I always received regular feedback, challenged me with my understanding of specific issues and encouraged me to reflect every after client’s contact that helps me gain and develop my knowledge on health visiting. I was also given an opportunity to gain experience with different multi-agencies and learned their roles in the community.

Ward 2, Abingdon Community Hospital

Benedicta Boakye-Ansah (Adult Nursing)

The team in my ward was lovely and they all supported me throughout my placement.

My mentor was fantastic as she pointed out opportunities to me and encouraged me to work with other professionals. I felt very comfortable in the team and they have imprinted a good experience in my heart and a high standard which I will take with me wherever I go.

Bicester Community Hospital

Wadzanayi Violet Chigwende (Adult Nursing)

What made BHC an excellent place is how the staff there are like one big happy family.

Never in my career either as a healthcare assistant/dental nurse or secretary have I seen such commendable teamwork on display. When people say teamwork yields excellent results, this comes natural at BCH and that is from all team members at all levels.

Wantage Health Centre District Nursing Team

Samantha Clarke (Adult Nursing)

The standard of care that the team deliver to the district patients is truly outstanding.

I witnessed a high quality of care, empathy and evidence based practice delivered to each and every patient, despite pressures of time, no patient is rushed. I cannot recommend the team highly enough; it is a truly outstanding team, whom I believe deserves the recognition for the fantastic provision.

Children's Ward, Horton General Hospital

Victoria Cullen (Children’s Nursing)

I really think this placement deserves an award as my confidence and knowledge improved so much and I enjoyed every shift I had at the Horton.

I will remember this placement favourably and I wish I could’ve spent longer there!

Short Stay Ward, John Radcliffe Hospital

Lauren Davies (Adult Nursing)

This placement has given me a confidence boost, benefitting my communication skills, clinical judgement skills and multi-disciplinary team-working.

Neurosciences Advanced Nurse Practitioners, John Radcliffe Hospital (West Wing)

Samantha Edwards (Adult Nursing)

Of all my placements I have felt that this placement has involved the most direct contact with many members of a very large multi-disciplinary team.

I have been pleasantly surprised by how approachable and receptive to my many questions people have been. I have met some extraordinary people who have blown me away with the skills and professionalism they have shown.

Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism , Churchill Hospital

Sandor Erdelyi (Adult Nursing)

I personally had an experience I will never forget.

I gained extensive knowledge and experience, met wonderful nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors, researchers. It was an excellent place for learning, and I am also grateful to meet those friendly and inspiring people, who keep OCDEM running. I will sadly miss this atmosphere in the future.

Emergency Department Psychiatric Service (EDPS), John Radcliffe Hospital

Douglas Green (Mental Health)

I was afforded the opportunity to access a wide range of experiences while at EDPS and this has only served to add to my knowledge and skills which will ultimately improve my practice going forward.

I think that is the key to a good placement, that as a student you leave feeling a more competent and rounded practitioner than when you started.

Early Intervention Service, Warneford Hospital

Shannon Hanbury (Mental Health)

All of the team are so happy to have a student and really do treat you as you are part of a team!

It is a great honour to work with such experienced clinicians.

North Oxfordshire Older Adult Community Mental Health Team

Sukhjit Kaur Hundal (Mental Health)

This placement had welcoming, friendly and supportive team members.

I felt valued, listened to and was able to raise concerns. I had a variety of challenging learning opportunities to enhance my learning.

John Warin Ward, Churchill Hospital

Alice Hupperdine (Adult Nursing)

This was my first introductory placement as a Student Nurse

This was my first introductory placement as a Student Nurse which was initially terrifying however as soon as I got to John Warin for the first time I felt immediately comforted and welcomed by all staff. The care they provide for all patients is exceptional and has really made me aspire to become the kind of nurse they all are; compassionate, kind and motivated.

Kennet Ward, Oxford Clinic, Littlemore Mental Health Centre

Sally Hill (Mental Health)

All of the staff recognise what a challenging environment an inpatient forensic setting can be, and were very mindful of my safety throughout the placement.

However they were able to balance this with my need to learn by being involved in the everyday care of the clients. As the placement progressed they recognised my competence and I was given more freedom to work autonomously. By the end of the placement I was coordinating shifts, with the support of the nurse in charge. All members of the team from the ward manager, to support workers and administrative staff expressed praise and gratitude for the positive aspects of my work, and I really felt like I was a respected member of the team, and able to make a valuable impact on each shift.

Wantage District Nursing Team

Susan Hogan (Adult Nursing - graduated)

Throughout this placement, all of the staff have been kind, warm, welcoming and friendly.

I have learnt a wealth of knowledge during this placement, where I have been very well supported by both my mentor and other colleagues in the Wantage District Nurse Team. This placement has been the most enjoyable throughout my entire nurse training and I feel I could not have asked for a more valuable experience.

Adult Intensive Care Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital

Hannah Jenkins (Adult Nursing - graduated in 2015)

This placement is excellent example of how support for nurses, MDT and students should be.

They are open and honest should there be any mistakes and learn from situations reflectively and with critical manner. Setting examples to others on how things should be done.

Phoenix Ward, Littlemore Mental Health Centre

Deborah King (Mental Health)

I found that there were many learning opportunities during this placement and I was supported in my development and learning.

I was offered a high standard of support from my mentors and given constructive feedback in relation to my work. I was also supported by other members of the nursing and MDT team. I feel that this placement has prepared me for becoming a qualified nurse.

Health Visiting Team Banbury, West Bar Surgery

Helen McDowell (Adult Nursing)

I have found this placement and team incredibly friendly, welcoming and supportive.

I have easily achieved all my learning objectives with help from my super organised mentor. I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of learning opportunities made available to me, nothing was too much trouble. I have also been impressed by the high standards of care and encouragement to question practice.

Short Stay Ward, John Radcliffe Hospital

Sandra Milek (Adult Nursing)

Everyone working on the ward was always very professional.

I was fully supported by my co-mentor. I believe this placement was a very good experience for a first year students. I truly enjoyed it, learnt new skills, terminology. It is a very busy environment, however I gained sufficient knowledge and confidence and I am convinced that it will help me in my future placements.

Kennet Ward, Oxford Clinic, Littlemore Mental Health Centre

Grace Prees (Mental Health)

This placement area provides exceptional support, a sense of belonging and welcome from the team.

Each individual working on the team at Kennet is approachable, kind and polite with something to learn from each person whether they are nurses, support workers or OT’s. I felt this placement pushed me in all the best ways, staff were able to give great and informative feedback in order to improve my own practice. Having an approachable and (importantly) competent team to work alongside you on placement makes for the best learning experiences.

Day Case Unit, Horton General Hospital

Abbie Proffitt (Adult Nursing)

What makes this placement exceptional is that I felt as though I had worked there for years despite only spending a couple of months there.

I felt like a valued member of the team and learned a lot more than I ever could have imagined. I believe the team deserve praise for their hard work and would like to thank them for their kindness and support. I felt supported throughout the entirety of the placement and was given more opportunities than I had time to complete.

Accident and Emergency Department, John Radcliffe Hospital

Annabelle Sanders (Adult Nursing)

All staff take students under their wings regardless of being a mentor or not, they provide support during difficult situations.

There are amazing opportunities every day to challenge yourself and to be educated by all professionals in the department.

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital

Constance Taylor (Children’s Nursing)

All members of staff have been extremely supportive and encouraging.

The placement has provided me with various learning opportunities and when anything interesting is happening they always think to ask me to be involved or to observe. My mentor has been great to work with and has set an exceptional example of how to be a good nurse. She is a nurse that I aspire to be like one day.

South Oxfordshire Older Adult Community Mental Health Team

Moira Thresher (Mental Health)

I feel that this team was perfect as a first placement as I was able to see a whole overview of mental health nursing and collaboration with other members of the Multi-disciplinary team.

I also feel that it would be a good placement for other students ready to progress further as there are so many opportunities. Overall I think any student would be happy with a mentor from this team.

Renal Ward, Churchill Hospital

Freya Toyne (Adult Nursing - graduated in July 2015)

I personally was challenged every shift and my individual development was keenly focused on to a level unlike any other placement throughout my training.

I believe this placement is exceptional for student learning and should definitely be recognised for its quality and hard work to ensure students are received in a welcoming manner and upon finishing placement have gained a variety of skills, knowledge and confidence in their abilities.

Vaughan Thomas Ward, Warneford Hospital

Amy Weir (graduated) (Mental Health)

Vaughan Thomas Ward has an excellent team which are really committed to making patient care their number one priority.

This was my final placement of my course and I felt really supported by not only my mentor but the whole team. I felt that they let me work independently on things I felt capable of doing and supported me with things I felt less confident with.

Bellhouse-Drayson Ward, John Radcliffe Hospital

Megan Williams (Children’s Nursing)

The staff are really supportive and interested in students’ progress.

The nursing team work well together and make you feel like you make a positive contribution to the running of the ward. Also, you can see a wide variety of conditions and collaborate with a number of different specialist teams.

Specialist Surgery Outpatients Department, John Radcliffe Hospital

Joe Wright (Adult Nursing)

This was, hands down, the best placement experience of my training to date.

I was embraced by the entire team, and was never once made to feel like I wasn’t a valued member or ‘just a student’. This placement made me completely fall in love with nursing, and confirmed that I had made the right decision in starting my training. I was excited to go into work each day, and face each new challenge and learning opportunity.