5 The practicalities of mental health placements
Introduction
You should also refer to the list of acronyms in Appendix 1 and the jargon buster in Appendix 2 for a glossary of terms used in this area of practice in order to help you to feel more prepared and confident when embarking on a new placement.
Practical issues for students going to new placements
Dress code
Contact the placement prior to arriving for your first day. Do not assume that the care staff don’t wear uniform because they are based in the community or do wear uniform because they are based in a hospital. There are exceptions to both these generalisations, and culture and philosophy in mental healthcare settings often change. For example, some recent changes back into uniform have been driven by the need to control the spread of infection more effectively, rather than as an attempt to clearly demarcate professional carers from service users. (The use of alcohol hand gels, implemented for exactly the same reason, has brought with it difficult consequences such as ingestion by mental health service users (Archer 2007, Bairy 2006, Batty et al 2011).)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Guidance on Professional Conduct for Nursing and Midwifery Students states that students need to ‘follow the dress code or uniform policy of your university and clinical placement provider’ (NMC 2009). The most useful way to interpret this guidance is, as mentioned above, to emulate the dress standards of your professional colleagues. Usually any misinterpretation on your part will be quickly pointed out by a colleague on the placement.
Some things to do before, and during, your placement
• Telephone for an appointment to visit the placement and, if possible, meet your new mentor (this can help to alleviate or validate your preplacement anxiety).
• Decide to make up your own mind about the placement based on your own real experience – not what you hear from others.
• Ensure you know what your shifts are, and be on time.
• Ensure you have the appropriate competency paperwork with you and that you have thought about what you would like to achieve during the placement – this can always be altered if you change your mind.
• Read journal articles and search the Internet for background information about the type of clinical environment you are about to experience.
• If you are happy with your placement experience, make sure that you tell your mentor.
• If you are unhappy with it, tell your mentor. Do not wait until the end of the placement or, worse still, have left it. If this is in any way difficult for you, get support.
• The effectiveness of your mentor will fundamentally affect the experience you have in your placement. Decide to invest in the relationship you have with them, even though it is relatively transient.
• Attempt to be empathic towards your mentor. Most have increasingly difficult demands on them in the current economic climate. To be an effective mentor takes commitment, initiative, flexibility and energy.
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