Nursing students begin hospital placements

Lanarkshire nursing and midwifery students are among the thousands beginning hospital placements across Scotland from this month.

A total of 12,000 are expected to assist around the country in the safe delivery of health and social care.

More than 500 people hoping to become paramedics will also begin supervised practice.

The practical training of students remains centred on supervised involvement in the frontline delivery of patient care, to build up the hours necessary for registration as a healthcare professional.

It is an integral part of the ongoing work to respond to the challenges of COVID-19 and is greatly valued by the workforce.

Local student Natalie Elliot was one of the first nursing students to go into placement in April 2020.

She said: “I learned so much.

“The experience has helped boost my confidence and improved my performance.

“It was a real privilege to be part of the pandemic response and to feel that you’ve made that little bit of a difference.

“There was a sense of camaraderie on the wards and I felt part of the team.”

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has thanked students for helping in the NHS amid the pandemic.

He said: “As we go into a third year facing up to the challenges of COVID, we are fortunate to combine good quality learning attained by students as part of their supervised practice with the positive impact these students have on the delivery of safe, effective patient care and their ongoing support of our NHS.

“And I wholeheartedly thank them for their hard work during this difficult time.”