Placements
Placements are an integral part of the Nursing programme and up to 50% of the programme is made up of time on placement. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) specify the required number of clinical hours that students must complete in order to pass the programme and register with the NMC Council.
At the University of Exeter, we have a variety of placement opportunities for our students, at sites across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. These can include NHS Trusts, community hospitals, community outreach teams, primary care settings, social care settings and voluntary healthcare settings. We believe it is vital for our students to understand the whole patient journey and we ensure that students attend a variety of different settings throughout the programme to experience a variety of patient care settings.
The South West is a rural area and students will need to travel to placement sites, for which expenses can be claimed for travel or additional accommodation.
Social care placements
Social care placements at the University of Exeter offer student nurses the opportunity to learn within dynamic, community-based environments, including residential, nursing and specialist care settings.
As part of our Bridging the Gap: Reimagining community-based practice learning: Inspiring Change initiative, these placements support the development of person-centred care, clinical judgement, and understanding of integrated health and social care systems, preparing students for the realities of contemporary nursing practice.
Become an Approved Placement Provider
Are you a social care provider, learning disability service, primary care organisation, community provider, charity, voluntary sector organisation or creative health partner interested in supporting the next generation of nurses?
The University of Exeter Academy of Nursing is committed to expanding high-quality community-based practice learning opportunities in line with the national Skills for Care and Council of Deans of Health Placement Strategy. We believe that student nurses benefit from experiencing the full health and care system, and that community-based organisations play a vital role in developing compassionate, person-centred and system-aware practitioners.
We welcome expressions of interest from organisations that share our commitment to high-quality care, learning and workforce development. Becoming an Approved Placement Provider offers opportunities to:
- support the education and development of future nurses
- showcase the valuable contribution of your organisation to health and wellbeing
- strengthen recruitment and workforce pipelines
- collaborate with the University on research, innovation and workforce development projects
- access Practice Supervisor training and ongoing support
- join a growing network of organisations committed to reimagining community-based practice learning
Our placements currently include adult social care, learning disability services, primary care, community services, creative health organisations, charities and other voluntary, independent and community sector providers.
The approval process is straightforward and supported by our Clinical Practice Learning Team. It includes an education quality audit, governance review, and identification of suitable supervision arrangements to ensure students receive a safe, inclusive and high-quality learning experience.
To find out more about becoming an Approved Placement Provider, please contact:
Cathy Rant
Clinical Practice Lead (Adult & Mental Health Nursing)
University of Exeter Academy of Nursing
or
Jade Rihan
Placement Officer
University of Exeter Academy of Nursing
Together, we can help shape a future nursing workforce that understands health, social care and community-based support across the whole system.