New Project Helps Students to Benefit More from Community Placements

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) is seeking the views of pre-registration nursing students in a new project that seeks to help them gain greater benefit from placements in community settings.

The project is being developed to help give students more information about the placements available to them in the community and to challenge workforce stereotypes. The project will include a dedicated area on the QNI’s website, drawing together a range of resources about careers in the community, and online media including Twitterchats and a Facebook Live event.

Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, the QNI’s chief executive commented:

“There are enduring myths that newly-qualified nurses must work in a hospital before they consider working in the community. This is not the case and we know of many nurses who, after experiencing a great community placement as a student nurse, go on to work in a community setting.

“There is a fabulously diverse range of careers for all nurses in the community that enable individuals to explore and develop the full range of nursing skills and competencies. Working with individuals, families and carers in the community is incredibly rewarding and we want to make these opportunities appeal to more nurses as they embark on a first destination post in their career.”

Online Survey

To help inform the development of the project, the QNI is seeking the views of nursing students. The QNI has created a short online survey to gather more information about what kinds of community placements pre-registration students currently experience and what additional support they might need to gain the maximum benefit from these placements.

ENDS

The QNI survey is open until 23 May 2021: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MDRNY8D