Life as a Health Sciences Student at the Uni of York

The Nursing course

At the University of York, Health Sciences students are split into three fields of practice: Adult, Child and Mental Health. Right now, the course itself is divided into around 50% theory and 50% practical or placement.

One of the many positives about the course is that placement and theory are separated into blocks. In my experience, this makes things easier as you don’t have to juggle attending placement with worrying about written assessments. After all, who needs extra stress?

What to expect

As a Nursing student, you can expect to engage in lectures, seminars, practical sessions and, of course, placement! In lectures, you’ll study with a large group of students, whereas seminars are smaller groups led by your seminar leader. Here, you interact with other students and discuss the lecture topic in more detail. Personally, I prefer seminars, as you can really engage in the content on a deeper level and get to know your coursemates better.

Within the Clinical Simulation Unit (CSU), we get to practise our skills before we go out to placement. As far as workload, you can expect to be filling out quizzes, doing essential pre-reading for the two modules (Bio & Psychosocial), and OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). My advice regarding workload would be to tackle one segment at a time, take regular breaks, and allow your body to recharge if you need it. I can’t stress this enough, but self-care is so important!

The importance of placements

I’m sure as a prospective Nursing student, you’ll have questions regarding placement, so I’ll try and answer them!

Placements are where you put into practice the skills you’ve learned in the CSU; they are an essential part of the course, and allow you to put ten weeks of theory into real-life situations. As a 1st-Year, I’m really excited about going into placement in January, but it’s understandable to feel nervous.

My placement tips

1. It’s okay to be nervous!
2. Always ask for help – it’s what the staff are there for!
3. Don’t feel like you must know everything; placement will understand and help you.
4. We were all students at one point, and it’s okay to make mistakes (especially in the first year)!
5. Make use of these new opportunities and show your interest (placement providers love this).

Support

University can be a daunting experience, but there are dedicated members of staff within Health Sciences who are there to make university life a little less scary.

One such team is the Student & Academic Support Service (SASS). From placement problems such as travel costs, to mental-health worries such as exam stress and anxiety, SASS are there to give you personalised advice and help you feel at ease with your studies.

Furthermore, SASS also signpost students to other services, such as the Open Door Team, who are the University’s dedicated mental-health service. In my experience, SASS have been fantastic! They are experts in their work, and always make you feel welcome and supported.

Another port of call would be your personal supervisor. When you start your course, you’ll be assigned a personal supervisor, who will support you throughout your time at university. If you have any problems, you can always email them, and they’ll do their best to help. Whether it’s a quick email response or a referral to another University service, your supervisor is there to help, and to ensure your success while at York.

I hope you feel a little more at ease about starting your Health Sciences course – we look forward to welcoming you!