When starting university, most people are just thinking about getting their degree. But if you’re anything like me then you’re probably already thinking about finding a job afterwards! If that’s the case, then you are in the right place.
I’m Rachel and I am a final year integrated Masters MSci Psychology student. Since the start of my degree, one of my biggest worries has been figuring out how to get experience to land that ‘dream job’ at the end. I knew that I wanted to work with people in a clinical setting, but I didn’t know where to begin. Throughout my degree, I have made use of the Careers and Placement service, employability talks and workshops and even landed a 12-week placement. Now, almost at the end of my journey, I am going to take you through all the things you can make use of at York!
What placements are available throughout the University?
The University has a Careers and Placements team that is available to all University of York students. They can help with any aspects of career planning. In the Department of Psychology there are several workshops and talks where a member of the Careers and Placements team will come and talk about ways to find placement opportunities, and how to prepare once you have secured one.
Careers and Placements also help students familiarise themselves with some of the resources available for career planning, such as Handshake. On this platform, you can find different opportunities, ranging from short term volunteering in schools to more long-term placement opportunities. You can even schedule 1:1 appointments if you need additional help getting started. I have used Handshake several times to book 1:1 appointments, and found the guidance I received to be very helpful.
More about my placement
Now, onto what you’re probably here for… my placement experience was a bit different. While I know some people in Psychology opted for the year-long placements or ‘year in industry’, and decided to take some time from the course to do so, I knew that I did not want to do that because I felt committing to a whole year was a bit daunting. What if I didn’t enjoy it, or found that it wasn’t for me? I had all these worries and questions, but I still knew that I wanted to get involved somehow.
Luckily, as part of the MSci Psychology course, students get to apply for advanced modules towards the end of Year 3. These are taken in the final year and are separate to BSc advanced modules. One of the modules offered was the Work Based Learning Module, which is exclusively available to integrated Masters students. This was a 12-week placement module, where students could get involved in volunteering but also build analytical skills along the way, by completing an evaluation project for your placement organisation.
I was very interested in this module and felt like it was a really good 2-for-1 deal! I could get experience without having to take time off the course, which was exactly what I wanted. It was also shorter, so that was great!
Now onto the application process
So, I knew I wanted to take the placement module in the final year. All I had to do was apply!
The Department provided a detailed list of placements available. Plus information on where and what the placement was about, hourly and weekly commitments and the number of students the organisation would be willing to take on board.
Then I selected two of the opportunities, ranked them in order of preference, followed the specific application process for that organisation… and then applied! The application process for the placements varied but all of them included a written application or an interview of some form.
From the opportunities offered by the Department the one that stood out to me was the placement at the Brainkind Neurological Centre in York.
Working at Brainkind
The Brainkind Neurological Centre is a residential service that provides specialised care and rehabilitation to support people with acquired brain injuries and neurological conditions.
During my placement, I had the opportunity to work alongside a varied team of clinicians, contributing to this important work. It was once a week, and I rotated on different days to get new experiences. Some of these experiences included, working directly with clinicians to develop activities for the people supported at Brainkind. I also supported the running of sessions. The whole experience was absolutely incredible! I was always learning and doing new things.
One of these things was developing a guide for future volunteers. By doing this task, I felt like I was really a part of the Brainkind team! For any placement, I think this feeling is one of the best things you can ask for!
What does the future look like now?
The placement opened my eyes to the different types of work within a clinical setting. And how different disciplines come together for the benefit of individuals.
I really enjoyed my placement. I remember always coming into the service excited to see what I would be doing that day. Now having finished it, I am confident that this will be an experience that I will continue to rely on in the future.
As someone who was worried about how to get started, my best advice would be to use all the resources available to you!
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