Placement

Hi there,

This is my first time using this forum but in my situation, I just need to throw this into the void with the hope someone can help and/or provide incite for me.

I am currently in my third and final year of uni after a long four year course (I took a year off for personal reasons). My year off was advised by my university faculty as the personal reasons were causing problem for me completing the year. While they told me multiple times they promised they would give me somewhere closer to home, they decided to give me somewhere on the other side of the country.

I had to pull out all the stops to try and get my placement changed. I had to put myself in a position to nearly getting removed from that placement for the uni to actually follow through with their promise of a closer placement.

Because of the event I've mentioned I was put on a "cause for concern" notice outlining specific details that I must adhere to in order to complete placement. I openly accepted this if this meant that I would be able to finish my degree.

Fast forward to my current placement with this Cause for Concern in place. They have a sign in sheet which I'm aware other sites do this too, in order to monitor attendance with students. However, I had a mid-semester review with my lecturer and clinical liaison officer and it went really well. Mentioning my progress and how well my absence reporting has improved along with my overall performances. After the meeting, we were told to return to placement, which I did along with my friend and two other students. We returned on-site and I needed to go downstairs into theatre. Before anyone mentions that I should have signed in, I normally don't sign in straight away and go straight to theatre to then sign my arrival time when I leave so I do it all in one go.

While I'm going down to theatre, I get a phonecall from a different hospital telling me my sister is in labour (3 months premature). As her husband was away and my family living in Wales, I was the next point of contact and needed to leave asap. I can appreciate I needed to let someone know I wasn't thinking about that in the moment, in hindsight, it's obvious.

At the same time as this, I get an email later on, saying where all the students had gone. So as I have a legit reason to leave, the other students had signed in and gone home without telling anyone and gone missing essentially.

The next day in placement, I notice that in the sign-in room, someone has forged (tried to) my signature saying that I had signed in when I hadn't.

We have had meetings today to get stories straight with the higher ups of the placement site. I outlined everything I have just put to the bosses and while they believe the reasoning for leaving, they have had meeting with the other students and their stories do not line up with mine. More specifically, the four of us were seen in the sign-in room and like the idiot I am I missed that part out and said I left to go straight to theatre. So they believe the reasoning, but they don't believe me completely because other people (other two students not my friend) have told different stories.

Which then resulted in me being told to not return to placement as well as having the case being given to the university to "deal with" me?

I understand the amount of pressure I am under because of the cause for Concern being in place, I will be being watched that's not new. But when I'm being completely honest and have been told they don't want me. Apart from the obvious, that I should have told someone, I had not done anything wrong and have been pulled into someone else fabricated story and being dragged down with them when I hadn't signed in!

Can anyone help me or share something with me because I can't fail this placement, I already know that the university won't give me another site to go to as this current one is my replacement for my last site.

I really don't know what to do

Reply 1

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Wow, that sounds like you have been through a lot. I am sorry that you have had to go through all of this. This is a site detailing various help for issues on placement: https://www.shu.ac.uk/student-placements/while-you-are-on-placement/support-on-placement

You could also take it up with the students union, they are there to ensure students receive fair treatment at university and that you receive the support you need: https://www.hallamstudentsunion.com/advice_help/advicehelp/academic/complaints/ this leads you step by step what to do.

They say that you should first raise your concern or difficulty with the people most directly involved with it, for example your Course Leader or your Student Support Adviser. It's important to be as specific as possible and to think about what might help to put the problem right. You can send them an email or ask to meet in person. You should let them know that what you are discussing is an informal complaint. Once you receive the outcome of this, if you are unhappy with it you can take your complaint to the next stage, which would be filing a complaint which is detailed on the link above. You can find the different types of complaint forms here: https://students.shu.ac.uk/regulations/appeals_and_complaints/index.html

This: https://students.shu.ac.uk/regulations/appeals_and_complaints/Student%20Complaints%20Policy%20and%20Procedure.pdf provides you with the students complaints policy and procedure.

I hope this helps you, I understand how stressful this situation can be, but know that there are people here to help and support you.

- Rosie

(edited 2 years ago)

Sheffield Hallam University

Sheffield

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