Supporting students at the Ayrshire Hospice The Ayrshire Hospice has a long-standing Student Learning Agreement with the University West of Scotland to support nursing students on their clinical placements where they spend time in the In-Patient Unit and in the community with the Specialist Palliative Care Nurses, Respite and Response Team and the Living Well service.
Demi Ferrans Prior to starting my placement at the Hospice, I was nervous as it was a completely different practice placement compared to the others I had undertaken, but from the minute I walked in the door at the Ayrshire Hospice, everyone was so welcoming. I have learned so much more than I imagined over a 12-week period, learnings that I will carry with me throughout my nursing career. There was so much relating to palliative care that I was not aware of. I had the opportunity to work closely with all members of the Multi-Disciplinary Team who have
approachable when I needed support. The Hospice team made my placement memorable and empowered me with confidence as I go into my first staff nurse post. The Ayrshire Hospice has shown me what compassionate care truly is and is a placement experience that I will not forget. Jack Hastings My time spent on placement within the Ayrshire Hospice was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The quality of care given to the patients in the In-Patient Unit is nothing short of inspiring. The environment gave off a sense of warmth and the staff were always willing to go the extra mile for their patients. This is something I hope to carry on in my own professional career. Each day filled me with a sense of accomplishment and to me, it felt like nursing in its purest form.
The satisfaction gained from comforting not only patients, but their families too, is something that will live with me for the rest of my life. As a third-year student starting their management placement in the hospice, I was filled with nerves and anxiety, though through time these nerves disappeared and through the incredible mentoring I received, I gained confidence. When I finished my placement, I felt ready to progress into a staff nurse role. I will be forever grateful for the support given to me by every member of staff. Not for one single moment did I feel like the staff were co-workers or peers. To me, they were a family. I felt part of this family. They shared my joys and stress. I never felt prouder than I did coming into the ward to tell everyone I had just accepted my first post. Those twelve weeks on placement were some of the greatest times I have had as a student nurse. One day I hope to return to the Ayrshire Hospice as
all contributed to my positive learning experience. Person-
centred care is truly shown at the Ayrshire Hospice - it is so important to put patients first, and tailor their quality of life specifically to them with the appropriate interventions. Every day on placement I felt like I had made a difference to a patient,
Kirsty Watt
The Hospice team works hard to ensure that students have the best possible learning
There have been a multitude of learning experiences, including palliative care medicine, calculations, and regularly monitoring patients who become more unwell. I was also able to have a few weeks in the community with the Specialist Palliative Care Team and time with the Hospital Palliative Care Team which were both great learning opportunities, and I felt that I had learned a lot from both teams. Being able to help patients and families at the end of life is very fulfilling, and at times emotional, and being able to help a patient become settled and peaceful is extremely rewarding, something I was not expecting before I started. The Ayrshire Hospice is a fantastic placement for students, especially for the final year, as I think palliative and end-of-life care/medicine is an essential skill that everyone should learn as everyone deserves to be peaceful and pain-free at the end of their lives.
When my final placement was announced as the Ayrshire Hospice, I was apprehensive and quite nervous as I hadn’t had much experience with end-of- life care during my previous placements and I didn’t have much knowledge of palliative care medicine. My initial thoughts were that hospices were sad places, and I really didn’t think there would be many learning experiences involved, especially as a management placement . However, this quickly changed once I started as I found the Hospice to be a very happy, welcoming and wholesome place. Yes, of course, it can be difficult and emotionally draining at times, that’s to be expected, but the staff go out of their way to ensure all patients’ final wishes are met, that families are looked after and comforted and that patients have the best possible experience during their time in the Hospice.
opportunities to give them a well-rounded experience of hospice care. Three of the most recent third-year students have shared their experiences of learning on the job in the Hospice and were happy to share their stories with The Article.
whether that be controlling their symptoms effectively or caring for them with compassion in their final
a staff nurse, to rejoin the family and inspire others the same way I was.
days. I can’t thank my mentor David enough for the support and
confidence he has given me
in my final placement, he allowed me to find
my own ways of working and was always
September 2023 | EDITION 34
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