Clinical Placement for Undergraduate Student Nurses

The Emergency Department (ED) at Cork University Hospital (CUH) provides clinical placements for pre-registration nursing students undertaking the BSc in Nursing (General Nursing and Children’s & General Nursing) at University College Cork (UCC). Second, third and fourth year nursing students spend between two to four weeks in the ED in a supernumerary capacity. Up to 12 student nurses can be on placement in the ED at any one time over the academic year. Each student nurse works with a Preceptor, a registered nurse in ED, who guides and supports the student nurse and assesses the student in line with the Nursing Midwifery Board of Ireland’s Nurse Registration Programmes Standards and Requirements 5th ed. (2023), the guiding document for student nurse learning, progression and assessment. Preceptors are integral to the overall provision of practice placement experiences for student nurses and are highly appreciated for the support and guidance they provide.

The Clinical Placement Co-ordinator (CPC) for ED liaises closely with the CNM3, Clinical Skills Facilitators, the Preceptors and nursing students throughout to support, guide, facilitate and optimise practice based learning opportunities and experiences for students whilst in ED. The CPC works out of CUH’s Nurse Practice Development Unit. UCC provide liaison, support and guidance through the UCC Link Lecturer for the ED.