GCU students praised for commitment and contribution to the NHS during COVID-19

Thousands of Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) nursing, paramedic and AHP (Applied Health Professional) students are part of a 12,000-cohort heading out on practice placement to work with the NHS over the next few months in the continued battle against COVID-19.

Scottish Government Health Secretary Humza Yousaf praised their commitment and contribution to the NHS during an announcement this week.

He said: “As part of their professional programme of education, and throughout the pandemic, these students have worked tirelessly to support our NHS, making an invaluable contribution to the delivery of care as part of their supervised practice in health and social care environments.

“As we go into a third year facing up to the challenges of COVID, we are fortunate to combine good quality learning attained by students as part of their supervised practice with the positive impact these students have on the delivery of safe, effective patient care and their ongoing support of our NHS. And I wholeheartedly thank them for their hard work during this difficult time.”

The government revealed that more than 3,000 nursing and midwifery students are heading out on placements this month. A further 7,000 students will be placed across the service in February, complemented by around 1,500 AHP students and more than 500 paramedic students who will also be involved in the delivery of care via supervised practice.

This month and next, a total of 1024 GCU nursing students from all fields of nursing practice will be placed in partner health boards in the South-West of Scotland. By March, a further 793 nursing students will be out in practice placement giving a total of 1817 nursing students joining registered nurses in the COVID-19 effort.

GCU has had 50 level 1 paramedic science students out on their first placements since January 10, a further 58 level 2 students will then enter placements with the Scottish Ambulance Service on 125 January and final year students will go out on placements on 14 March.

Hundreds of GCU AHP students in diagnostic imaging, human nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, orthoptics, physiotherapy, podiatry and radiotherapy will also be heading out on practice placements over the next few months.

Evelyn Strachan, Academic Lead for Practice Learning in the Department of Nursing and Community Health, said nursing students had made a “substantial contribution to the provision of healthcare delivery in our partner placement providers, such as NHS boards, care homes and third sector organisations”

She added: “During the pandemic, almost 2000 GCU nursing students have been mobilised into practice placements across Scotland.

“Despite having their programme of study disrupted and their placement flows re-phased, GCU nursing students have stepped up to the challenges of working and studying during the pandemic, often putting their patients’ needs before their own and have embodied the core values of the university.”

GCU honours nursing student and mother-of-three Natalie Elliott, from Lanarkshire, who was one of the first students to go out on supervised hospital placements in April 2020, featured prominently in the Scottish Government’s latest announcement.

Natalie was one of over 500 GCU nursing students who joined the NHS at the start of the pandemic to help the health service deal with the coronavirus crisis.

She said: “I learned so much. The experience has helped boost my confidence and improved my performance.

“It was a real privilege to be part of the pandemic response and to feel that you’ve made that little bit of a difference. There was a sense of camaraderie on the wards and I really felt part of the team.

“It has also helped me develop more self-awareness. Nursing can be stressful but I’ve learned to look after myself and be more resilient when I feel overwhelmed with the challenges I face, particularly when wards are short staffed and there are difficult cases to deal with."

To view the full statement from the Scottish Government click here.