Welcome to the Sheffield Hallam University Physician Associate practice placement site for supervisors and students.
This site is a guide to help you make the most of your placements. The resources on the site are for you, your placement supervisors and University tutors. Here you will find essential day to day information for students and supervisors/line managers. The headings on the left of this page will direct you to a range of supporting materials which are available to download, and links to websites that will guide you on Physician Associate professional requirements and inform you about providers of services.
Learning in the workplace plays a key part in the student experience and students spend a substantial part of their Physician Associate course on placement. Placement learning involves a major commitment on the part of the placement providers as well as the students, so we hope that students maximise the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the experience.
Placement opportunities provide students with the chance to learn about good practice at first hand and SHU recognises and values the contribution of the placements in that process. We thank all those organisations for their work.
Students are advised that they must follow their placement provider's policies and guidelines at all times while on placement.
Contacting the Physician Associate Team
If you need to contact a member of the Physician Associate Team, you can find email and telephone contact details here.
Support for Students on Placement
BAME Networks and Freedom to Speak Up Contacts in the NHS
Please find information about how to contact NHS Trust Freedom to Speak Up Guardians and champions, and BAME, LGBTQ+, Dis/Ability networks in NHS settings here (PDF, 816.3KB).
The South Yorkshire ICB Health and Wellbeing Hub
The South Yorkshire ICB Health and Wellbeing Hub is provided by the ICB's mental health specialist partner Vivup and provides confidential fast track emotional and psychological support for healthcare workers.
Covid-19 Advice
Students are advised that they must follow their placement provider's policies and guidelines at all times while on placement in relation to Covid processes and reporting. This includes adhering to your placement provider's guidance on Covid testing, contact tracing and reporting, in addition to meticulous hand hygiene and use of PPE. Please be mindful of how your actions outside placement could put yourself, your colleagues and service users at risk - use face coverings, maintain social distance and reduce contacts outside your household in accordance with current government advice.
If you attend your placement while you have symptoms of covid-19 you will put service users/ clients/ patients and staff at risk of Covid-19 infection. Please read the requirements for safe practice and avoiding harm to service users/ clients/ patients in the professional codes of conduct and ethics for your future profession: The Faculty of Physician Associates at the Royal College of Physicians (link to external website)
Students are advised that they must follow their placement provider's policies and guidelines at all times while on placement in relation to Covid processes and reporting. This includes adhering to your placement provider's guidance on Covid testing, contact tracing and reporting, in addition to meticulous hand hygiene and use of PPE.
Covid-19 Immunisations - Important advice for all students in relation to placement learning
A significant number of our placement providers expect their staff to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and these placements require all students who attend placement in their organisation also to be fully vaccinated. Any delays in ensuring that you are fully vaccinated could prevent you from commencing a placement.
Book your coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination.
