Medical students

You will have a Trust induction, access to a Trust laptop and training on the Rio system so that you can access patient notes. 

You will have the choice of accommodation with parking available when placed in Mansfield / Newark or option to claim travel expenses. 

You will be part of a team where you get opportunities for learning both inpatient and community settings, including ward reviews and outpatient clinics. 

"My psychiatry placement certainly exceeded expectations. As a medical student, sometimes you end up feeling like a spare part. However, from the first day I was made to feel part of the team and given the confidence and direction to get involved. I was always welcome on the wards and encouraged by all members of the MDT to spend time with patients. Highlights were ECT teaching and my speciality week in Forensic psychiatry. During this week I spent some time in prison working with the Liaison and Diversion team, attended a Mental Health Act Assessment for someone remanded in custody in the cells and was able to follow them up on the ward as an inpatient the following day! Having one-to-one mentorship from my Consultants and junior doctors was invaluable throughout."

- Sabea Sanderson, Medical Student 

You could be placed in Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHS), Intellectual Disabilities (ID) or Forensic Psychiatry for your speciality week. 

"The week I spent at CAMHS is definitely one I won't ever forget, I spent most of my time on the PICU which was an extremely interesting experience, yet also challenging to see those young people struggling with such difficulties. I had the privlege of getting to know the patients myself but also sit in on the ward rounds and MDTs, hence seeing the patients from a more professional and clinical view too. Despite the nature of the work, the CAMHS unit was an extremely positive place, and I was always met with smiles and enthusiasm for the work they do."

- Meghna Patel, Medical Student 

"It was great to have the opportunity to spend a week in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry, a speciality I hadn't expected to get the chance to experience during medical school. Everyone I encountered - from the consultants to the admin staff - was friendly and welcoming and took the time to answer my questions. I was given the opportunity to experience both inpatient and community settings, as well as sitting in on an MDT meeting. I partciularly enjoyed the community clinic, where I got to meet patients and their carers, and see the holistic nature of the speciality as a whole"

- Caroline Corke, Medical Student

There are other opportunities within the placement, which include:

• Community visits with Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs), Occupational Therapists, etc. attending multidisciplinary team meetings 
• Additional opportunities of interest such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) teaching, mental health review tribunals, CRISIS team assessments, and journal clubs 
• MACCS and final assessment (knowledge and OSCE) - you will get plenty of opportunities to practice on placement by spending time on the ward / clinic including history taking in psychiatry, risk assessment, and mental state examination 

You will spend part of this placement in the Trust's Old Age Psychiatry service which is delivered jointly with our partner Trusts Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and Sherwood Forest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 

You will have the opportuntiy to experience the following in an hospital setting:

• Organic inpatient unit which predominately focusses on organic brain diseases such as dementia
• Functional inpatient unit which focusses on the management of severe mental illnesses that affect old people for example depression, various anxiety disorders, and psychosis
• Rapid Response Liaison Psychiatry (RRLP) based in the acute Trusts such as Nottingham University Hospitals, Sherwood Forest NHS Foundation Trust, to assess patients presenting with mental health difficulties in acute hospital settings

You will also have the opportunities to learn in the following community settings:

• Intensive Home Treatment team assessments and community visits
• Outpatient clinics
• Memory assessment services
• Multidisciplinary team meetings 

MACCS

• Cognitive assessment - you will have the opportunities to practice and assess on it during the placement 

Care based discussion 

• You will have the opportunity to complete your case-based discussion (formative assessment) with either your consultant or the clinical educator 

"My time on the wards on my old age psychiatry placement was really useful for my understanding of how psychiatric conditions present and are managed differently in the older population compared to the adult population. I also found it interesting to see how the patients were managed as a whole, as more often than not, they also had physical comobidities and complex social circumstances. I think the effects of beravement were more predominant and observing how huge lifestyle changes had such a profound impact on the patients' mental health was eye opening. I felt well supported and enjoyed speaking to the patients and over my time saw a wide range of conditions."

- Maya Williams, Medical Student 

• Get involved as if you are part of the team - speak to everyone from the junior doctors to Consultants to help understand what the job is like at all levels
• Find out about what the other members of the MDT do - there will be opportunities to work with many different professionals during the placement 
• Whatever you are interested in, ask about - someone will help you to get experience / exposure 
• Use your logbook to structure your placement as it is really helpful to show what you should be achieving 
• Check in with your named consultant at the end of the week 

• Trent medical student events
• Mind matters society
• Psychstart