Reflecting on practice placements in a rural setting and within a mental health service

Ruth Murray, L3 Occupational Therapy Student, QMU:

“When I logged on to see my allocation for my third-year placement and read 'Lochgilphead', it raised two questions: where it is and how on earth do I pronounce it? After doing a bit of googling I finally had answers to both, and then immediately began to feel excited about my nine-week relocation to somewhere so rural. My car was packed to the roof as I set off on my journey to Lochgilphead. I was so excited but also slightly nervous as to what to expect and pondering to myself "what if the team didn’t like me?" and "what if I don't enjoy the placement setting?" but my feelings of nervousness were immediately forgotten as soon as I was welcomed in by the team and into the hospital setting. My nine weeks couldn’t have been better; the opportunities I was afforded, and everyone I interacted with made my third-year placement an exceptionally valuable experience and one I’ll never forget”.  

Molly Kennedy, L3 Occupational Therapy Student, QMU:

"During my time working in a children and adolescent mental health service, I got the opportunity to work with children aged 10-18 who were experiencing mental health struggles which impacted on their daily lives. A particular aspect of this placement that I enjoyed was attending school meetings with other agencies and disciplines, including educational psychologists, social workers, teachers, and parents/guardians. The aim of these school meetings was generally to introduce supports in school for children who were not attending due to their anxiety, depression, etc. I found this to be a valuable way of ensuring that a child's best possible outcomes were achieved within the school environment."