Hi, I’m Alessia, and in September, I started a clinical psychology placement at SLaM (South London and Maudsley) Trust for the NHS, working with SCAAND (Service for Complex Autism and Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorders). Before starting, I was excited yet also worried about the big change that comes with living away from my friends while also having to work a 9-5 job for the first time. Therefore, this post will go through how I’ve been finding the experience of starting my placement so far, while offering some general insights into how I’ve been settling in. Even if you’re not doing psychology, I hope that you may also find this a helpful read in navigating the beginning of your placement.
Commuting
I’m lucky enough to live near London, so I opted to stay at home and commute to my placement. For me, this means that I’m saving a lot of money, and it meant that I didn’t have to go through the hassle of finding student housing earlier in the year. If you happen to live in or near the area where your placement will take place in, commuting could definitely be an option worth considering. Of course, if you need to commute to and from work every day, it can be tiring, especially if you’re not local and you’re not used to the journey. This was definitely something I was nervous about at first, but practising your journey before you start was something I found helpful. It might also be worth discussing this with the placement team or with your supervisor if needing to regularly commute a long way is something you are worried about.
On that note, some placements allow you to work from home, which (outside of meetings) allows you to manage your own work environment and pace. I’m currently finding that working from home suits my working style well. Having that opportunity is beneficial if you live far away from your placement and have a dedicated workspace at home. It also has the added benefit of you being able to spend more time with your family and being able to sleep in a little bit! The role I’m doing is hybrid, where I spend some days at home and others on-site. So far, this has allowed me to not feel isolated from my team and have the hands-on experience that makes a placement year really beneficial, while also being able to have the comfort and convenience of working at home.
Remaining social
Another worry that I had before starting my placement was how I was going to keep in touch with my friends during my placement. Most of my friends are currently based outside London – either because they’re still at university or because their placements are in a different city or country. The easiest way to keep in touch with your friends during the year would be to set up a consistent schedule where you either meet with them in person or call them online. For example, I plan on calling my friends at least once a week during the weekend and meeting up with one of my friends monthly, as they are also based in London.
It is difficult when your social circles get overthrown by being forced to live far from all the friends you’ve made at university but making that conscious effort to stay in touch makes all the difference. Furthermore, depending on where you end up working, you may also be working with other undergraduate placement students. This can be a nice opportunity to remain social at work with people who are in a similar position to yourself. Regardless, your placement supervisor or line manager should make sure that you’re settling in well when you’re first starting out!
Settling in
On the topic of settling in, it may feel like you’re being thrown in the deep end at first. I’ve certainly felt that way, attending meetings where my colleagues chat about patient cases I’m unfamiliar with or using terminology I’ve never heard of before. However, I’ve found that despite this, my colleagues have been very patient and considerate towards me. After all, they know that I’m not a qualified clinician and that everything has been extremely new to me. It’s your supervisor’s job to help show you the reins, especially in the first months of you starting out. This may mean that you get assigned more menial or administrative tasks at first, but as your confidence and experience grows, so will the workplace opportunities that will come your way. On that note, don’t forget or hesitate to ask questions – whether that be for help or advice or for extra things to do.
Conclusion
This is all to say that starting my placement year away from university has been a huge change for me, and it’s something that I’m only starting to get used to. However, it has been a really enlightening experience so far, and despite the challenges that I have faced and may face, it’s something that I have not been alone in. I’m excited to see what the rest of my year brings, and I hope I have been able to somewhat reassure you if you are going to be starting your placement year too!
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