Module MSE-9008:
Short-term Work Placement
Short-term Work Placement 2024-25
MSE-9008
2024-25
North Wales Medical School
Module - Semester 1 & 2
15 credits
Module Organiser:
Alyson Moyes
Overview
The module aims to support students in finding and preparing for a period of work experience. Afterwards, recording and reflecting on the experience will help students to recognise and articulate their enhanced employability.
The practical element of the module comprises a block work placement. This will usually be taken during the summer between years 2 and 3 and will be for a minimum of 2 weeks (70 hours) and a maximum of 3 months.
The placement is not limited to any locality and could be in the student’s home town or country.
Students will register for the module in the spring of their second year and will be provided with guidance on locating and applying for a placement. They will attend workshops and one-to-one guidance sessions to prepare them for job searching, creating applications and CVs, interviews, and the workplace environment.
It is a requirement that students find their own placements.
The placement should be related to the student’s degree subject but can also reflect the student’s interests in a future career direction. The relevance of the placement should be made clear by the student in their pre-placement forms.
A Placement Screening Form and Risk Assessment for the placement will be completed by the student with support from the Module Organiser, School’s Health & Safety Officer and the Skills & Employability Service.
Placement documents must be submitted by the deadlines in order for the necessary checks to be conducted. All work placements must be approved by the Programme Lead, School Health and Safety Officer and Head of School before they can begin.
The student may begin their work placement at a date agreed between the student and the employer, but not until the end of teaching and assessment for the 2nd semester of their 2nd year. The student will be under the supervision of their employer for the duration of the placement.
All students will be given the opportunity to share disability-related information. Reasonable adjustments for disabled students will be recommended to the employer, as included in the student’s Personal Learning Support Plan, and any additional adjustments identified when planning the placement should be discussed with Disability Services, as appropriate.
Where students are unable to find a suitable placement, they revert back to their usual suite of modules for their degree programme.
The Module Organiser will monitor progress during the placement, primarily by email or video conference.
If the work placement is successfully completed and the module is passed, this will be listed on the student's transcript on graduation.
Assessment Strategy
-threshold -Pass/fail assessment
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of the industry/business environment in which the employing company or organisation operates.
- Demonstrate a record of professional work practices within a job role, including effective communication with employers and academic members of staff.
- Demonstrate ability to respond positively to the challenges of life in employment.
- Demonstrate appropriate employability skills in applying for and attaining a work placement
Assessment method
Report
Assessment type
Summative
Description
Post-Placement report. At the end of the placement, a Post-placement form will be completed and signed by the Student, the Work Placement Provider and Module Organiser. Again, this will contain a reflective element (maximum 800 words), where the student considers whether/how the placement succeeded (or not), and reflects on which skills were acquired. The document will be graded pass/fail by the Module organiser.
Weighting
33%
Due date
03/09/2025
Assessment method
Report
Assessment type
Summative
Description
Letter from employer. This essential component of the assessment is a signed letter or statement, provided by the student’s employer and confirming that the student undertook duties as required by them. It is the student’s responsibility to ask their employer for this signed letter or statement. In situations where the placement could not be completed or the relationship with the employer has broken down, the Module Organiser may identify alternative evidence, including pay cheques or other documentation.
Weighting
34%
Due date
03/09/2025
Assessment method
Report
Assessment type
Summative
Description
Written Plan. Before starting the work placement, a Pre-placement form will be completed and signed by the Student, Work placement Provider (ie. employer) and the Module Organiser. Potential health and safety risks must be considered during this process, and a risk assessment carried out. The form will also contain a brief reflective element (maximum 300 words), where the student justifies how the placement is linked to their degree, and considers: • which work-related skills they have already acquired, and • which might be acquired on the placement.
Weighting
33%
Due date
04/06/2025