Welcome to the Mental Health Nursing course! The Mental Health & Learning Disability Lecturing team, myself and our colleagues from practice, look forward to supporting and guiding you through your studies on this course

Lisa Adams
Course Director

Key dates

Academic Calendar: Semesters with Professional Learning Block

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2024-25 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.

Welcome

The three-year course is challenging, but we hope you will rise to the challenge and engage fully with the learning opportunities that available to you. Your course has been designed equip you with the skills and knowledge to provide the best person centred, compassionate, evidenced based, nursing care to Service Users with a range of psychological and mental health problems in the extensive and diverse environments. Your course will also furnish you with the skills that you need to become reflective, robust and resilient and will lay the foundations towards lifelong learning and to acquire knowledge and skills throughout your career.

The Mental Health & Learning Disability Lecturing team, myself and our colleagues from practice aim to ensure that, by the time you graduate, you will have gained the knowledge and skills required to practice as a Registered Mental Health Nurse and start you on a long and successful career. The next months & years will be a busy time and we will be here to support you throughout your course, and I am sure you will soon settle in to University life. We look forward to working you as you start on your university journey.

Getting started

Please ensure that you engage with occupational health clearance and DBS processes required by the Admissions Team. Failure to complete this by the time you register on the course may result in you not being able to proceed with your studies. Please also ensure your engage with the Placement Planning Form FoMHSC 2024/2025.

Your welcome and induction will begin on week commencing 16 September 2024. - we look forward to meeting you then.

Welcome and Induction, Uniform and Occupational Health

If you are a Canterbury student, click the button below labelled Canterbury , and if you are a Medway student click the button labelled Medway , for information that is specific to your particular campus.

Welcome and Induction

Your Welcome Week is an essential introduction to your course and student life at CCCU, helping you to feel confident and prepared for your studies right from the very start.

It is important to check your Welcome Schedule for all the activities you are required to attend during the week.

If any of your welcome activities are in groups, your course team will contact you before your arrival to let you know which group you will be in.

Your teaching timetable 

UniTimetables provides an overview of all teaching activities on a course. Your individual timetable will be available via MyTimetable and is personalised to show you what modules and groups you are expected to attend.

Your individual student timetable can only be produced once you have engaged with online registration and created your computing account. It is essential you complete these tasks when invited, so that your course team can assign you to your teaching activities and publish your individual timetable.

Find out more about all aspects of timetabling for new students including user guides.

Please note that timings given in your Welcome Schedule for uniform measure and issue events and occupational health vaccinations are indicative timings only. Please check below for the exact time of your appointment, which will be dependent on your surname (A-Z).

Visit us in the Health Hub to get your questions answered and have a soft drink and biscuit on us!

In addition to your course welcome activities, you can also join us at our Health Hub, timings below, where we can help you with any questions you may have or direct you to the most appropriate service.

You are now on your own exciting journey, but you are also part of our community where we support each other to grow and flourish at university and beyond. Drop in and stay connected, meet new friends and your peers. Meet and chat to our placements team, academic course administration team and existing students.

Drop in on the 1st floor of the Rowan Williams Court building in RWf39 during any of the times below:

  • Monday 16 September, 12:30pm to 5pm
  • Tuesday 17 September, 9am to 5pm
  • Wednesday 18 September, 9am to 5pm

Follow us on our CCCU_Health Instagram account to keep up to date with what is happening for students.

Occupational Health Clearance & Uniform

As part of starting your studies here at Canterbury Christ Church University, you will need to attend an occupational health vaccination appointment and a uniform measure & issue appointment during Welcome Week.

If you were an S23 Health Foundation Year student and you have passed and are proceeding onto your Year 1 with Mental Health Nursing, you are not required to attend the occupational health vaccination appointment, as you already have your occupational health clearance. However, please attend the Mental Health Nursing uniform appointment detailed below, thank you.

Occupational Health Clearance

Students need to obtain occupational health clearance to ensure they are fit to practice. You will be prompted via your ‘MyRecord’ to complete a clearance check and directed to an online health questionnaire.

Once you have submitted your questionnaire, you are required to attend an occupational health vaccination appointment appropriate to your placement requirements. We use an external company called OH Works for this. Ahead of your appointment, please gather any vaccination documentation (paper or electronic) from your GP or workplace to take to your occupational health appointment.

Click here for your occupational health appointment location and time.

For enquiries about your occupational health clearance please email cccustudents@ohworks.co.uk or phone 01227 286288.

Uniform

At your measure & issue appointment, you will be welcomed by the CCCU Uniform Team and our uniform suppliers, Alexandra. Once your sizing requirements have been determined, you will be able to collect your uniform which is expected to last the duration of your course. Your uniform is provided to you free of charge.

Click here for your uniform appointment location and time.

Important information regarding your uniform can be found on the uniform policy.

Placement Badge

On placement you will be required to wear a placement badge, which will have your course title and preferred first name. This placement badge is provided to you free of charge. You will be supplied with your placement badge once you have started your course. Please note, this is not your student ID card. 

You will receive an email from the Uniform Team regarding important tasks that you will need to action prior to your Welcome Week. If you have any questions about your uniform or placement badge, please email health.uniform@canterbury.ac.uk.

Specialist Equipment Requirements

Item

Reason

Cost

Compulsory or Optional

Fob watch

This will be needed both in university and clinical practice

£1 - £45

This is not compulsory to buy before you start as you will be able to buy one at the beginning of your course.

Pre-course reading

We would encourage you to review the course structure and module options via your course page before you arrive.

We do not recommend purchasing any books at this time. The University library has adequate resources available at the point of starting the course.

Prior to starting we do recommend reading up on:

The NHS core values - https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/working-health/working-nhs/nhs-constitution

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of professional conduct - https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

CourseSupport-health@canterbury.ac.uk