I am delighted to welcome you to the Return to Practice course, and hope that you will enjoy the studies and placement that will lead you back to the NMC register. The course team is small, supportive, and available to help throughout the course. There will be an orientation event prior to the start of the course, so please look out for our email with the details and join us for this if you can. 

Kate Devis
Course Director

Key dates

Course start date: 16 September 2024

Academic Calendar: Trimesters

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

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.

Welcome

There is no set work to complete prior to starting the course, but once you have fully enrolled you will be able to access Blackboard which you may wish to explore. Blackboard is the virtual learning environment (VLE) we will be using. If you open the Blackboard for the Return to Practice course you will see ‘Module Information’ near the top, and if you click on this folder you will be able to find links to materials which you could peruse before starting the course, such as the Student Handbook and Key Course Dates. If you’re having trouble locating this don’t worry – we will also be able to show you where to find this information once you start. 

In the first week of teaching, that is in week commencing 23 September, we will provide an overview of the course, share key dates, have an IT induction, provide an overview of assessments, have a library induction, and discuss placement preparation, before we begin with nursing related teaching sessions.

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 you engage with the Placement Planning Form FoMHSC 2024/2025.

Welcome and Induction

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 2nd floor of the Verena Holmes building in VH 2.60 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 in Welcome Week. 

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 occupational health appointment location and time.

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

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, please email health.uniform@canterbury.ac.uk 

Pre-course reading

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

There is no specific reading required before the start of the course, but we have gathered some introductory resources, including a few web links which you might find interesting to explore:

Brushing up on anatomy and physiology can also be useful if you are feeling a bit rusty. For further useful reading prior to starting your studies, please see the below recommendations:

  • Cottrell, S. (2019) The Study Skills Handbook. 5th edn. London. London. Red Globe Press. 
  • Cottrell, S. (2017) Critical thinking skills : effective analysis, argument and reflection. London. Palgrave Macmillan. 

Finally, we would also recommend familiarising yourself with the quality monitoring procedures in your practice area. 

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