Nancy’s story

Many students on health programmes end up studying far from home, often this is by choice, but sometimes by necessity. Nancy tells us about her experience studying at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich whilst living in London and juggling family and work commitments…

“I worked in London, I’ve got my children in London, and coming to Ipswich was one of my biggest challenges…”

Nancy’s decision to study further from home was her choice. Nancy talks about her previous job working within the NHS in London and how she wanted to be able to study somewhere new, away from her place of work and her family commitments.

“I wanted to come to a university where I can separate my family life to my university life… I didn’t want it to impact my ability to perform in the course.”

Nancy’s story highlights some of her struggles but also demonstrates how study can be (with a little careful planning and commitment) flexible to life’s changing demands. Nancy also demonstrates the incredible commitment that is often shown by students who are juggling many other priorities. Nancy highlights that she doesn’t have to be on campus every day, so has negotiated staying locally for the days she is required to attend university.

“I stay when I have to be here, and I go back when I have to go home and be a mother”

Financially, Nancy copes by continuing with part-time work on top of her student finance. She has also benefited from peer and course team support on top of incredible family support;

“My cohort have been brilliant, and the head of children’s nursing has always checked up on me and made sure that… my mental health is being looked after. I have family support… I have so much support in London.”

Nancy has also enjoyed the support of a strong and supportive Course Rep (representative) who has ensured all members of the cohort are being heard and advocated on their behalf with the course team.

“She makes sure that every information is being shared… she actually helped us set up a WhatsApp group that… is the most easiest thing.”

Resources for course teams

Considerations for academic teams

• many students choose to study and/or attend placement far from their permanent residence. Sometimes this is a conscious choice but often may be unavoidable, particularly if students can only afford to live in certain areas. International students who do not have a grounding in local geography or travel might mistakenly arrange accommodation further away than intended. What services does your university offer to students to support such students with flexible learning, travel expenses and local short-term or flexible accommodation?
• how can you design courses (including blocks of theory and placement) to accommodate those who are parents and need to care for children in school holidays? Many students (and staff) in the NHS are women and may have parenting or caring responsibilities. Is annual leave scheduled over typical school holiday periods?
• can you provide theory or personal tuition more flexibly to those students who live further away? Can tutorials or even small group seminars be arranged virtually?
• how can you recognise and acknowledge the incredible commitment shown by students who travel long distances for their studies?
• course reps can be an invaluable source of support for students and help to connect those students who may feel further removed from cohort members who are local and socialise together. Ensure you know how course reps are elected and support this process. How can you encourage enthusiastic and empathetic individuals to consider this role? How are reps rewarded for their time and effort? Could this be improved?

Tools for academic teams

• direct students to student finance if they have extra travel expenses – they may be eligible for further financial support such as a means-tested grant or support via the NHS Business Authority
• students may also be eligible for parental support funding – direct students to the NHSBSA website for more info
• consider alternative, more compassionate pedagogical approaches; intensive learning (commonly called ‘block’ models) are becoming more popular. These allow students to take one module (and one assessment) at a time rather than multiple. Students report that this is often easier to fit around other priorities. Read more about block models
• the students’ union for your university will be able to provide additional support for students in relation to accommodation and finances as well as general wellbeing. Often SU’s have officers aligned with each school or faculty – find out who yours is and contact them. Invite them into the classroom to speak to students about what is on offer, even if this is outside the ‘normal’ induction week where this usually happens

Resources for students

Consideration for students

• even if you wish to remain living further from campus or placement (or have no option but to continue) investigate temporary or flexible options closer to these sites. Hospitals often offer staff accommodation that students can access
• what discount, grants or bursaries are available to you as a student for travel, accommodation or childcare? Some ideas are given below but there will be locally available schemes that can help you
• find out who is your course rep and engage with them, they can be an important source of support and connection with the rest of your cohort if you are feeling isolated by living further away

Tools for students

• speak to practice staff about hospital accommodation, start with your practice supervisor or practice education team, you may be able to access this on an asneeds basis.
• if you are eligible, you could sign up for a 16-25 railcard this will give you 1/3 off train travel across the UK and you don’t need to be between the ages of 16 and 25 to apply – mature students are eligible with proof of study
• contact student finance to see if you are eligible for a means-tested grant for travel expenses
• speak to your Students’ Union (SU) – they will be able to offer advice and guidance on travel, accommodation and finance options; there may be schemes or services locally that you are unaware of and the SU can direct you to these
• parental support funding may be available to you if you have dependents. If you would like to find out more information on the parental support, take a look at the NHSBSA website
• often there are incentives to support students studying key healthcare courses. In 2024 there is currently a £5,000 training grant available per academic year for eligible new and continuing students. There is also an additional £1000 for students studying an identified shortage specialism and a further £1000 for those falling into the regional incentive. Find out more here

Resources for practice staff

Considerations for practice staff

• do you have any accommodation available for staff? Can students access this too?
• are there childcare facilities available for NHS staff that can also be accessed by students who have dependents?
• how can you better support students who do live further away and are travelling great distances? Consider rostering with this in mind, offering blocks of shifts if this suits students rather than ‘split shifts’ or ensuring the first shift in a block is a ‘late’ starting shift so students have time to travel to site without having to find accommodation the night before. Remember students are generally not salaried unless on apprenticeship or fully funded programmes
• when scheduling shifts for students across a wider geographic area (for example, community based placements) take the time to find out where students are based and allocate compassionately where possible based on distance from home and accessibility
• how can you recognise and acknowledge the incredible commitment shown by students who travel long distances for their placements?

Tools for practice staff

• direct students to student finance if they have extra travel expenses – they may be eligible for a means-tested grant or for learning support from the NHS Business Authority
• ensure students with dependents explore if they may be eligible for parental support funding via the NHS Business Authority
• there are e-learning for health programmes for staff on how to support students in practice – most healthcare staff have access to this for free through employers
• access, read and consider how you can implement the ‘safe learning environment charter’ for students in your practice area, search for safe learning charter

(N.B. The links and tools provided are a selection of those available and should not be considered a conclusive list or endorsement by NHS England. Links are up to date at time of publication).