Welcome

Hello everyone,

This blog is to provide you with information to help prepare you for your nursing programme at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU). The programme team are very excited to meet you and help you on your journey to becoming registered nurses.

We will use this site to upload information and answer your questions until your programme begins. After that, you will be able to get this information from our GCU virtual learning environment, known as GCU Learn, and from emails.

Vaccines for Students

Make sure your vaccines are up-to-date

Infectious diseases can spread easily in university and college communities. Vaccination offers the best protection which is why it’s important to check that your vaccines are up-to-date.
The MenACWY vaccine helps protect against meningococcal disease which causes meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning). These can be severe and life threatening. The vaccine protects against four main forms of meningococcal disease but not all, so make sure you know the signs and symptoms of meningitis and get medical advice if you or one of your friends
feel very unwell. Don’t assume it’s a hangover or fresher’s flu. For more information visit meningitis.org.

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Currently, parts of the UK and Europe are seeing an increase in the number of people getting measles. That’s why it important to check you’ve had two doses of the MMR vaccine.

If you’ve moved to Scotland from overseas, make sure you’re up to date with vaccinations offered for free by NHS Scotland.

You may be eligible for additional vaccines that were not available where you lived previously.
To find out how you can get these vaccines, as well as any others you may be eligible for, please visit www.nhsinform.scot/vaccinesforstudents

Moving and Handling

Dear all 23.24 Nursing students,

Hello and welcome to GCU, we are so pleased to have you all as part of our 23.24 academic year. We are writing to you all today with regards to moving and handling training. We are the leads for this mandatory training here at GCU and would like to gain some information from you all prior to the programme commencing in September.
If you have completed moving and handling training (as a student, HCSW or employee within the health service) AND have a completed the ‘Scottish moving and handling passport’ (pictured below) please email the team directly at mah_nursing@gcu.ac.uk before Monday 18th September 2023 with the information below. As part of this email could you please provide the following details:

 Pictures of ALL pages of the moving and handling passport which have been completed (modules A to F, usually the first 6 pages of the passport)
 Dates in which this training was undertaken
 Information on where this training took place (such as, Glasgow, north Lanarkshire etc.)
 An approximate date of when you last used your moving and handling skills within the clinical setting and your role at that time for example, HCSW, Student etc.

If you have undertaken a form of moving and handling training but have never been issued with a moving and handling passport, please do not respond to this announcement. If you have completed moving and handling training but no longer have your passport, please contact us and provide as much information as possible in relation to the points above.
We look forward to hearing from you and please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or concerns.
Kind regards,

Kirstine Cassidy (M&H Lead) Office: A512 Contact Number: 0141 331 8381

Maria Renwick (M&H Deputy) Office: A410 Contact: 07765818925This image shows the Scottish moving and handling passport with sections completed

Important information

Here are some details about things that require to be completed as part of starting your course.

  • Disclosure Scotland application for Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) clearance
  • Occupational Health Clearance
  • Uniform ordering
  • NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Indexing

1. Disclosure Scotland – application to join PVG Scheme

As a condition of entry to the programme, all students must join the Disclosure Scotland PVG Scheme. You will need to complete this application at GCU even if you already hold a PVG with another organisation.

During Induction Week, you will be asked to complete a form providing basic personal information. You will also be asked to upload photographs/scanned copies of two forms of identification. One should be photographic ID (e.g. passport or driving licence), and one should include your address (e.g. utility bill, rent agreement, bank statement). We will be comparing your information against your GCU student record. Therefore, the address on your ID must match your record, and the photographic ID must be recent so we can compare.

It is essential that you complete the form during Induction Week. Our team will then use this information to process an application with Disclosure Scotland. You will subsequently receive instructions from Disclosure Scotland to complete the application. The process is not concluded until you have received a copy of your certificate. Failure to complete the PVG may prevent you from continuing on your programme of study.

2. Occupational Health Clearance

Students require Occupational Health (OH) clearance for placement. You will receive email instructions to complete online health screening and to attend an appointment with our Occupational Health provider, PAM OH. If you have not received these emails, please check your email Junk folder. It is very important that you attend all clinic appointments. If you are unable to attend an appointment, please contact PAM OH using the contact information supplied in the appointment email.

3. Uniform

Students who require the NHS or SAS national uniform for placement can order their uniforms online. In the lead-up to the start of the term, you will receive an email with instructions on how to order your uniform.

4. NES Indexing (Nursing students only)

Each year GCU is required to provide NHS Education in Scotland (NES) with a list of students who have commenced study in a Nursing discipline. NES requires basic personal information so they can add you to their register, and on completion of the programme, you will be added to the NMC register.

During Induction Week you will be asked to complete a Form providing basic information, including educational qualifications. It is very important you complete this MS Form during Induction Week. Our team will collate all responses and return to NES within the first 2 weeks of the new academic session.

Registration

All students will receive an email inviting them to proceed with registration when it opens for them. You will receive the email via the personal email address provided during the application process.

It is a staged process, so please don’t worry if you do not receive your email immediately.  However, we encourage all students to complete the registration process as soon as they receive the registration email.

Delaying your registration will cause issues such as not receiving your individual timetable before you start your course or a delay in receiving access to online facilitates such as GCU Learn, so please complete the process as soon as you can. For students eligible for SAAS/SLC funding, delaying your registration will also delay you receiving your payments.

Find out more by clicking on the image below:

Click this image to be taken to the GCU registration page.

Occupational Health

PAM OH is the Occupational Health provider for Glasgow Caledonian University Nursing and Healthcare students. You will be familiar with completing an online Fit 4 Jobs health declaration form prior to commencing your course.

Once your form has been screened by a nurse, vaccination clinics will commence in September. This is to ensure you are covered for attending placements and for future employment. A vaccine report will be available to each student once you are up to date with Occupational Health.

It is important appointments are not missed as this can cause a disruption to your vaccine schedule and unfinished vaccine stages/immunity checks. Appointments should be prioritised during classes and placements, and notice must be given if you cannot attend.

Picture of PAM OH the complete occupational health and wellbeing provider

Appointment emails will be sent in due course, and the clinic is located on Speirs Wharf, which is a 15-minute walk from GCU campus.

If, throughout your course, you require a referral to Occupational Health for any health reason relating to your course, consultations with our nurses/doctors are available. Please discuss with your programme lead, who will be happy to submit a referral.

Any Occupational Health queries can be emailed to GlasgowCUHD@people-am.com

Are you a carer?

GCU CARERS

Are you a carer, or have circumstances that may mean you provide or intend to provide care for another individual?

Our GCU carer team are ready to provide you with support and information.

We work with Carers Trust Scotland which has helped us to understand the challenges experienced by student carers and are proud to have achieved the Going Higher for Student Carers Award.

Get in touch by emailing StudentCarers@gcu.ac.uk or click on the image below for further information:

This image contains a link to the GCU carers webpage.

Trimester A: Academic Calendar

This image shows university dates for Trimester A
GCU Academic Calendar

Here are the academic dates for the coming Trimester (term).  This may help your planning.

The festive holidays take place during the period between the Study Period and Tri A exams (23rd Dec 2023- 7th Jan 2024).  Please use this time and the inter-trimester break (22nd Jan 2024 – 26th Jan 2024) when planning any holidays.

Thanks