Elective placements

DOWNLOAD:
International Nurses Welcome and Guidance Booklet

Mildmay has produced this booklet to assist staff coming from overseas with their orientation and adjustment to living and working in the UK.

Click on the image to download a PDF of the booklet.

An elective can provide an insight into a specialist area not offered by your course. It can help you gain extra experience/skills for your CV, for example, organising your own placement can demonstrate proactivity, planning or negotiation skills, making sure you develop useful employability skills during the placement itself, for example problem solving, flexibility and resourcefulness.

It can also help you to:

Expand your clinical knowledge and skill set
Become more confident and resourceful
Sharpen your language and communication skills
Build your personal and professional network
Make yourself more employable.

Find out more:

In the first instance, please contact Mildmay's Registered & Compliance Manager, Teri Milewska: teri.milewska@mildmay.org

Mar 22
1 min

Nutrition students from NOVA Medical School complete a unique one-week internship at Mildmay

Eleven students carried out several individual clinical and catering projects to develop and enhance the nutritional care of our patients.

38 views0 comments

Find out more and read testimonials from the students

Mildmay is at the vanguard of social work training and education

Mildmay’s social work team, headed up by Lead Social Worker, Beverly Nelson, supports vulnerable patients within our hospital. It offers patients wrap-around care that is respectful, inclusive, and considerate of all care and support needs. Mildmay’s social work team works with patients, their carers, family, and advocate to promote collaborative working, anti-oppressive and anti-discriminative practices.

Find out more about social work at Mildmay

Testimonials

Hi my name is Mahmoud, a final-year dietetics student. I and a fellow dietetics student conducted our public health placement at Mildmay, and it was absolutely amazing.

The team here are brilliant, and I really felt at home the moment I walked through the doors. The atmosphere and energy of the team are like no other. From the patient-centred care to inclusive, multidisciplinary meetings, Mildmay is a wonderful place to work.

As part of our placement, we developed various resources for the team. These included: 13 budget-friendly recipes, a shopping list, an information sheet on BDA recommendations and detox nutrition information, 7-day menus (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) and a report on patient satisfaction.

I want to say a massive thank you to the team at Mildmay and especially to Kattya, our inspiring supervisor. I hope to work with you all again!

My name is Layana, and I'm a fourth-year Dietetics Student. I worked with a fellow student on our Public Health Placement at Mildmay. We were asked to create a resource that would benefit patients regarding healthy nutritional advice and guidance.

We explored the way Mildmay works and got the chance to work with all the lovely teams there! We learned a lot about practising a patient-care approach and observed the Multidisciplinary Team work together to reach the best outcomes for their patients.

It was very interesting working with patients on all pathways (HIV, Detox and Homeless) as it was eye-opening to listen to their stories. I observed the challenges that may occur daily and how these barriers are overcome. The impact the staff had on all the patients, and the amazing input of the dietitian there, have inspired me to work hard to give back to the world as a dietitian.

Thank you, Mildmay, for supporting me through this placement. Your warm welcome and friendly smiles have made me feel a sense of belonging within your team. Thank you for all the knowledge and support you gave me; it has been such a pleasure working with you all!

Both students visiting from,
Kings College London

I just wanted to email to say thank you for facilitating my placement at Mildmay. Over my short time here, I've learnt how to support two patient groups with which I had had very little contact previously. Supporting these patient groups has been complex and left me reflective at times, but many of my encounters with patients and staff have been uplifting and I've witnessed an atmosphere of positivity and hope. The holistic multi-disciplinary care at Mildmay has been very impressive and a lifeline to patients.

I wanted to find an elective which would help me to challenge myself and you have given me exactly that and more. As I progress into my final year, I will take with me what I have learned at Mildmay. In Scotland, we have Waverley Care which is a Hep C and HIV charity that operates Milestone House in Edinburgh- the closest equivalent I can find in Scotland! This experience has inspired me to seek volunteer opportunities within this charity.

Finally, I have discussed this placement with my friends and family, and I have recounted this quote many times as I believe it fits Mildmay-

“the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” - Gandhi.

All the best to staff and patients,

2nd-year nursing student,
Edinburgh University

"The reputation of Mildmay and the highly specialised services that are offered are second to none, and such a testament to the power of applying a holistic, person-centred approach, and to be able to observe this would be invaluable in developing my understanding of care, especially when supporting people with illnesses that, unfortunately, still carry stigma.

I am particularly interested in the specialised pathway that Mildmay provides to people who are experiencing homelessness. This seems such an important and very much-needed service; prior to beginning nursing I worked and volunteered with people experiencing homelessness as a result of the asylum system, and witnessing the health inequalities they experienced was a huge factor that inspired me to begin my training."

2nd-year adult nursing student,
Manchester Metropolitan University

NovaMedical School student testimonials

International Dietetic and Nutrition internships at Mildmay

I would like to thank everyone at Mildmay Mission Hospital for welcoming the students and for all their help and support to realise their projects.

I would also like to thank Professor Filomena Gomes of Nova Medical School, Lisbon, for reaching out to us to support the development of future healthcare professionals.

Kattya Mayre-Chilton

Specialist Dietitian

Nutrition Students from Nova Medical School, Group 1

Nutrition Students from Nova Medical School, Group 2

The acknowledgements below are from the NOVA Medical School Nutritional Science final year students focused on their time and people they met at Mildmay:

Ines Timóteo

"Our internship was very enriching. It allowed us as students to get to know a different reality in a different country and where there is an adjustment of priorities taking into account the existing context. We had the opportunity to learn from a very dedicated multidisciplinary team, which despite the existing adversities, strives to provide the best possible health care. This internship marked my academic career and will certainly contribute to my future as a health professional."

Matilde Silva

"In this report, I would like to personally thank Dr Kattya for all her generosity and for making us feel so welcome and useful to improve the service at Mildmay Mission Hospital, as well as for the opportunity to be faced with different realities from those in Portugal.

I would also like to thank George for making us feel at home and always having friendly and comforting words to give us.

To all the staff who made this project possible, including the interns Amanda and James, without whom it would not have been possible to develop this project.

Ana Sofia

I would like to personally thank Dr Kattya for having us at Mildmay for this great experience and for being always extremely kind and helpful.

I would also like to thank the catering staff for being receptive and helping us collect the necessary data for our project. The health technicians in both wards, James, Marcelina, Ian and George were impeccable and very supportive during this week.

I especially enjoyed this internship because I had the opportunity to have close contact with the patients, to be able to talk to them and understand how important proper nutrition is for their rehabilitation, health and well-being."

Katarina Sintra Serralha

"I would like to personally thank Dr Kattya for having us at Mildmay Mission Hospital and for being extremely kind and helpful. This internship gave me the possibility to have close contact with the patients, as well as an experience in a different reality than the one that we are used to in Portugal. Also, George welcomed us in such a warm way that we can´t explain and gave us the best suggestions of places, activities and restaurants in London. All the other staff members, and our internship colleagues, Marcelina and James, thank you all! Mildmay Mission Hospital will always be in my heart for the unique experience and lovely people!"

Joana

"I would like to leave a very special thank you to Dr Kattya Mayre-Chilton for receiving me and my colleagues at Mildmay Mission Hospital and always making us feel welcomed and truly part of the team. There was always a kind word for us, and she was always available for anything we may need. I appreciated all the effort to always teach us something new every day. Above all else, I learned that as a dietitian, I can truly make an impact on people’s lives. Dr. Kattya truly inspired me to be a better professional and a better human being through my work.

I also appreciated every member of the team, specially Shalma, who was always available to find solutions to our problems, and Ian, who always greeted us with a smile.

Throughout this week of the internship, I had the chance to get in contact with patients in a reality that is completely different from mine. I could do a MUST screening, catering, data collection, and a variety of other tasks that I could see would make an impact on the hospital, which made me feel valued. Overall, it was, without a doubt, an experience that leaves a special mark on my heart and my academic and future professional career."

Beatriz Martins Coelho

"I am deeply grateful for how Mildmay Mission Hospital welcomed us, the friendliness of the staff, and the opportunity they have provided me with.

Especially, I am incredibly grateful to Dr Kattya Mayre-Chilton, for receiving me and my colleagues in the best way possible and for her invaluable guidance and support throughout the internship. She provided me with clear direction and expectations about my project and was always available to answer my questions and provide valuable feedback. In addition to the project, Dr Kattya Mayre-Chilton allowed me to attend her clinical practice through shadowing, which contributed even more to my learning. Throughout the internship, Dr Amanda Comer, the Speech and Language Therapist, provided me with valuable insights and guidance that helped me to develop my internship project, for which I thank you."

Alexandre Alves Rodrigues

After finishing this internship, there is a feeling of excitement because we experienced a very different reality and, on the other hand, a feeling that it was a short period to have a full experience at this hospital. I think that seeing another way of work and attending a Multidisciplinary Team meeting was incredible in expanding horizons and bringing more knowledge and ideas to the Portuguese Health System.

Being with Kattya doing the MUST screen for the first time, shadowing in patient meetings, seeing her talking with the patients, and learning about this relationship between a patient and a health professional made me feel like a part of that team during the week. We tried to help as much as possible with our projects by trying to help serve the food and show more consistent organisation at lunchtime, which made me feel even more involved.

Thank you for this opportunity!"

Margarida Silva and Matilde Pereira

"Firstly, we would like to express our thanks to Mildmay Mission Hospital, and in particular the dietitian Kattya Mayre-Chilton, for providing us with this unique internship opportunity.

We were privileged to learn about work culture and develop our professional and personal skills through this experience. Certainly, an experience we will not forget. Thank you!"

Ruta Preiksaityte and Yash Kanabar

"We are grateful for the support of Dr Katya and the whole team that welcomed us and allowed us to have a complete and dynamic internship with the possibility of interaction with the patients and the team.

We are also grateful for allowing us to attend a Multidisciplinary Team meeting where everyone is equal and everyone values each other. We felt that the projects had the goal of making improvements that Dr Kattya thought necessary/possible. We felt privileged to bear the responsibility to understand and make improvements in the sectors in question, being able to follow the process from the beginning to the end.

We consider it to be an added value to our training and an unforgettable experience. Last but not least, we would like to thank Prof Filomena Gomes, who was able to pass on her experience to us and allowed us to arrange an international internship so that we could have an experience of our own."