Service User Involvement

What our students have said about Service User Involvement

These are just a few of the comments that students have made about service user involvement in their learning.

I learnt the importance of listening to service users.

The service user involvement has been so valuable for my own professional development. It allows me to look at experiences through the service users eyes and in turn enable me to change my practice, in particular with listening and communication skills. It has also reinforced my belief that when listening to patients it is so important to follow through on questions or queries, even when the working environment can be so busy.

Anne Marie Wallace (2^nd Year BSc Nursing student)

I learnt that for service users the seemingly little things can matter the most.

For me having service users involvement was very helpful as it gave an insight into what they went through and highlighted areas that are most important to them and that we, as nurses, could/should address. Through their stories, I think the most consistent theme was that it was the little things that mattered the most to them at the time of their experience. For example, being offered a cup of tea or having their hair washed seemed much more important than the bigger nursing tasks. I was marked by one service user when they said that for them, a good nurse could mirror the emotions/mood of their patients and I have become conscious of trying to apply that into my practice a much as possible. 

Zoe McKinley ( 2^nd Year BSc Nursing student)

A great tool that helps us to treat people how we would want to be treated.

I think that Service User Involvement is one of the best educational tools we can ever have as students. It allows us to consider our practical experiences and as students we develop our skills more with the patients’ feelings in mind. We learn to treat our patients the same way that we would like to be treated. To me Service Users provide excellent learning experiences.

Dudzile Mkwananzi( 2^nd Year BSc  Nursing Student)

It helps me improve personal care giving

I really enjoy the service users coming in to the university and sharing their experiences with me . As a student it makes me realise and understanding what service users value from us in practice so that I can improve my personal care giving and practice in the future.

Natalia Dooley ( 2^nd year BSc Nursing Student)

Gaining the service user’s perspective helps us to develop more effective therapeutic relationships.

Throughout the Occupational Therapy (OT) course we have had numerous talks from service users. They have provided a fascinating insight into the experiences and perspectives of services users and their carers. During the Heath and Well-being in Inter-professional Practice module, a service user with Spina Bifida came to talk to us about his experiences of living with the condition and the treatment he has received from various health care professionals. His input provided us with an insight into what is important to him as an individual (e.g. his independence) and the impact that OT has had on his life. He also discussed social issues such as the challenges and discrimination faced by himself and others with a disability. Gaining his perspective of these issues is vital for us as OT students as it encourages us to empathise with service users, thus enabling us to develop more effective therapeutic relationships and practice in a more client-centred manner. The session highlighted to me the knowledge, skills and attributes that service users value in healthcare professionals, and it prompted me to reflect on the kind of OT I would like to be.

Clare Hobbs  (OT student)