A handy pocket guide to help mental health student nurses prepare for their practice placements.

Mental health nursing placements can be daunting - you'll be working in a variety of settings and supporting individuals with a range of mental health problems. There are new colleagues to work with, and newly learned nursing theory to put into practice. This pocket guide is designed to make your placements much more enjoyable and less stressful.

From absence policy to personal safety, via least restrictive practice, it's full of practical detail, hints and tips.

• Written by a team comprising an experienced mental health lecturer, a Practice Education Facilitator and two recently qualified mental health nurses - this guidance is really produced with you in mind.
• Pocket-sized format - carry it with you at all times.
• Space to make your own notes - be it uniform policy, new terminology, or just the names of your new colleagues!

Angelina is Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing a the University of Salford. She began her career as a general nurse in 1986, working in surgery. She later retrained as a mental health nurse and progressed into a variety of mental health nursing clinical and management roles within acute inpatient, older people and community practitioner areas. She moved into education as a training manager in an NHS Mental Health Trust, and then into higher education as a nurse lecturer in 2010. She is currently a module leader in the pre-registration degree nursing programme and teaches on both pre-registration and post graduate programmes. Her keen interest is around physical health in mental health. Angelina has published in a variety of nursing journals and textbooks.

Getting there
1. Preparing for placement
2. Uniform
3. Absence policy
4. The NMC Code
5. Person-centred care
5.1 Least restrictive practice
6. Consent, confidentialityand safeguarding
6.1 Consent
6.2 Confidentiality
6.3 Safeguarding
7. Guidance on using social media

Settling there
8. Induction and first day
9. Working with those supervising your practice
10. Common documentation
11. Communicating with colleagues
12. Communicating with patients

Being there
13. Personal safety
13.1 De-escalation
13.2 Hand hygiene
13.3 Infection control and sharps policy
13.4 Moving and handling
14. Fundamental skills
14.1 Assessment
14.2 Drug administration
14.3 Drug calculations
14.4 Observations
14.5 Skin assessment
14.6 Urinalysis
15. Basic Life Support
16. Common medical emergencies
16.1 Anaphylactic reaction
16.2 Falls
16.3 Sepsis
16.4 Stroke
16.5 Seizures
17. Common groups of medications
17.1 Antipsychotics
17.2 Antidepressants
17.3 Anxiolytics
18. Pain assessment - pain tools

Moving on from there
19. Reflection and action planning
20. Common terminology
21. Quick references
22. Further reading