As an influential leader in palliative care, through the delivery of education and training, the Hospice welcomes student placements to improve the quality of care locally.

Our educational facilities strengthen relationships with local educational institutes and the nursing profession. Kim, a 3rd year pre-registration nursing student at The University of Brighton, joined the Hospice in August for her six month placement and shares with us her Hospice story.

“During my three year nursing degree I was fortunate enough to be allocated a placement at St Michael’s Hospice. Before I was given this opportunity I had very little knowledge and experience, and I lacked confidence in palliative care.

Before coming to the Hospice I thought of it as being a dark place, full of sadness, a specialist hospital where people spent the last days of their lives. I must say I was almost immediately taken back and realised how wrong I was. The Hospice is a bright, peaceful place with beautiful grounds. Friends and relatives are able to visit at any time of day or night and also able to being their pets in if they wish.

The team are like a family who all share the same values, with compassion being the most common one. The Hospice is like a community where staff, patients and relatives laugh and cry together through both good and difficult times. The work and care provided by the Hospice is phenomenal and it has been an absolute privilege to learn and work alongside such an amazing team.

I will never forget my experience on placement at St Michael’s Hospice and the knowledge and skills I have been lucky enough to obtain. It really is a wonderful place where people can feel safe and cared for to such a high standard. The work the clinical, administration, education and income generation teams put in is just incredible and seeing this first hand I cannot praise them enough.”

We wish Kim the best of luck for her studies and future career in Nursing.