Being on an undergraduate or postgraduate programme which leads to a professional qualification, or programmes associated with professional practise, can come with plenty of added stresses.
Very high expectations are placed on students, who are working to a code of conduct that rightly holds people to the highest of standards.
In some cases, student behaviours can fall below these standards, and as a result may be called to a meeting under the Fitness to Practise policy.
If you find yourself invited to a meeting under this procedure, we strongly advise that you contact us as soon as possible. We know this can be an incredibly nerve-wracking situation, but this is an area that we assist students with on a very regular occurrence.
Like with most things, the more time we have prior to any meeting, the more work we can do to help you prepare.
There are three distinct stages to this procedure, and we can help with all of them. The stages are:
- Stage 1
- Stage 2a
- Stage 2b
You can read more about each of those stages and what they entail here.
It is your choice as to whether you want support from us at these meetings, but not only can we use our vast experience to help you prepare for a meeting, we can attend alongside you.
Sometimes we are asked by students to support them at a Stage 2a, when we haven’t been involved in Stage 1. Whilst we can, and are happy to do so, there is a benefit in us being involved from the start of the process.
One such benefit is preparing students at an earlier stage, ensuring that they fully understand what will happen in a meeting, in a way in which will give them the best chance of representing themselves as strongly as possible. As we stated, we know it can be an anxiety inducing process, and our experience has shown us that we can help to slightly calm those nerves as we can give that understanding and support so that a student doesn’t feel like they are going through the process alone.
Another benefit is that should a Stage 1 meeting then escalate to a Stage 2a, we will already have a deeper understanding of the situation and be able to advise and prepare accordingly. You will already know where we are when you need that support and will have already experienced what that support can look like.
We are a free, independent, confidential and non-judgemental service, who are here to help students when they require it. So please, if you do find yourself in this situation, get in touch by emailing advice@su.plymouth.ac.uk, by calling us on 01752 588373 (and leaving a voicemail if we cannot get to the phone), or by completing the online enquiry form here.