Attending a workplace experience or clinical placement is an exciting part of your program. These health-related placements let you experience what it’s like to work as a professional in real-life workplace settings and are an integral part of your learning.
Please expand and review all the Preparing for placement tabs for specific and detailed information about your health-related placement. Further Additional information is included below.
If you are completing a health-related program, you must meet mandatory NSW Health Student Compliance requirements for:
These requirements must be met with suitable evidence. NSW Health must also verify your evidence before you can attend a placement within a NSW Health Facility.
It is your responsibility to comply with these requirements and to maintain your compliance throughout your course. If you do not, you may be prevented from attending placements.
This web page provides a summary of the NSW Health compliance requirements. Full detail of the requirements can be found on the NSW Health student compliance page of the Health Education and Training website (HETI). In addition to the following summary, students should review the HETI website to acquaint themselves with the detail within the NSW Health Policy Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases.
It may take you some time to find and collate your evidence, we recommend you start now. You may also establish that you have not received the required vaccinations. If so, arrange to have these administered ASAP by a GP (or equivalent) as some can take several months to complete (e.g., a full course of Hepatitis B can take 5 months).
Temporary compliance may be granted to you by NSW Health if you have not yet completed the vaccine requirements upon commencement of your course, particularly Hepatitis B. To be eligible for temporary compliance you must have received at least your first dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine PLUS you must have met ALL OTHER vaccination requirements as stipulated in the policy AND completed ALL declaration forms and Police Check processes as specified. Further details on the “minimum vaccination requirements” is set out below.
Whilst we recommend you start collating your evidence before commencing at UOW, you can only finalise collating your evidence after you have enrolled, as your UOW student ID card is a required component.
You must provide evidence of all vaccinations as stipulated in the NSW Health Policy. This includes:
NOTE: If you have not received all your required vaccinations, discuss options of receiving these ASAP with your GP / health care provider.
Evidence of immunisation / vaccination
The best form of evidence of your immunisation and vaccination status is a copy of your Immunisation history statement from Medicare Australia (for COVID-19, a copy of your COVID-19 Digital Certificate will meet requirements).
Important privacy note: If you are using your immunisation history statement OR providing a COVID digital certificate as part of your evidence, both include an Individual Health Identifier (IHI). As this number is a personal identifier, you must remove (redact or black out) this number before providing it to UOW or NSW Health. To remove your IHI either print your document to PDF & use the ‘Redacting’ tool in ADOBE or follow the instructions on the video from the HETI Website student compliance page.
If your immunisation history statement does not capture your full immunisation / vaccination history, you will need to provide additional evidence. Download a copy of the NSW Governments Vaccination Record Card for Health Care Workers and Students and have your GP or health care provider complete it (use the current version from this link as older versions will not be accepted). Ensure your GP/health care provider sign, date, and use a practice stamp for all entries made on the form.
Other acceptable forms of evidence could be a childhood immunisation record (e.g., Baby Blue Book (or similar)); a school vaccination card; or other vaccination records.
Acceptable COVID-19 vaccination evidence is either a copy of your immunisation history statement OR a COVID-19 digital certificate. Your evidence must detail dates of all doses received and the name of vaccine received (e.g., Pfizer).
If you have a medical contraindication to any COVID vaccine, you will need to provide specific evidence of your circumstances to NSW Health. Full details of the requirements are listed under the COVID-19 vaccination heading on the HETI website student compliance page.
If you have recently been infected with COVID-19, this may delay you receiving a COVID-19 booster vaccination. NSW Health will grant temporary compliance status for up to four months if you provide evidence in the form of a positive PCR test or registration of a positive rapid antigen test (RAT).
International students should follow the Services Australia guidelines to obtain appropriate evidence of your COVID-19 vaccination. International COVID-19 vaccine certificates will not be accepted by NSW Health.
Minimum Vaccination Requirements for Temporary Compliance
If you have recently commenced your Hepatitis B vaccine regimen OR are part way through, you meet the minimum vaccination requirement for Hepatitis B compliance. The full requirements for Hepatitis B can take five (5) months (see the table below detailing the acceptable Adult Hepatitis B regimen).
If you meet the minimum requirement, you will likely be granted Temporary Compliant status and will be able to attend a health-related placement. To be given this status you must also have met ALL OTHER vaccination requirements as stipulated on the NSW Governments Vaccination Record Card for Health Care Workers and Students and have completed ALL declaration forms and Police Check processes as specified.
Temporary compliance will have an expiry date. It is important to note that this will be 6 months after your initial assessment date by NSW Health and not necessarily 6 months after you were deemed temporary compliant. Irrespective, within this period, you must complete your Hepatitis B vaccine regimen to gain full compliance.
Hepatitis B vaccine regimen
To meet the full Hepatitis B requirements, you must include evidence of (at least) age-appropriate Hepatitis B vaccine doses (i.e., infant 4 x doses [3 x infant doses may also be accepted]; adolescent (11-15yrs) 2 x doses; adults (16+yrs) 3 x doses) PLUS serology (a blood test) proving immunity.
The following table defines the acceptable minimum timeframes between adult Hepatitis B doses (as extrapolated from the Australian Immunisation Handbook).
|
Options |
Day Zero / Month 0 |
Day 28 / |
Day 56 / Month 2 |
Day 84 / Month 3 |
Day 112 / Month 4 |
Day 140 / Month 5 |
|
Option 1 |
Dose 1 |
Dose 2 |
|
|
Dose 3 |
Serology |
|
Option 2 |
Dose 1 |
|
Dose 2 |
|
Dose 3 |
Serology |
NB: Accelerated Hepatitis B dosage regimes that are shorter than the above timeframes will not be accepted by NSW Health.
A Hepatitis B Vaccination Declaration form is available if you do not have evidence of your vaccinations. Section A of the Hepatitis B Vaccination Declaration form should be completed and signed. NSW Health staff will complete Section B (there is no need to have an independent assessor complete section B).
Some vaccinations require a serology report (blood test) to confirm your immunity (e.g., for Hepatitis B, a serology must be provided). A serology report will only be accepted if the serology test was performed at least 28 days after your last age-appropriate dose of a vaccine.
For other vaccinations (e.g., MMR, Varicella), if you have proof of the required doses, a serology report is not required. However, if your GP documents any serology results on your Vaccination Record Card as proof of immunity / vaccination (i.e., Hepatitis B, MMR, Varicella or TB), you must also provide a copy of these serology report/s as evidence, irrespective of the number of vaccine doses you have recorded and received. If in doubt, if you have a serology report, include it with your evidence.
Download each of the following NSW Health forms from the HETI Website and answer ALL questions. You must personally sign each document as a “typed” electronic signature will not be accepted by NSW Health. NB: The Blood Borne Virus (BBV) form is only for Medical students:
All students (both local and international) must provide a valid Australian National Police Certificate (NPC). A valid NPC is one that is:
A NSW Police or other state based police service check OR the Australian Federal Police check is preferred as these are automatically valid for five (5) years. If you are planning to do a health placement within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), it is recommended that you specifically obtain your NPC through either the NSW Police or the Australian Federal Police (and not a listed ACIC accredited body) as ACT Health have slightly different requirements.
NOTE: Once verified by NSW Health, all NPC’s are valid for five (5) years from their purchase/assessment date. NPC’s must remain valid for the duration of your program.
Disclosable Outcomes
If your NPC contains any disclosable outcomes (i.e., a charge or conviction etc.), you must independently apply for a Risk Assessment. The application process is detailed on the HETI Website and you will need the assistance of your placement coordinator. You can contact your placement coordinator.
International Students
If you are an international student, you must also provide either:
NOTE: Providing suitable police check documentation can be complex. To assist, HETI have provided some frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) on their website.
A copy of your UOW student ID card must also be provided as part of your documentation (UOW ID Cards are only available after you have enrolled at UOW).
Use this quick checklist to self-assess your readiness for NSW Health to verify you as being compliant (or temporary compliant).
SONIA is the UOW Student Placement System. SONIA is an online portal for all things related to placements, it is also where you must upload your evidence.
After enrolling at UOW you will be provided with an email address and login specific to UOW. You will also be granted access to SONIA. Detailed instruction on how to upload your evidence can be found in the How to upload “check” evidence and how to navigate the Check Tab within SONIA guide (PDF). The process is very easy, simply:
After you have uploaded your evidence, it will be checked for completeness by the UOW Verification Team. If additional evidence OR corrections are required, you will be notified of the same via both an email to your UOW email address and via the information link on the SONIA Checks tab. It is important that you follow up on these requests as soon as possible so that your evidence can be sent as a package to NSW Health for verification.
NOTE: Your documentation package can only be sent to NSW Health for verification once we have received at least the minimum vaccination requirements and ALL required Health documentation, including police check information.
Further information can be found from the FAQ’s - NSW Health Student Compliance and verification (PDF) or from the UOW Verification Team uow-verification@uow.edu.au.
Health placements provide students with an opportunity to work in clinical practice in a variety of settings across the three years of the degree and gain real-world experience in preparation for registration as a nurse. All information regarding the Workplace Experience (WPE) placement component of your program can be found on the Sonia Placement System and further information regarding this will be explained within your WPE subjects.
To understand when you will be attending workplace experience, please consult the School of Nursing WPE Calendar (2023 Calendar (PDF)). This highlights for each year the learning and teaching blocks and the dates for WPE. Please note where there are pattern allocations for WPE placement, this will be allocated by the school of nursing and you will receive information regarding this via SOLS and emails.
Detailed placement information will be provided at your orientation.
Once you have enrolled in your placement subject, instructions on how to use the placement system (SONIA) and what to expect from placement will be discussed in your subject lectures.
All information regarding the Workplace Experience (WPE) placement component of your program can be found on the Sonia Placement System and further information regarding this will be explained within your WPE subjects.
The UOW Nursing student uniform has been specifically designed to meet the NSW Health Uniform Policy (PD2019_012) requirements as well as UOW standards.
The UOW Nursing student uniform consists of:
In keeping with infection control measures, you are required to wear a freshly laundered set of scrubs each day whilst on placement. As placements can vary between two and five weeks in duration, you will need to have a sufficient number of Scrubs to meet these requirements. We suggest a minimum of two sets of scrubs.
To try on your new scrubs, register for a uniform fitting on the dates in the table below.
Alternatively, you can go directly to visit the supplier, All Trades Safety & Workwear Supplies, located at 21 Berkeley Rd, Unanderra 2526.
You can purchase your scrubs in store at All Trades Safety and Workwear Supplies or online from the All Trades Safety & Workwear Supplies website.
Continuing 3rd year students wearing the Blue Shirt with pants, etc. are still able to wear this uniform.
| Campus | Date and time |
|---|---|
|
Batemans' Bay Call Campus on 4472 2125 |
UOW BB Orientation Session Wednesday 15 February 2023 |
|
Bega Call Campus on 6494 7035 |
UOW Bega Orientation Session Nursing uniform fitting dates are as follows: |
|
Shoalhaven Call Campus on 4448 0888 |
UOW Shoalhaven Orientation Session Thursday 16 February 2023 Nursing uniform fitting session after orientation activities (ie.2.30pm - 4.00pm). If you are unable to attend Orientation alternative arrangements can be made. |
|
South Western Sydney Call Meaghan – 8763 6498 |
The Nursing uniform fitting dates are as follows: Wednesday 18 January from 10am to 2pm Thursday 19 January from 10am to 2pm Friday 20 January from 10am to 2pm Friday 24 February from 9am to 4pm |
|
Southern Sydney Call Campus on 8536 2000 |
The Nursing uniform fitting dates are as follows: Thursday 19 January from 9am to 12pm Friday 20 January from 9am to 12pm Friday 24 February 9.00am to 2.30pm |
|
Wollongong Call Campus on 4221 3555 |
Visit our supplier to try on the size range at All Trades Safety & Workwear Supplies, located at 21 Berkeley Rd, Unanderra 2526. |
|
For more details on the UOW Scrub Uniform, how to order and delivery deadlines from, All Trades Safety & Workwear supplier please refer to the UOW Health Placement Website. |
|
Inherent requirements are the essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the abilities, knowledge and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of the course or unit while preserving the academic integrity of the university's learning, assessment and accreditation processes. The inherent requirements are the abilities, knowledge and skills needed to complete the course that must be met by all students. Please review the inherent requirements.
All students and clinical supervisors need to read the WPE Handbook as this outlines the requirements for WPE placements and has information on how to manage many issues and challenges as they arise.
A copy of the WPE Handbook is available within SONIA (from the Home tab).
Other resources, including a copy of the relevant Workplace Assessment Tools, will be made available via SONIA to both students and clinical facilitators once placements (and students) have been allocated.
Students and clinical supervisors can access SONIA through the link below:
The University has in place policies and practices which outline what is expected of you whilst you are on your placement.
If you have any difficulties whilst on your placement, please contact your relevant placement coordinator for assistance.
Please view the policies and practices which apply to students when on placement.
SMAH Student Placement Team (SPT)
Phone: (02) 4221 3338
Email: smah-placements@uow.edu.au
Subject coordinator of the relevant subject
Refer to the Subject Outline for contact details
Nursing WPE Support Line
Phone: 4221 3338
hello everyone and those who don't know
me I think most people will I'm Maria
McKay I'm the director of clinical
learning and I've got Leo for Leah the
placement team here with me today Lee do
you want to introduce yourself hi
everyone so I think with a lot of you
have had already contact so we so for
the from this session on what you're
going to need to have a some kind of a
device and access to the Internet to
actually be able to complete your online
and set submissions most of you already
use computers or iPads or it doesn't
really matter I think it's accessible on
on all of them and you can also go to
the library in some of the facilities
and utilize their the internet and the
computers there so you need to bear
beyond the UOW internet and then log
into sonya using that so maybe you don't
have to run the UOW just need to beg you
on to Sonya at lea don't you that's on
health related websites so if you google
uow health placements you'll get it um
as well as on your Moodle site as well
the link to Sonja's on there so once
you're in Sonya it looks like this and
all of you would have looked at that
because that's how you find out your
students and so now you don't need to do
anything I don't think with online and
set before you get to play smart that'd
be right Lea yeah no it's once you start
placements yeah I guess the good thing
will be or if you do look at Sonya
before all you want to make sure
everything is okay before you go and
place them one thing you can do is just
to have a quick look whether or
under your students okay to make sure
that you can see those okay yes so you
know the students and then only has the
yeah and the immunization form would be
on there too or was a little nuts yeah
yeah so if I've got eight students late
well I have eight forms yeah so you make
sure you've got the right student yeah
and click on this icon and open that on
so I suppose before you go to placement
that's what you're saying you need to
make sure if you've got eight students
you've got the eight forms for the eight
right students yeah okay so that's all
you need to do before you start your
placement all right yeah yep there's
nothing to fill in the first thing you
will have the first part of it is going
to be the formative assessment
the second part is this summit is said
just importantly for everyone your
formative assessment is expected to be
on the Friday but by the Friday of the
midpoint so if the two week placement
it's Friday
after the first week of CIFOR work
placements the Friday after second
placement we do expect that you you know
we know if you've got a number of
students might not do them all on the
Friday but Thursday Friday we don't want
them done too early and we don't also
don't want them done too late and what
this system is going to give us the
opportunity to do is on the Monday um
after that midpoint we're going to go in
and run a report and we're going to see
any that aren't completed and we'll be
following up to see why student
assessments aren't completed and why
students haven't been given the
appropriate feedback mm-hmm okay so the
first thing you will do you going so
let's say for this place and that's not
a placement will be the midpoint they
start on the fourteen point will be
there 18 October Friday of the first one
you put that in and then you click
through your formulas and you wouldn't
know that better than me and so 3 you
can see here the current one is it the
expect yeah you can see the co 2 u 3 is
expected behaviors and practice forms at
a satisfactory past and so the team have
tried to highlight three for you like it
is on the sheet but unfortunately this
program won't allow that to happen so in
some ways I think that's good because I
think everyone kind of tics are three so
it you know if if and importantly at
this midpoint if you haven't contacted
us in your marker student below three
you should have talked to us and we've
encouraged the students and if they're
marked below three without appropriate
feedback that they contact us as well
because I have just as much right as you
do to contact us and talk to us as well
so then once you click through you then
go and say what do you think is that
students performance overall was
unsatisfactory limited
sake good excellent analysis so again
the satisfactory is a past so don't make
someone a pass then say they're limited
if they're limited you need to represent
that up the top okay and then it asks
you for feedback you can you are able to
cut and paste in into this document so
you can have some comments that are you
know generic but just personalize them
as well so make sure you use people's
name so we want to get person sent
feedback we want to use person so it's
fine for you have a bank of responses I
don't have a problem with that at all
but what I do have is a problem with is
if you don't use someone's name and it's
not personalized to them an example of
their own practice that's not just
that's okay and then so you come to the
bottom and then that's the way the
student then goes in and puts their own
coins every through what you have
written and and comment on gives them an
opportunity to comment on what their
feedback what they've received now
important here there to save the
fullness and you you click safe broth
that's when you want to continue working
on it if you have finished your you're
satisfied with your answers and racism
in you hit yeah with the safe draft -
the students can see it is that right
layer right is alive for everyone can
see everything so there's no problem in
filling it in the night before but just
know the students can see it tonight
before yeah if they're going down
awesome yeah so you would be formative
and then you go to do a sunny so that's
the next thing I have one one important
thing that we haven't mentioned is after
the summative is the attendance page so
each day the students are meant to feel
them
and so they should feel that in
themselves you can override that as well
and you can fill in as well if you want
to full of students but we're asking
students to do so if your students been
there for six hours and eight you can
you can put that in yeah and then ask
them to contact the subject coordinator
regarding that we would also ask that
you keep an eye on this so that you
don't let the students get to the very
last name then fill it all in so you're
not signing it off every day like you
used to you are submitting it at the end
but we still would like it filled in had
me every day so that the students are up
to date with what's what's going on is
it satisfactory unsatisfactory and
Laurium maybe you want to explain when
result so uhm the results might be
withheld if you've only done the the
formative assessment because the
students had a significant number of
days off in the second week and you're
not happy to submit their second
assessment also if the student was going
to be unsuccessful but you want to talk
to us about that first they would be the
only two things I could think of that
you would withhold the form as anything
else and then again importantly you say
[Music]
you put your name on that in my case it
would be and then you hit submit for a
two that's submitted and you won't be
able to and it probably won't let me
submit of course I haven't filled in all
the for the fields that I needed to so
that's one
things that if that comes up it just
means you haven't filled in all the
necessary forms and I can see on the
weekends it's got required so they need
to put a zero in for the weekends would
that be right where you can we can
discuss there what do we want to just
make that yeah I can pick it up so it's
not and also just to let you know that
once you hear this this column here will
only update once it's saved or submitted
yeah so don't worry if it doesn't add up
straight away it will add up once you
save it also and then you also submit
they once they've read the summary
comments there will submit from their
side as well and that's when when the
whole form is completed and then once
you go back out here it will say so yeah
zero out of two because we haven't
Sydney should say it will say Indian it
will say two out of two completed yours
one out of one and one out of two okay
well it's all pretty straightforward I
think and so there is also on your
Moodle site there's the frequency
questions and I think they're going to
be up on the Moodle site as well and
your supervisor frankly ask questions
um so you've got an opportunity to go
back and look at those a bit of a cheat
guide as well to think about how how
you're going to use it and then um you
know just making sure that you contact
the student placement time with any
technical kinds of questions that you've
got related to the forum Thank You Leah
that was really helpful and it's going
to be an interesting session so the
students will still have a hard copy
which you don't have to complete you
only complete the soft copy and you only
do the hard copy if there isn't a soft
copy version
all right thank you very much everyone
and we look forward to hearing about how
it's all gone by