Public Health and Social Sciences

In order to receive a workplace placement allocation, all public health and social science students must submit to UOW:

• NSW Working with children check (can be for paid or volunteer work)
• Obtain and hold a valid Australian National Police Certificate (NPC) for the duration of your placement/s.  National Police Certificates (or National Police Checks) are available through all State or Territory Police Forces, the Australian Federal Police or a number of Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) accredited bodies.  NPC's are valid for five years from date of issue.
• If you are an International Student, in addition to an Australian NPC, you must also provide a National Police Certificate from your home country (or any country you have resided in for more than 6 months since turning 18 years of age).  If this is not possible, you must complete the Overseas Student Statutory Declaration which needs to be witnessed by a Justice of the Peace, a Legal Practitioner or a Judicial Officer. Please note, this Declaration can only be completed after arriving in NSW.
• Student Placement Acknowledgement Form (electronic form link will be sent to your UOW Mail when applicable)

If you are completing a health-related program, you must meet mandatory NSW Health Student Compliance requirements for immunisations and vaccinations, Code of Conduct and National Police Check.

Evidence of you meeting these requirements MUST be provided. UOW will forward your evidence to NSW Health who will verify your compliance status. This must be done prior to you attending a placement within either a NSW Health Facility or a private health facility.

UOW has produced the following one page “checklist” outlining the requirements. Please use this guide to ensure you have uploaded all the required documents.

NSW HEALTH COMPLIANCE AND VERIFICATION ASSISTANCE UOW CHECKLIST (PDF: 178 KB)

UOW checklist 

1. UOW or UOW College Student ID Card
2. NSW Police Check (Australian)
3. Overseas Police Check OR Statutory Declaration Form (International students only)
4. Code of Conduct Form
5. Vaccination Evidence – Immunisation History Statement (IHS), a Vaccination Record Card or other evidence)
6. Covid-19 vaccinations: No longer mandatory, however is strongly recommended. If you have documented history of vaccinations, please upload.
7. dTpa vaccination: One dose in the last 10 years.
8. Hepatitis B vaccinations: Evidence of age-appropriate doses AND proof of immunity via serology OR Hepatitis B declaration form AND proof of immunity via serology.
9. MMR vaccinations: Evidence of two doses OR serology proving immunity OR birth date before 1966.
10. Varicella vaccinations: Evidence of age-appropriate doses OR serology proving immunity.
11. Influenza vaccination: One dose of the current seasonal vaccination. A valid vaccination is one received on or after 1 March each year.
12. Undertaking/Declaration Form
13. Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool Form: If you tick “Yes” for IGRA / TST, you must provide a copy of the results.
14. Blood Borne Virus Declaration Form (Medical Students only) 

Checklist further information

UOW Student ID Card (Checklist item 1)

NSW Health require proof that you are a student at UOW. A copy of your UOW student ID card must be provided as part of your documentation (UOW ID Cards are only available after you have enrolled at UOW). Please provide a PDF copy under 3 MB in size.

Australian National Police Certificate (NPC – all students) (Checklist item 2)

All students (both local and international) must provide a valid Australian National Police Certificate (NPC).

The preferred method is to obtain a NPC through the NSW Police or other state based police service check 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.

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. The Verification Team will arrange a letter from your placement co-ordinator that must be included in the application.

International Students – Overseas Police Check/Stat Dec (Checklist item 3)

If you are an international student, you must also provide either:

• An Overseas Police Check (OPC) from your home country (and / or any country you have resided in since turning 18 years of age) OR
• A signed and witnessed Overseas Student Statutory Declaration form, as found on the HETI Website. NB: this Statutory Declaration can only be completed after arriving in NSW as it must be witnessed by an authorised person as detailed on the form.

NOTE: Providing suitable police check documentation can be complex. To assist, HETI have provided some frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) on their website.

Code of Conduct Form (Checklist item 4)

You should read and familiarise yourself with the policy document listed on this form and when ready complete the document and submit. Code of Conduct.

Vaccination Evidence – Immunisation History Statement (IHS), Vaccination Record Card etc. (Checklist item 5)

The best form of evidence of your immunisation and vaccination status is a copy of your Immunisation History Statement (IHS) from Medicare Australia.

If your immunisation history statement does not capture your full immunisation / vaccination history, you will need to provide additional evidence. 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. International vaccination cards are acceptable if they are in English and vaccination names, dates and doctors' signature are clearly visible.

Alternately, you can 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.

Covid 19 Vaccinations (Checklist item 6)

While the Covid-19 vaccination is not mandatory at present, NSW Health strongly recommend that all staff (including students) stay up-to-date with Covid-19 vaccinations as recommended for their age and health status by the Australian Immunisation Handbook. Students are encouraged to provide evidence of past vaccinations if they are available.

For COVID-19 vaccines administered in Australia, the only acceptable evidence of vaccination is either, a Medicare Australia Immunisation History Statement (IHS), a COVID-19 and Influenza IHS or a COVID-19 digital certificate.

For COVID-19 vaccines administered overseas, overseas COVID-19 vaccination records are acceptable evidence if the NSW Health assessor is satisfied that the evidence is from a legitimate source, the vaccine is approved for use or recognised in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and it was received on or after 1 March 2020. Any vaccination records recorded in a foreign language must be translated to English using a translation service. 

dTpa (Checklist item 7)

Evidence of one adult dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (dTpa) vaccine is required, it must have been received within the last 10 years and valid for the next 6 months to be acceptable. Vaccination MUST contain pertussis, i.e. DO NOT use ADT vaccine as it will not be accepted by NSW Health.

Serology is NOT acceptable evidence for dTpa

Hepatitis B (Checklist item 8)

To meet the full Hepatitis B requirements, you must include evidence of (at least) age-appropriate Hepatitis B vaccine doses (i.e., 3 x infant doses; OR 2 x adolescent doses (11-15yrs); OR 3x adult doses (16+yrs)) PLUS serology (blood test) proving immunity.

The following table defines the acceptable minimum timeframes between infant and adult Hepatitis B doses (as extrapolated from the Australian Immunisation Handbook).

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).

Non-responders

A non-responder is a person who:

• is not infected with hepatitis B virus,
• has a documented history of an age-appropriate course of hepatitis B vaccine,
• has a current level of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) of <10 mIU per mL (4-8 weeks after a booster dose).

If you have not responded (i.e. are not immune) after receiving your age-appropriate vaccinations, and are not infected with hepatitis B, you should receive further booster doses.

Booster doses can be given ONE MONTH APART; booster doses DO NOT follow the timeframe from the table above which pertains to the age-appropriate doses.

If you are a non-responder, you should begin with one booster dose (e.g. 4^th adult dose). After this booster dose wait 28 days and have a hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) serology test. If the resultant level of antibody (anti-HBs) is above 10mIU, upload evidence of the booster dose and full serology results and this will satisfy the requirements of NSW Health. DO NOT have further doses.

If your serology results highlight less than 10mIU NSW Health will require you to have a 2^nd booster dose (at least one month after the 1^st booster dose) and 3^rd booster dose (at least one month after 2^nd booster dose) and then repeat the serology 28 days after your final dose. If the results are above 10mIU then upload evidence of the vaccination and full serology results and this will satisfy the requirements of NSW Health. DO NOT have further doses.

If the results are below 10mIU and you have had all three recommended booster doses after your age-appropriate doses, upload evidence of ALL booster doses and ALL serologies which will be sent to NSW Health for assessment and further instruction.

NSW Health will advise appropriate protocols for students who are deemed persistent non-responders. 

When discussing your personal Hepatitis B requirements with your doctor this document may be of assistance as it outlines the schedules that are accepted by NSW Health. See NSW Health Hepatitis B Vaccination Schedules Acceptable for Student Placements (PDF: 168 KB).

Full details can be found in the Australian Immunisation Handbook.

MMR Vaccinations (Checklist item 9)

Students are required to provide evidence of 2 doses of MMR vaccine at least 4 weeks apart or

• Positive IgG for Measles, Mumps and Rubella (Rubella immunity is provided as a numerical value with immunity status as per lab report) or
• Birth date before 1966.

Varicella Vaccination (Checklist item 10)

Students are required to provide evidence of 2 doses of Varicella vaccine at least 4 weeks apart or

• One dose if given before age 14 or
• One dose of Zostavax if given at age over 50 or
• Positive serology for Varicella or
• An Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) history statement that records natural immunity to chickenpox.

Influenza (Checklist item 11)

The influenza vaccine is seasonal and is only valid for the season it was produced and is required annually. The annual season commences on 1 June each year and finishes on 30 September.

The annual Influenza vaccine must be the Southern Hemisphere seasonal variant that is usually available from 1 March each year.

The UOW Verification Team will inform you when it is appropriate to be vaccinated and when you can submit your evidence.

Undertaking/Declaration Form (Checklist item 12)

You should read & familiarise yourself with the policy document listed on this form, then appropriately answer Question 2, which requires either (a.) or (b.) to be acknowledged (depending on your circumstances). Question 2 b. should only be selected when you know that you have a medical contraindication OR are a non-responder; this must be supported by evidence. Do not selected 2 b. if you suspect an issue but have no evidence.

Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool (Checklist item 13)

In additional to your personal details, this form has multiple sections. Please complete ALL questions in each section. If you have ever had a positive TB skin test (TST) or a blood test (IGRA or QuantiFERON TB Gold, you must provide a copy of these reports with your form). After review, NSW Health will advise if additional screening is required.

Blood Borne Virus Declaration (Medicine Students Only) (Checklist item 14)

This form is Medical Students only. If you are a Medical Student, you must sign and initial this form as part of your evidence. Serology reports are not required.

Medical Exemption or Contraindications

If you have a medical exemption or contraindication to any vaccine, you will need to provide specific evidence of your circumstances to NSW Health. Full details of the requirements are listed under the FAQ’s page on the NSW Health website.

General information

Students should acquaint themselves with the NSW Health Policy document Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases as it details the requirements. Further detail and FAQ’s can be found on the Health Education and Training website (HETI).

It is strongly recommended that all students (including future students) start collating immunisation & vaccination evidence as soon as possible. Some vaccination courses can take several months to complete (e.g., a full course of Hepatitis B can take 6 months).

If you have not received all your required vaccinations, discuss options of receiving these ASAP with your GP / health care provider.

It is your responsibility to comply with these requirements and to maintain compliance throughout your course. If you do not, you may be prevented from attending placements. 

Uploading your evidence to Sonia

Your evidence must be uploaded to SONIA, the UOW Student Placement System.

After enrolling at UOW you will be provided with online credentials to login to SONIA, this includes a UOW email address. 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:

1. Login to SONIA
2. Navigate to the Checks tab
3. Upload your evidence to the appropriate check, ensuring your evidence is a PDF file no greater in size than 3 MB (NB: JPEG, PNG, DOCX and HEIC files can NOT BE ACCEPTED)

Your evidence will be checked for completeness. If errors or omissions are found, a notification will be sent your UOW email address. Details of any issues will also be visible via the information link on each Check within SONIA. You must action these as soon as possible so that your evidence can be sent as a package to NSW Health for verification.

NOTE: Your evidence 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 and police check information.

Keep all your original compliance documentation in a safe place.

You may be asked to produce certain documents prior to attending a facility / placement, even after you have become fully verified by NSW Health. Some private facilities may also request this evidence. You will also need to produce most of these documents to a future employer as your student compliance will not carry over into the workplace.

Further information can be found on the FAQ’s - NSW Health Student Compliance and verification (PDF) or directly from the UOW Verification Team via email uow-verification@uow.edu.au, or phone 4239 3555.

It remains mandatory for students placed within NSW Health facilities to be appropriately fitted for P2 or N95 masks or respirators prior to attendance; this also applies to most private facilities.

Masks must be worn whenever a patient under airborne precautions is being treated or if aerosol generating procedures are anticipated. Whilst masks may not be required if you are placed in a lower risk area, you must still be fit tested and ready to don (i.e. put on) a mask should circumstance change. You may be refused entry to your placement facility if you have not been fit tested prior. 

What is mask fit testing, and how often should I be tested?

Mask Fit testing determines which mask is right for you. The right mask will appropriately seal around your mouth and nose, preventing you from being exposed to airborne particles within the environment. 

Fit testing (or retesting) must occur at least every 12 months. Retesting should be conducted within that time if there has been a significant change to your facial characteristics or a change to the availability of a previously fitted mask. Testing may involve several different masks, and the correct mask for you may be different to that of your peers. It may also be different to what you were tested for previously.

Who can conduct testing?

UOW is the primary fit testing organisation for UOW students. However, many other organisations, including public and private health facilities as well as WHS organisations, can conduct testing. At UOW, testing is conducted from various campuses and is currently provided free of charge.

If within the last 12 months, you have been fit tested elsewhere (e.g. your work, or on a previous placement), you may not need to be retested straight away. You must share your test results with UOW. We will update your student profile within the NSW Health system to advise NSW Health of your status.

How do I book a mask fitting appointment?

To ensure timely access to mask fitting appointments, priority is given to those students with a pending placement; bookings are therefore by invitation only. Please contact your placement coordination team who will liaise with the UOW Verification Team to coordinate appointment times. You will then be given instruction on how to access the booking system within Sonia.

What else do I need to know about mask fitting?

Before attending a mask fit test appointment, you must meet the following criteria:

• NO FACIAL HAIR* - You must be cleanly shaven for fit testing; facial hair (even stubble) may compromise the seal of the mask.
• LONG HAIR - Bring a hair elastic or similar, to keep your hair off your neck.
• NOT CONSUMED FOOD or DRINK within 30 minutes prior to the test (this includes chewing gum and coffee).
• NOT SMOKED within 30 minutes prior to the test.
• WEAR any corrective glasses (every day / reading glasses). These must be worn on your test to ensure they do not interfere with the mask seal OR that the mask does not interfere with your vision.

*Exceptions can be made if you have facial hair for religious or cultural observance purposes or due to a documented medical condition. Whilst UOW is unable to perform these tests locally, we will liaise with ISLHD to facilitate specialist assessment. Please contact the UOW Verification team for more details. 

Students will be required to dress according to the dress code at the organisation they are placed. It is the responsibility of the student to liaise with the organisation to determine the dress requirements. It is not expected that students will need to purchase/dress in uniform.

The University will attempt to secure placement opportunities in various locations predominately throughout the Illawarra/Shoalhaven region. However, some placements may be located outside of this area and may result in students having to travel to places that are relatively distant from campus and their residences in order to benefit from a range of placement experiences. The student’s learning needs and placement experience will take priority over the distance of the placement. The student is responsible for all costs associated with undertaking a field placement.

Currently, we do not have any grant or scholarship opportunities in the public health/social science area.

HAS 347

Students who are eligible for international placement can enrol in HAS 380 International Public Health Project. Information on the subject can be found via the UOW Subject Database. Please liaise with your academic program director for advice on international placements.

PGPH 940 

Currently, we do not have any opportunities for international placement opportunities. 

• Students must have the capacity to actively engage in the learning and supervisory process whilst on their field education placement.
• Students must adhere to all legislative requirements, work, health and safety requirements, security requirements, confidentiality and privacy requirements of the Host Organisation.
• Students must follow the rules and regulation of the Facility in which they are placed. This includes ensuring that the privacy of the organisation, its staff and Patients/Clients is always respected.

• UOW Professional Experience Policies and Documents
• Product Disclosure Statement for Personal Accident Insurance

1. Develop a project proposal and evaluate the ethical implications of research
2. Critically evaluate the relevant literature
3. Gather and analyse data and other information as proposed
4. Produce a written report in an appropriate format
5. Present and explain the results in an oral and poster presentation
6. Contribute professionally in a workplace environment

• Clearly demonstrate application of academic learning from the MPH degree to authentic workplace tasks
• Apply professional knowledge, capabilities and personal attributes required for performing work in a public health-related setting
• Communicate effectively through a range of media with key stakeholders both internally and externally to the placement setting, as required
• Reflect on the placement experience to develop competencies as a public health practitioner for future professional practice