Pre-placement Requirements
Before being allowed to commence a student placement, all students must satisfy certain pre-placement requirements. Students will not be permitted to commence placement if they:
- Have not passed all pre-requisite academic and clinical assessments relevant to the student placement
- Do not meet the minimum language and communication competence levels required to undertake the student placement
- Have not satisfied the minimum requirements.
The health hub has compiled the MDHS Compliance Booklet to assist you with navigating some of these pre-placement requirements.
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Read the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights
If your placement is taking place in a healthcare environment, you must read and be familiar with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.
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Notify the University if you may not be suitable for placement
If, at any time or for any reason, you believe that you may not be fit, proper or competent to undertake your student placement, you must notify the placement coordinator for your course immediately. This includes letting us know if you have any impairment that might affect activities relating to the student placement in any way.
Not disclosing this information might put yourself or members of the public at risk, and could constitute a breach of regulations imposed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
The University is an equal opportunity organisation, and we will work with you and our community partners to minimise any impacts on your course progression.
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Register with AHPRA (if applicable)
Students in most health disciplines are required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) prior to commencing a student placement. Your course coordinator can advise if this applies to you.
For students in most courses, the University liaises directly with AHPRA to manage your student registration. Psychology students and qualified practitioners undertaking further study are required to maintain their own registration with the relevant National Board.
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Ensure you are adequately protected against infectious disease
Participating in a student placement, particularly in a healthcare environment, bears a risk that infection might occur between you and a patient or client. These risks cannot be totally eliminated, but they can be minimised.
The University of Melbourne and our placement partners take the prevention of infectious disease transmission very seriously and require that students provide evidence of their infection and immunisation status.
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Provide evidence of your Australian and overseas criminal record
Throughout your studies, you must:
- Hold a valid Victorian Working with Children Check and list the University as an organisation that engages you in child-related work
- Obtain an appropriate Australian nationally coordinated criminal history check ("police check") for clinical placements
- Provide evidence of your comprehensive overseas police record (if applicable) at the beginning of your course
- Notify the University and your current placement provider (if applicable) immediately if, at any time, you are under investigation, have been charged with or are found guilty of a criminal offence (other than a minor traffic offence) in Australia or overseas.
The refusal of a Working with Children Check application or presence of criminal history does not automatically preclude students from placement. However, the details of each student's police record are provided to the student's intended placement provider, who will make a suitability assessment according to their own policies.
More information:
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Satisfy any course or placement-specific requirements
Students in some courses or attending particular placement settings are required to satisfy additional requirements or provide further documentation.
As of February 2021, anyone who works for a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider in risk assessed roles must have clearance to do so via the NDIS Worker Screening Check. This includes healthcare students going on placement with these providers. For further information, please visit our dedicated NDIS Worker Screening Check page.
Students must undergo mask fit testing before going on clinical placements in health services and residential aged care facilities. Fit testing may also be required for students placed in settings where exposure to high-risk COVID patients is likely. More information on the mask fit testing pre-placement check can be found here.
For other course or placement-specific requirements, please see below.
Your individual list of pre-placement requirements, and your progress against them, are listed in the 'Checks' section of Sonia.
Note: When accessing Sonia you need to select the relevant school or department, and then click the 'University Sign In' button to use your standard University of Melbourne credentials.