2. Your Clinical Placement

Placement Hours, Attendance & Leave

Clinical Hours

Students are expected to fit in with the hours kept by staff at the placement location and are expected to minimise non‐clinic commitments during the placement.

Clinical hours include direct patient‐contact, patient‐related activities and independent study time. The focus of the clinical placement is on attaining the required clinical competencies. Make‐up of missed days, where permitted, are negotiated between the student coordinator, education provider and clinical educator/supervisor.

Attendance & Leave

Attendance

You are expected to attend all orientation sessions, tutorials, and other clinical placement activities as directed by your student coordinator and/or supervisor.

Unplanned Leave

If you are unwell and unable to attend your clinical placement, you must contact your clinical educator/supervisor via phone as soon as possible, ideally 15-30 minutes prior to the starting time. Email or text message is not appropriate.

It is courtesy to assist with work load planning for the student to contact their clinical educator/supervisor by 4pm if the student knows their likely health status for the following day. Discussions with your student coordinator and Education Provider need to occur regarding placement days being renegotiated following any unplanned leave.

It is the responsibility of the student to check with their Education Provider is they are required to provide a medical certificate for health related absences.

Dress Code & Identification

Dress Code

Where cplacements do not require students to wear a uniform, appearance must be professional, dignified and suitable to the clinical environment.

Garments are to be appropriately fitted, in good repair and clean:

• Underwear should not be observable.
• Clothing must ensure there is no exposed abdomen, buttocks or breasts.
• Jewellery must be unobtrusive to clinical practice.
• Hair must be appropriate to clinical practice.
• Shoes are considered a component of personal protective equipment in minimising risk to toes/feet when working in the clinical environment:

All staff and students working in clinical areas involved in transferring and/or moving patients are required to wear closed toe shoes and non-slip soles.  Any staff member or student entering a kitchen must have footwear with non-slip soles.   Closed heels on shoes are recommended to minimise slips and trips.  Stockings/socks must be worn.

The following clothing is not permitted:

• Denim jeans
• Track suits/active wear
• T-shirts with inappropriate slogans/pictures/logos
• Thongs

Identification

Depending on the duration of your placement you may be required to obtain a Monash Health ID badge. You student coordinator will provide you with the relevant information if this is required.

If your placement is less than 2 weeks, you are required to wear your Education Provider  ID badge. On your first day you will be provided with a Monash Health Visitors Badge.

Privacy & Consent

Confidentiality Agreement

Privacy and the protection of personal information of client/patients is a serious issue and one of which students need to be aware when undertaking placements.

Confidential information learned whilst on placement should not be divulged at anytime.

This requirement continues even after the patient has been discharged, or the student has left the health service and Education facility.

Students undertaking placements are required to abide by the confidentiality procedures of the health service.

If there is any doubt of whether a piece of information is confidential, it should be assumed confidential until it is otherwise defined.

Students are expected to be aware of the standards of practice, Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics governing their discipline, as well as knowledge of the following key legislations:

• Working with Children Act 2005
• Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014
• Section 141 of the Health Services Act 1988 governing confidentiality
• Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014
• Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria) Act 2009
• Education and Training Reform Act 2006

We also recommend reading the brochure “Health Privacy it’s my business”, which outlines the Privacy Principles http://www.health.vic.gov.au/hsc/.

Privacy and Student Information

Education Provider departments regard medical information forwarded by students as confidential. The Department will only inform staff and clinical educators/supervisors of the health service if expressly requested to do so by the student.

Students are therefore advised that if they have a medical condition that may affect their performance in a clinic they should inform the clinical educator/supervisor prior to the commencement of their clinical placement.

Rights & Responsibilities

Students Rights & Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the Student to:

• prepare thoroughly for the clinical placement
• revise relevant theory and relevant practical skills
• know the objectives of the clinical subject
• check the details of the agency
• contact the student coordinator 2 weeks prior to the placement (or as required)
• comply with the protocols and policies of their Education Provider and the health service
• advise the Clinical Coordinator if you are unwell or unfit for practice (e.g. acute illness or injury)
• follow the directions of, and report to, their allocated clinical educator(s)
• provide patient care under professional supervision
• recognise the limits of their knowledge and expertise and seek assistance where appropriate
• identify their learning goals and strategies
• use educator feedback to develop clinical competencies
• reflect on their learning via regular self‐assessment

Student rights include the right to:

1. Expect certain characteristics of the clinical educator/supervisor

• appropriate qualifications
• flexible, fair and consistent in values
• guidance but encouragement of independence
• responsible for organisation and management concerns affecting the student

2. Be adequately observed

• so that timely feedback can be given
• so that all aspects of performance which will be assessed have been observed by the clinical educator

3. Receive feedback that is timely, balanced, independent and specific

4. Specific role definition

• to expect clinical educator to communicate expectations

5. Develop personal therapy styles that are logical and scientifically sound

6. Be assertive (not passive, aggressive or demanding)

7. Make mistakes

Clinical Educator Responsibilities & Rights

It is the responsibility of the clinical educator to:

• Orient the student to the clinical environment (including relevant policies and protocols).
• Allocate a caseload appropriate to the level of the course and the student’s abilities.
• Provide a level of supervision (demonstrating, observing, instructing) which is appropriate to the level of the course and the student’s abilities.
• Provide regular and specific feedback to the student on their clinical work.
• Ensure that students who have access to patients/clients are competent to perform their allotted tasks and that they conduct themselves in a safe and professional manner.
• Conduct a mid‐placement assessment and discuss the results with the student.
• Conduct a final assessment and discuss the results with the student

Clinical Educators’ rights include the right to:

1. Define general goals of the clinic.

2. Describe and expect fulfilment of student’s job responsibilities.

3. Be respected as a human being and as a health professional.

4. Professionally act in the following manner:

• to be honest
• to react emotionally
• to criticise as well as praise
• to expect honesty and dependability
• to provide model (for students) for clinical and professional actions

5. Offer and receive mutual feedback:

• make justified criticism
• to get feedback from supervisee about supervision

6. Establish the mode of interaction:

• to create atmosphere of open communication
• to create atmosphere for discussion, disagreement, initiative, motivation and creativity.
• to create atmosphere for encouraging supervisee to seek assistance and guidance when needed.

Client’s Rights

Students on clinical placement should be mindful of the rights of patients and clients. Students should familiarise themselves with the particular policy on client rights which applies in each clinical placement.

1. The Right to Choose

• Clients of any health service have the right to decide whether or not they wish to be assessed and/or treated by a student health practitioner.
• Clients have the right to choose whether or not they wish to act on, or comply with, any recommended treatment or course of action.
• Clients also have the right to expect to be involved in decisions about the management of their health problems.

2. The Right to Confidentiality

• Any information you obtain about a client, either verbally, from the medical record or any other source, should not be disclosed to any other person without the express permission of the client concerned.
• Medical records should not be left unsecured (e.g. left unattended where they may be read by an unauthorised person), and should at no time be removed from the ward/department or agency.

3. The Right to Privacy and Dignity

• Clients have the right to expect that verbal and physical assessments and treatments will be carried out in a manner that respects the individual’s privacy and dignity.

4. The Right to Impartiality

• Clients have the right to be treated without prejudice, regardless of personal characteristics. Students should be particularly vigilant when working with clients whose personal values are not shared by the student.

5. The Right to be Informed

• Clients have the right to expect to be fully informed of the potential risks and benefits of any procedure that is deemed necessary or desirable during the provision of a health service.

OH&S

In this section you will find relevant information to ensure your clinical placement, is safe and successful. Please thoroughly read the following to ensure you are aware of Monash Health guidelines and policies.

Monash Health is a smoke free organisation. Smoking is not permitted on any Monash Health property.

Incidents On Placement

Incidence or Injury while on Clinical Placement

Any incident involving the student or a patient in the student′s care whilst on clinical placement must be reported to the clinical educator and to the Student Coordinator immediately. Reporting of the incident should be performed following both Monash Health and the Education Provider procedures and guidelines. It is unethical and unprofessional conduct to fail to report an incident to the health service and the education provider.

The student must:

• Advise their clinical educator of the incident
• Comply with the health service protocol and complete an incident form as required
• Seek medical advice if necessary
• Advise the Education Providers Clinical Coordinator.

Criminal Behaviour

If a complaint involved alleged criminal behaviour, e.g. sexual or physical assault, the complainant has the right to report the matter to the police. Monash Health will provide appropriate support for the complainant during any investigations.

Emergency Codes & Fire Training

Emergency Codes

Monash Health has adopted the standard colour code system for specific emergencies as provided in AS 4083-1997. Please familiarise yourself with these codes prior to the commencement of your placement.

To call a Code within Monash Health, dial 999.

• Red – Fire/Smoke
• Orange – Evacuation
• Purple –Bomb threat
• Black –Personal threat
• Yellow –Internal Emergency
• Blue –Medical Emergency
• Brown –External Emergency
• Grey –De-escalation of verbal or physical violence or aggression

Fire Training

All students are expected to complete online fire training prior to commencing their clinical placement. This online training should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. (See section Mandatory Training)

Infection Control & Immunisations

Infection Control

Monash Health has a dedicated Infection Control Unit across 5 sites and clear policy and procedures manual.

Monash Health utilises standard precautions for all patients to reduce infection transmission. Good hand hygiene is the primary means for reducing infection transmission. Monash Health recommends standard soap washing procedures if your hands are visibly soiled, after using the bathroom or if you have had contact with a patient with Clostridium difficile (a bacterium that does not respond to the alcohol based hand rubs). For all other general hand hygiene, the alcohol based hand rub is recommended and has been found to be more effective than soap.

There are five critical times for hand hygiene, they are:

• Before touching a patient.
• Before a procedure.
• After a procedure or body fluid exposure risk.
• After touching a patient.
• After touching a patient′s surroundings.

Students are required to complete the Online Hand Hygiene Package through LATTE prior to placement. (See section Mandatory Training)

If you have any queries regarding infection control or occupational exposure, please speak with your supervisor immediately.

Immunisations

The following immunisations are recommended for all staff and students at Monash Health.

Hepatitis B

The following may be accepted as evidence of immunity to hepatitis B:

• Serology report indicating immunity to hepatitis B.

A Student who is unable to provide evidence of immunity to hepatitis B is considered to have satisfied the hepatitis B requirement for Placement if they:

(a)    Are in the first year of their course; and

(b)    Have received at least two doses of hepatitis B vaccine.

Measles

The following may be accepted as evidence of immunity to measles:

• Vaccination record indicating two doses of MMR vaccine; or
• Serology report indicating immunity to measles; or
• Government-issued documentation confirming a birth date prior to 1966.

Mumps

The following may be accepted as evidence of immunity to mumps:

• Vaccination record indicating two doses of MMR vaccine; or
• Serology report indicating immunity to mumps; or
• Government-issued documentation confirming a birth date prior to 1966.

Pertussis

The following may be accepted as evidence of immunity to pertussis:

• Vaccination record indicating one dose of dTpa vaccine given within the past 10 years.

Rubella

The following may be accepted as evidence of immunity to rubella:

• Vaccination record indicating two doses of MMR vaccine; or
• Serology report indicating immunity to rubella; or
• Government-issued documentation confirming a birth date prior to 1966.

Tuberculosis

The following may be accepted as evidence of no active infection with tuberculosis:

• Written statement from an AHPRA-registered medical practitioner advising the Student has no symptoms of active tuberculosis and has received a tuberculin skin test or interferon gamma release assay (such as the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay) indicating no tuberculosis infection; or
• Written statement from an AHPRA-registered specialist infectious disease or respiratory physician advising the Student has no active tuberculosis infection.

Students are also considered to have satisfied the tuberculosis requirement for Placement if they provide a written statement from an AHPRA-registered specialist infectious disease or respiratory physician advising they have been assessed as fit for Placement; for example, if the Student is receiving appropriate treatment for a current tuberculosis infection and is deemed non-infectious.

Varicella

The following may be accepted as evidence of immunity to varicella:

• Written statement from a medical practitioner advising definite prior history of varicella infection; or
• Vaccination record indicating two doses of varicella vaccine; or
• Serology report indicating immunity to varicella.

Reference – State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services. (2020). Standardised Student Induction Protocol – Clinical Health Placement