Your placement with Monash Health cannot commence without agreement that you have read and understood certain aspects of the following sections. Please review them carefully.
The following information is designed to provide you with a safe and positive placement at Monash Health.
There is considerable variation from setting to setting. Some areas have developed orientation programs and folders to assist you in adapting to their workplace; others expect you to show initiative. It is expected that you will take responsibility to prepare for your clinical experience. The following points provide a suggestion of areas that may need to be clarified:
Further information for your placement can be found under Your Specialty, in the Student Orientation Website.
Take the time to clarify with your supervisor any uncertainties you may have about any of the following:
Withdrawal by a student from a subject involving clinical placements is subject to the same rules as withdrawal from any other enrolled education facility subject.
A student may be withdrawn from a placement where:
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.
You are expected to attend all orientation sessions, tutorials, and other clinical placement activities as directed by your Student Coordinator andor Supervisor.
If you are unwell and unable to attend your clinical placement, you must contact your primary clinical educator via phone as soon as possible, ideally 15-30 minutes prior to the starting time. Email or text message is not appropriate.
Acceptable certification must be handed to the clinical educator on the next working day.
Appropriate certification (e.g. medical certificate from a health professional) is required for all health related absences
It is courtesy to assist with work load planning for the student to contact their clinical educator 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.
Where clinics 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:
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:
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 University ID badge. On your first day you will be provided with a Monash Health Visitors Badge.
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 includes via social media (when following the hyperlink please locate and click on the link to the PDF file ‘Social Media and the Medical Profession, Australian Medical Association’).
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 Code of Ethics governing their discipline, section 141 of the Health Services Act 1988 which governs confidentiality and the Privacy Principles, which are contained in Privacy Act 1988 and Health Records Act 2001.
The Privacy Principles are the standards set by the Privacy Act (Federal) and Health Records Act (Victoria).
We recommend reading the brochure “Health Privacy it’s my business”, outlining the Privacy Principles which can be obtained from the Health Services Commissioner website http://www.health.vic.gov.au/hsc/.
University departments regard medical information forwarded by students as confidential. The Department will only inform staff and clinical educators 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 at the commencement of their clinical placement.
It is the responsibility of the Student to:
1. Expect certain characteristics of the clinical educator
2. Be adequately observed
3. Receive feedback that is timely, balanced, independent and specific
4. Specific role definition
5. Develop personal therapy styles that are logical and scientifically sound
6. Be assertive (not passive, aggressive or demanding)
7. Make mistakes
It is the responsibility of the clinical educator 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:
5. Offer and receive mutual feedback:
6. Establish the mode of interaction:
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
2. The Right to Confidentiality
3. The Right to Privacy and Dignity
4. The Right to Impartiality
5. The Right to be Informed
In this section you will find relevant information to ensure your clinical placement, is safe and successful. Please thoroughly read through the following to ensure you are aware of Monash Health guidelines and policies, and have completed the required OH&S training through LATTE prior to commencement of your placement.
Monash Health is a smoke free organisation. Smoking is not permitted on any Monash Health property.
Any incident involving the student or a patient in the student′s care whilst on clinical placement must be reported to the primary clinical educator immediately and to the Student Coordinator within 2 working days. Reporting of the incident should be performed following both the health service and the University guidelines. It is unethical and unprofessional conduct to fail to report an incident to the health service and the education provider
The student must:
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.
Monash Health has adopted the standard colour code system for specific emergencies as provided in AS 4083-1997. Colour codes for emergencies other than those listed below may lead to confusion and shall not be used. Please familiarise yourself with these codes, to prepare you for your placement.
To call a Code within Monash Health, dial 999.
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.
As a student, in the event of a fire, you must follow the instructions of the senior personnel within the department at the time, or zone warden if you are on the wards. Should you be in another area of the hospital at the time the emergency is announced, you should remain in that department and follow the orders of the senior person and zone warden in that area.
In every room you can find an Emergency Procedures booklet explaining the emergency codes and procedures to be followed. Students are able to call in an emergency by dialing 999 stating the type of emergency, the situation and where exactly you are.
At Monash Health, fire training is designed to ensure all staff and contractors can follow our fire and emergency procedures. This online training is mandatory. It must be completed annually by all Monash Health employees and all contractors working at any of our sites.
Monash Health has a dedicated Infection Control Unit across 5 sites and a clear policy and procedure manual. The manual comprises infection control protocols that have been formulated by the Monash Health Infection Control Team and approved by the Monash Health Infection Prevention Committee.
The Infection Control Manual can be found via the Infection Control Unit on the Monash Health intranet site.
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:
Students are required to complete the Online Hand Hygiene Package prior to placement.
If you have any queries regarding infection control or occupational exposure please speak with your supervisor immediately.
The following immunisations are recommended for all staff and students at Monash Health.
It is now a requirement that students undertaking clinical placement at Monash Health to:
