2020 School of Nursing & Midwifery - Griffith ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery

 Bachelor
 1st in Australia & 4th Globally of Nursing
 Clinical Policy &
 Contract

 2020

Acknowledgments:

This document incorporates information from previous Bachelor of Nursing Clinical Policy & Contract
documents. Special thanks to the Clinical Placements Office (Nursing); SONM BN Course Convenors; SONM
Deputy Program Directors; the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs; and the Deputy Head of
School (Learning & Teaching) for their contribution to this document.

Recency of information:

This document is updated annually. In the unlikely event that the information in this document conflicts
with University policy, University policy will be upheld.

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INTRODUCTION TO THIS POLICY DOCUMENT & CONTRACT

Clinical placement is essential and fundamental within the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) program. This policy
document and contract contains information that will assist the student to prepare for successful clinical
placements throughout the program.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

2. PREPERATION FOR CLINICAL PLACEMENT

3. GETTING READY FOR YOUR CLINICAL PLACEMENT

4. CLINICAL PLACEMENT CONSIDERATIONS: BEFORE & DURING PLACEMENT

5. ON PLACEMENT

6. ABSENCE AND CLINICAL COMPLETION

7. COMMUNICATION

8. HEALTH & SAFETY

9. PERFORMANCE & ASSESSMENT

10. APPENDIX

It is essential that all students within the BN program read this document carefully and refer to it before
and during each clinical placement.

While it is the School’s responsibility to direct the student to the relevant information for clinical placement
during their studies, it is the student’s responsibility to adhere to policy, notify, and seek clarification from,
School staff about any issues that arise.

We wish you the very best for your clinical placements during your studies.

Dr Victoria Kain, Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs School of Nursing and Midwifery

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CONTENTS
1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 9
 1.1 Clinical placement within the BN program 9
 1.2 Clinical courses 9
 1.3 On-campus clinical placement learning activities 9
 1.4 Professional accreditation 10
 1.5 Professional recognition 10
 1.6 Student registration with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) 10
 1.7 English Language Requirements 10
 1.8 Organisation of professional practice 10
 1.9 Clinical Placement Office staff 11
 1.10 Clinical Placement Office contact details 11
 1.11 Fit for Placement office 11
2. PREPARATION FOR CLINICAL PLACEMENT 12
 2.1 Calendars 12
 2.2 Clinical placement dates 12
 2.3 Pre-existing conditions 12
 2.4 Students on WorkCover from paid employment 13
 2.5 Students with a disability 13
 2.6 Students who have had recent health issues 14
 2.7 Pregnancy 14
 2.8 Early notification of return to studies after a break / leave of absence 14
 2.9 Fit for placement requirements 15
 2.10 Completion of online learning prior to clinical placement 15
 2.11 Early notification of employment/volunteer work in the health sector 16
 2.12 Early notification of ongoing admission or treatment in a health facility 16
 2.13 Notification of placement allocation with employment of friends & family 17
 2.14 Name or Gender information change 17
3. GETTING READY FOR YOUR CLINICAL PLACEMENT 18
 3.1 Clinical placement locations 18
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Clinical Placement Catchment Map 19
 3.2Clinical placement allocation 20
 3.3 Preferencing of placements 20
 3.4 Student sourcing their own clinical placement 21
 3.5 Allocation of specialist placement in the final year 21
 3.6 Cancellation or variations to clinical placements by the University 22
 3.7 Student requests to defer a placement 22
 3.8 Overseas placements 23
4. CLINICAL PLACEMENT CONSIDERATIONS: BEFORE & DURING PLACEMENT 24
 4.1 Professional behaviour 24
 4.2 Fitness for clinical placement 24
 4.3 Griffith University Name Badges 25
5. ON PLACEMENT 26
 5.1 Scope of Practice 26
 5.2 Supervision and working with enrolled nurses 26
 5.3 Attendance at rostered clinical placement and Public Holidays 26
 5.4 Inability to attend the first day of clinical placement 27
 5.5 Personal safety on clinical placement 27
 5.6 Placement Personal Safety Tips 28
 5.7 Additional Hours 28
 5.8 Exams scheduled during clinical placement 29
 5.9 Absence from clinical placement 29
 5.10 Academic course failure and clinical completion 29
 5.11 Clinical placement failure and clinical hours 30
 5.12 Financial support when on clinical placement 30
6. ABSENCE AND CLINICAL COMPLETION 32
 6.1 Incomplete course clinical placement 32
 6.2 Course and NMBA (AHPRA) clinical completion 32
 6.3 Absence within clinical placement 32
 6.4 Documentation for clinical absence 33
 6.5 Clinical completion for a course and/or NMBA (AHPRA) 33
 6.6 Clinical Re-attempt 34
 6.7 Cumulative hours for clinical courses and Registration 34

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7. COMMUNICATION 35
 7.1 Email 35
 7.2 Learning@Griffith 35
 7.3 Nurses Connect 35
 7.4 Social media 36
8. HEALTH & SAFETY 37
 8.1 Accidents and injuries – Incident reporting 37
 8.2 POCKET SAFETY 38
9. PERFORMANCE & ASSESSMENT 39
 9.1 Clinical placement goal setting 39
 9.2 The Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool (ANSAT) 41
 9.3 Placement and ANSAT Completion 42
 9.4 Paper based ANSAT 42
 9.5 Standards for Practice 43
 9.6 Scope of practice 43
 9.7 Creating a beneficial learning opportunity 44
 9.8 Clinical Learning Plan 44
 9.9 Unsatisfactory performance 45
 9.10 Student concerns whilst on clinical placement 45
10. APPENDIX 47
 Appendix A: Clinical Placement Office (CPO) Structure 47
 Appendix B: Clinical placement supervision models 48
 Appendix C: BN Uniform Requirements 49
 Appendix D: Notification procedures for absence from clinical placement 52
 Appendix E: Administration of medications by students on clinical placement 53
 Appendix F: Concerns whilst on clinical placement 54
 Appendix G: Undergraduate Scope of Practice 55
 56

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Glossary

 ANSAT The Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool. Used in
 the assessment of clinical performance.
 www.ansat.com.au
 BN Bachelor of Nursing.

 BN Deputy Program Director The academic on your campus responsible for providing
 program advice during the Bachelor of Nursing Program.

 BN Program Director The Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs is the senior
 academic who has overall responsible for the implementation,
 governance and quality of the Bachelor of Nursing Program.

 Buddy/Practice Registered or enrolled nurse/s that you may be assigned to
 Partner/Registered Nurse work alongside during clinical placement

 Clinical Course Convenor The academic on your campus who coordinates your clinical
 (CCC) course and has responsibility for all assessment, including
 clinical placement, within a given course

 Clinical Facilitator (CF) A Registered Nurse responsible for coordinating student
 learning and assessment within the facility. The clinical
 facilitator liaises closely with buddies, ward staff, the student
 and the clinical course convenor

 Facility The health agency or organisation that hosts the clinical
 placement,

 e.g. Gold Coast University Hospital

 If there is an occasion on clinical placement when a student’s
 Clinical Learning Plan
 performance is not reaching the expected standard, then a
 Clinical Learning Plan will be negotiated.

 The Clinical Learning Plan is a tool that the Clinical
 Facilitator/Preceptor, in collaboration with the student and
 course convenor use to guide and support the student to
 achieve the appropriate outcomes in clinical placement.

 A preceptor is a Registered Nurse that a student is assigned to
 for the whole (or part of) a clinical placement as part of

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Preceptor ‘Preceptor Model’. During a preceptored placement you may
 be assigned to a small group of preceptors who will be
 responsible for assessment in this model and liaise closely
 with other ward staff, the student and the course convenor.

 Clinical Placement The academic member of the Griffith University Clinical
 Coordinator (CPC) Placement Office on your campus who is responsible for the
 coordination of clinical practice including relationships with
 facilities, training of facilitators and overseeing student
 placements.

 Clinical Placement Director The Senior academic within the clinical placement office who
 has overall responsibility for all activities within the clinical
 placement office.

 Placement Officer - Nursing The administrative member of the Griffith University Clinical
 (PO) Placement office on your campus, responsible for the
 allocation of student placement under the supervision of the
 Clinical Placement Coordinator in consultation with the
 Clinical Course Convenor and the Deputy Program Director.

 Scope of Practice document A document outlining the procedures, actions, and processes
 that the student is permitted to undertake while on clinical
 placement. (Appendix G).

 SONIA SONIA is a student placement management system. Students
 can find all information related to their placements such as
 time and date, placement facility, and pre-briefs via this
 system. Students will also review and complete their ANSAT
 on SONIA, as well as keep track of and upload all relevant
 mandatory requirements as directed by the Fit for Placement
 office. Any medical certificates and statutory declarations
 required by the University in regard to clinical placements will
 also be uploaded to the SONIA database.

See the Fit for Placement website: FFP Website

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1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The School of Nursing and Midwifery is committed to developing person-centred, clinically competent,
research informed graduates who critical thinking to provide safe, quality, compassionate care in an ever-
changing healthcare environment. For details on the vision and values of the School, see the School
website: https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-health/school-nursing-midwifery

1.1 Clinical placement within the BN program
Clinical placement learning activities are components of clinical courses within the BN. Throughout the BN
the student will develop professional nursing skills through on-campus and off-campus activities. The
student will undertake experiential skill learning in clinical simulation on campus and will have
opportunities to undertake clinical placements off campus across the health sector, including opportunities
for rural, remote and international placements.

1.2 Clinical courses
‘Clinical courses’ are those courses which include clinical placements as an assessment item.

The clinical placement takes place in a health care facility and the student’s practice is supervised using one
of several clinical facilitation models (Appendix B). The course profile specifies the length of the clinical
placement for that course. A clinical course may offer several clinical placement blocks and students will be
allocated to one or more blocks for a course in order to fulfil the course clinical placement requirements.

All clinical courses in the BN program have pre-requisites and some may have co-requisites. Progression
pathways for the BN are available from the course list and requirements section of the BN program
(Campus BN programs: https://www.griffith.edu.au/study/health/nursing?location=dom). If advice is
required about your program of study please contact the relevant campus Deputy Program Director. Their
details are listed under “Helpful staff” on the Learning@Griffith organisation site: Nurses Connect.

In accordance with the Student Administration Policy, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure pre-
requisite and co-requisites conditions are met. If these are not met, enrolment in the course may be
cancelled and/or failure of the course may result.

Please note that all BN clinical courses are designated courses for the purpose of exclusion. In accordance
with the Academic Standing, Exclusion and Progression Policy, a student who fails a designated course will
be subject to review by the Health Group Assessment Board and may be excluded from the BN program.

If a student withdraws from a clinical course during trimester, it is a professional courtesy to notify both the
Course Convenor and the Clinical Placement Office of the withdrawal. This allows the University to notify
clinical agencies of changes to placements.

1.3 On-campus clinical placement learning activities
Each campus has nursing laboratories known as ‘SimLabs’. Course convenors design learning activities to
develop your professional nursing skills. Technical staff manage the SimLabs.
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1.4 Professional accreditation
The Bachelor of Nursing is accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council
(ANMAC). The role of ANMAC is to “protect the health and safety of the community by promoting high
quality standards for nursing and midwifery education” (ANMAC, 2017). Professional practice and clinical
placements are key components of the BN curriculum.

ANMAC website: http://www.anmac.org.au

1.5 Professional recognition
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) registers nurses and student nurses. It is one of
several health professional boards of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The
NMBA set the standard of practice and code of conduct for Registered Nurses in Australia. Graduates of the
BN will be eligible to apply for registration with the NMBA subject to meeting any additional requirements
that may be stipulated by the NMBA at the time of program completion.

NMBA website: http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au

AHPRA website: https://www.ahpra.gov.au

1.6 Student registration with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
Student Administration at Griffith University will work directly with the NMBA (and AHPRA) to register all
enrolled students. Students are not required to make individual applications to the NMBA for student
registration and no fees are required. Non-professional behaviour may be reported to NMBA for a breach
of professional standards.

Further information is available from the NMBA website: Student registration

1.7 English Language Requirements
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (the Board) requires all applicants for initial registration to
demonstrate English language skills to be suitable for registration (NMBA 2018).

Further information is available from the NBMA website: English Language Skills

1.8 Organisation of professional practice
The BN program is offered at Gold Coast, Logan and Nathan campuses. BN clinical placements will be
organised by the relevant campus Clinical Placement Office (CPO). Regardless of where clinical placement is
undertaken, the student must contact the home campus (the campus they are enrolled at) if there are any
placement issues.

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1.9 Clinical Placement Office staff
Each SONM campus has a Clinical Placement Office (CPO) staffed by:

 ● Clinical Placement Coordinator (CPC) - an academic staff member

 ● Placement Officer - Nursing (PO) - a general administrative staff member

The details of CPO staff are available on Learning@Griffith sites, including clinical course sites and the
Nurses Connect site. This ensures students can access the most recent information should staff change
during the academic year (Appendix A for CPO structure).

1.10 Clinical Placement Office contact details
Clinical Placement related queries please contact us:

 Phone: (07)33821200
 Email: nursingcpo@griffith.edu.au
 Office Hours: 7.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday (excl Public Holidays)

When emailing the CPO, please identify yourself and Student (S) number in the subject line of the
email (or when leaving a message on the phone).
For example: Course Code_Student Name_Student Number_Campus

1.11 Fit for Placement office
The Fit for Placement Office (FFPO) is responsible for processing clinical mandatory requirements (CMRs)
for all students in the Health Group.

It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and submit the required documentation to the FFPO. Any queries
regarding Fit for Placement requirements must be directed to the Fit for Placement Officer.

 ● FFPO: fitforplacement@griffith.edu.au Fit for Placement website

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2. PREPARATION FOR CLINICAL PLACEMENT

2.1 Calendars
The University produces a calendar for each academic year. Key dates are outlined.
University Calendar

The SONM produces an annual BN Academic Calendar that includes clinical placement dates. Students
should use the SONM BN Academic calendar (see link below) when planning and organising their
academic year.
SONM Calendar

2.2 Clinical placement dates
Each clinical course has placements allocated and displayed as ‘blocks’ on the BN academic calendar.
Placements may occur any time throughout the calendar. Each clinical course has specific times and dates
which are not interchangeable.

Clinical completion allocations (see section 6) for students who require additional clinical hours, may occur
within the trimester and/or during University vacation weeks.

2.3 Pre-existing conditions
Students are advised to maintain their health. If a student has a physical or psychological health problem
and/or disability that may pose a risk to themselves or others, they are advised to discuss this with the
Office of Disability Services and/or their BN Deputy Program Director, so that their needs can be met.

Students who have a pre-existing health condition, disability or allergy that may impact upon clinical
placement are required to provide a medical certificate stating they are ‘fit for clinical placement’ prior to
the commencement of each placement, or as agreed by the BN Deputy Program Director and Clinical
Placement Coordinator. The certificate is presented to the Clinical Placement Coordinator and uploaded to
the SONIA database.

Students with allergies are to inform the School of Nursing and Midwifery of their individual requirements
for specific activities (such as SimLabs). In addition, they are required to notify the Clinical Placement
Coordinator before each clinical placement if they have individual requirements that may need to be
considered by healthcare facilities.

If a Clinical Facilitator/Preceptor is concerned about a student’s well-being while on placement, they will
contact the university. In some circumstances, the student may be removed from placement and
appropriate procedures followed.

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2.4 Students on WorkCover from paid employment
Although it is the responsibility of the individual not to put themselves at additional risk by participating in
tasks that they are unfit to do or that may exacerbate a pre-existing injury, the School needs to apply due
diligence and has a duty of care to students. We request that any student on WorkCover from their paid
employment advise their Course Convenor and Clinical Placement Coordinator of this.

Notification should preferably be supported by the Workers Compensation Certificate and be made as soon
as possible so that appropriate steps may be followed.

 • Should the certificate advise that minimal restrictions are in place or WorkCover is for treatment
 only, it is likely the student can attend placement as normal. If restrictions are in place, students
 will be unable to attend their clinical placement until WorkCover ceases and full clearance is given,
 or their treating doctor provides clearance for placement and all duties included.

NOTE: Students on WorkCover will be reviewed on a case by case basis, and as such should not be
compared to others. If it is discovered that a student is on WorkCover and the above steps have not been
taken by the student, it will be assumed that full restrictions are in place and the student will be removed
from placement.

2.5 Students with a disability
Students with disabilities are encouraged to disclose the nature of their disability to appropriate Griffith
staff.
Types of Disability
 ● Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
 ● Learning disabilities e.g. auditory processing disorders, dyslexia
 ● Mobility impairments e.g. paraplegia, quadriplegia, cerebral palsy
 ● Chronic medical conditions e.g. arthritis, diabetes
 ● Mental Health Conditions
 ● Acquired Brain Injury
 ● Blindness or vision-impairment
 ● Deafness or Hard of Hearing
Students with disabilities should refer to the ‘Students with Disabilities Policy’ and seek assistance from the
Disabilities Service staff or the Course Convenor, campus-based Deputy Program Director and/or Clinical
Placement Coordinator. Disclosure of disabilities assists the University to make accommodations to
placements as may be needed. This is treated confidentially.

See Policy: Students with a disability Policy

Griffith counselling website: https://www.griffith.edu.au/counselling

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2.6 Students who have had recent health issues
Students who have had had a recent illness (within the last 2 months) that has required hospitalisation,
ongoing medical treatment (including mental health conditions e.g. anxiety), or a medical/surgical
procedure are required to provide a medical certificate stating they are ‘fit for clinical placement’ prior to
the commencement of placement. The certificate must be uploaded to the SONIA database within the
documents tab at least 2 weeks prior to the commencement of placement, and the clinical placement office
should be advised by email.

If a student returns to their clinical placement without a ‘fit for clinical placement’ medical certificate, the
University reserves the right to cease the student’s placement.

2.7 Pregnancy
Students who are pregnant at ANY stage in a clinical course are required to notify the clinical placement
office of their pregnancy and expected date of arrival so that the clinical placement can be timed
appropriately.

Students who are pregnant or within six weeks postpartum (post-delivery), are also required to provide a
medical certificate to their course convenor stating they are ‘fit for clinical placement’.

The certificate must be uploaded to the SONIA database within the documents tab at least 2 weeks prior to
the commencement of placement.

If a student attends their clinical placement without this ‘fit for clinical placement’ certificate, the University
reserves the right to cease the student’s placement.

See the Fit for Placement website: Infection and Risk management – (Pregnancy)

2.8 Early notification of return to studies after a break / leave of absence
Students sometimes defer or take a leave of absence (LOA) in their studies. If a student has not been
enrolled in a clinical course in the last 12 months, the CCC, Clinical Placement Coordinator and campus
Deputy Program Director needs to be notified as soon as possible to discuss readiness to return to clinical
placement. Students are required to notify their Course Convenor as soon as possible and prior to
placement.

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2.9 Fit for placement requirements
All BN students must meet clinical mandatory requirements. For details see the Nursing and Midwifery Fit
for Placement website:
https://www.griffith.edu.au/griffith-health/fit-for-placement/schools/nursing-and-midwifery
Students are advised to keep all original documentation together (e.g. in a display folder marked “Health
Records”). It is often a requirement to bring original documents to the start of a clinical placement for
sighting by staff from the clinical agency.

All requirements must be met before course census date or 4 weeks before the start of the allocated
clinical placement block (whichever occurs first). The student will be unable to attend placements if
documentation is not submitted on time and this will result in a failure for this assessment item.

 IMPORTANT: The University reserves the right to remove students from their allocated placement if they
do not meet mandatory requirements at least 3 weeks prior to their commencement date. If students are
removed from their placement, they will be provided with a fail grade for the assessment item.

In addition: Students must be compliant for the duration of their placement prior to the first day of
placement. Therefore, if a mandatory requirement is due to expire during a placement, the student is
considered non-compliant and is unable to attend. It is not possible for the purposes of placement
compliance, that students with expiring checks renew these whilst on placement.
Should a student commence their placement, but their mandatory requirements expire during their
placement, the student will be removed from placement and awarded a fail for the placement.

HEPATITIS B VACCINATION

Students who have the third dose of Hepatitis B to complete may be allowed to attend clinical placement.
However, evidence of the completed third dose must be submitted to the Fit for Placement within 6
months after the first dose. Failure to do so will prevent students from attending any future placements
and will result in a fail for the clinical component of the course.

2.10 Completion of online learning prior to clinical placement
Many healthcare facilities require the completion of online learning prior to placement. For every clinical
placement any such requirements will be included in the clinical placement pre-brief.

Online orientation and learning activities (where applicable) must be completed 2 weeks prior to the
start of placement.

Failure to complete the facility’s online learning within this time frame will result in the student
undertaking a Clinical Learning Plan (see 9.10 Clinical Learning Plan) as directed by the course convenor as
this lack of preparation for placement has not met the requirements of the individual facility. If a student

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subsequently attends their clinical placement without having completed the online learning, they would
have also failed their clinical learning plan and may be removed from the entire clinical placement block,
which may result in a fail for the assessment item.

Additionally, the healthcare facility has the right to refuse to accommodate students who are unprepared
for placement, meaning that lack of facility online learning could result in the hospital cancelling the
placement; thus, resulting in a fail for the assessment item. The facility may however decide not to cancel
the student’s placement, but ask they be sent home from clinical placement until their online learning is
complete. This is however at the facilities discretion and is based on facility policy, staffing requirements,
orientation need etc. If the facility does cancel the placement for this reason, the decision is considered
final and cannot be overruled by the university

2.11 Early notification of employment/volunteer work in the health sector
Students may not attend clinical placement in a ward, unit, or department in a healthcare facility where
they work as a permanent employee or volunteer. In the case of students working across several wards,
units, and/or departments in a facility (such as on a casual pool), discussion will need to be had with the
CPC on your campus to identify the suitability of placement within the facility. This is to avoid a potential
role conflict for both staff and patients at the facility and role confusion for the student.

The student must notify the Clinical Placement Office by email of a possible conflict prior to clinical
placement allocations. If a student is placed in a facility where they are currently employed and has not
alerted the relevant staff to this situation, the student may be removed from the placement and this will
result in a fail grade for the assessment item.

2.12 Early notification of ongoing admission or treatment in a health facility
Students may not attend clinical placement in a healthcare facility (if the facility is small), or ward/unit in
the case of a large hospital, where they have been previously admitted or treated for an extended period.
This is to avoid a possible conflict of interest for staff, students, and patients at the facility.

Examples of placements include (but are not limited to):

 • GP practice in which a student has been treated previously.

 • Mental Health facility or ward in which a student has been admitted.

 • Hospital ward which the student attends regularly or is a patient for ongoing treatment.

The student must notify the Clinical Placement Office by email of a possible conflict at least 4 weeks prior
to the start of placement. If the student does not inform the CPO and a facility advises the University that
the student has been an ongoing patient or has previously been admitted to the ward for an extended
time, the University may remove the student from placement and award a fail grade for the assessment. If
a student advises the University in less than 3-weeks, they will be awarded a fail grade for the placement.

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PLEASE NOTE: The above rule is not applied for sporadic or infrequent admission and/or treatment. Thus, if
a student has been seen once in a GP surgery that is not their allocated surgery they may still be placed and
undertake the placement as allocated on SONIA.

2.13 Notification of placement allocation with employment of friends & family
Students may not attend clinical placement in a ward, unit, or department in a healthcare facility where
they have friends and/or family that work there as a permanent employees or volunteers. This is to ensure
equity among the student cohort and remove any risk of potential bias with assessment. Clinical facilitators
seek feedback from ward staff as part of the ANSAT assessment, and it is a conflict of interest if feedback is
provided by a friend, or family member.

This caveat is supported by health care organisations, who have advised they will move students (where
possible) to alternative placements if such information is discovered after the placement has commenced.

2.14 Name or Gender information change
If a student changes either their name or gender information during the degree, the relevant Course
Convenor and Clinical Placement Coordinator need to be advised.
Informal name and/or gender changes can be undertaken ‘over the counter’ at student services; however,
please note that the name and/or gender will not change within the SONIA database, or within the ANSAT
(the Clinical Assessment Tool used within the Program), until a formal name change has occurred. A formal
name change can be started by completing the ‘Change to Personal Details’ and taking this to a student
centre with appropriate supporting documentation.

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3. GETTING READY FOR YOUR CLINICAL PLACEMENT

3.1 Clinical placement locations
Clinical placements are allocated within a wide geographical area. Griffith University benefits from the
support of healthcare facilities spanning areas from the Sunshine Coast in the north, Darling Downs in the
west and Murwillumbah in New South Wales. Opportunities for placement may be sourced in other regions
of Queensland and Australia as negotiated from time to time with other health services.

Students may also be asked to express an interest in rural placements in Queensland, International
placements, Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), and prison health services. An expression of interest for
these placements does not guarantee acceptance to attend the placement.

As can be seen on the following map, Griffith’s catchment area is large and includes many hospitals and
facilities. Students therefore need to be aware of and prepared for travel to any facilities within this
catchment area.

 Every effort is made to place students in proximity to their place of
 residence, but this is not always possible

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Clinical Placement Catchment Map

 Prince Charles Hospital
 Royal Brisbane & Woman’s
 QLD Children’s Hospital
 Princess Alexandra Hospital
 Griffith Nathan
 QEII Hospital
 Redland Hospital
 Ipswich Hospital
 Griffith Logan
 Logan Hospital

 Beaudesert Hospital
 Gold Coast University Hospital
 Griffith Gold Coast
 Robina Hospital
 John Flynn Hospital
 Tweed Hospital

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3.2Clinical placement allocation
The CPO will email students regarding clinical placement allocations. They may contact students for
expressions of interest for placement blocks or agencies, with opportunities to swap placements before
placements are finalised, or to notify when placement allocations are finalised and available for viewing.

Once placement allocations have been published and finalised, an email will be generated from SONIA.

If the student requires a placement swap, it is the student’s responsibility to organise the swap via their
course site discussion board. The POs are not able to organise this swap nor are they able to share student
details with other students.

Any requests to swap placements must be made 4 weeks prior to the commencement of the clinical
placement blocks involved. A swap request form must be completed and emailed to the Clinical
Placement Office before the swap will be actioned. The swap form may be found on the SONIA database

It is the student’s responsibility to arrange transport and any other commitments such as childcare and paid
employment so they can attend their allocated clinical placements.

IMPORTANT: Be prepared for the possibility of having to attend clinical placement at any facility within the
shaded areas of the above map (section 3.2). Whilst this is not the preferred method of allocation, it is
sometimes necessary to ensure all students are provided a clinical placement to pass the assessment
requirements of their clinical course. Inability to drive or lack of transport is not an appropriate reason to
miss placement.

3.3 Preferencing of placements
Year 1 and 2: students will be offered the opportunity to preference the block (dates) they would prefer for
their clinical placement. Initial preference will be given to students who are fully compliant with their
clinical mandatory requirements. Please note if you do not preference, you will be allocated to available
placements within SONIA. Students will then be allocated to available placements within SONIA and in a
geographical area as stated in section 3.2 of this document.

Year 3: students will be offered the opportunity to preference their block (dates) and their clinical
facility/ward

Please note that a preference is simply a request and is in no way a guarantee of allocation.
The CPO attempts to provide students with their preference however this is not guaranteed.
If for example 100 students indicate a preference to be placed within BLOCK 1 that only has 50 available
placements, 50 students will not be able to be placed at this time.

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3.4 Student sourcing their own clinical placement
Whilst we appreciate that many students have specific interests in clinical areas and may have contacts in a
range of clinical environments, students CANNOT source their own placements. This stipulation is in place
because:

 • The University requires a formal legal agreement with the facility or overarching organisation.

 • The University requires a nursing specific agreement with the facility or overarching agreement.

 • The clinical environment needs to meet requirements set by the course convenor team.

 • The University needs to ensure appropriate clinical facilitation/support.

 • Many facilities will only deal with universities to organise placements, and as such individual
 student contact may jeopardise any opportunity for future placements.

If you do have a contact within a certain facility that you are interested in, or who have advised that a
placement may be possible, please advise your home campus CPC so that they can investigate the
possibility of this placement. We are unable to guarantee such placements.

3.5 Allocation of specialist placement in the final year
It should be noted that the Griffith undergraduate nursing degree is not a specialist degree, and as such a
specialist placement is not a requirement within clinical placement allocations. We fully understand
however that many students wish to experience a specialised clinical area and will attempt to allocate all
students to one (1) specialist placement in their last year.

Specialist placements include (but are not limited to) an international placement (Laos, Vietnam, Thailand),
rural & remote, royal flying doctor service (RFDS), prisons, ED, ICU, paediatrics, and operating theatre.

Due to the limited number of specialist placements compared to the number of students enrolled,
allocation of these placements is limited to one (1) per student. Some students will undertake a specialty
placement in T1 in 3803NRS or 3804NRS, while others will complete this placement in T2, within 3807NRS.

Important points to note:

 ● All specialist placements are considered equal regardless of the course they are attached to, the
 facility, the clinical focus, or placement duration. The PPO will not engage in further
 correspondence regarding this matter.
 ● Students may still engage in placement swaps as identified in section 3.3 & 3.8, and as such may
 apply to swap placements into a speciality area regardless if they have already completed a
 speciality placement (NOTE: all swap requests are at the discretion of the PO in consultation with
 the CPC at your campus, and an application does not guarantee a placement change).
 ● The University reserves the right to provide more than one (1) speciality placement per student
 should it be required due to a logistical placement need.
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● Due to speciality needs of students completing the BN/Graduate Certificate of Paediatric Nursing
 degree (3347), such placements are exempt from a one (1) speciality placement rule.

3.6 Cancellation or variations to clinical placements by the University
It is possible that as a result of unforeseen events impacting upon a health care facility, a clinical placement
that has been pre-arranged may need to be cancelled or rescheduled, sometimes at late notice. The
University reserves the right to cancel or reschedule clinical placements in such circumstances and will
notify students of alternative placement arrangements as soon as possible.

Notification of placement changes by the School will be sent by email. It is for situations such as these
that students are advised to check Griffith email regularly prior to and whilst attending placement.

See the Fit for Placement website: Your responsibilities – Attendance – (Placement cancellation)

3.7 Student requests to defer a placement
A student cannot request to defer a placement unless the reason fits within the ‘deferred assessment’
criteria. This includes:

 ● On the grounds of illness
 ● Accidents
 ● Temporary disability
 ● Bereavement
 ● Sporting or cultural commitment at state, national or international representative level
 ● Or other compassionate circumstances

IMPORTANT: Consideration for a change of placement does not include holiday arrangements.

If a student requires a change to a scheduled clinical placement time, they will need to submit an online
deferred assessment application along with the relevant documentation supporting their request. The
Course Convenor will assess this application.

If the deferred assessment is approved, the Course Convenor will contact the Clinical Placement Office to
determine if there is a viable alternative clinical placement for the student. Due to the limited availability of
clinical placements, it may not be possible to schedule another placement within the trimester period,
which may impact on the student’s ability to complete the course in time to enrol in the following clinical
course or graduate. It is important to note that a deferred placement is unable to be deferred for a second
time, meaning that the allocated deferred placement must be undertaken as planned.

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3.8 Overseas placements
Some students may have the opportunity to attend an overseas placement. These may have specific
preparation requirements, such as visas, additional immunisations and so forth. If students undertake a
3804NRS Community Nursing Practice clinical placement in an international destination, there will be
notification of additional requirements for this placement.

As stated in section 3.6, international placements are considered a speciality placement and may reduce
the opportunity for an additional specialist placement in the final year of study.

See the Fit for Placement website: Overseas placements

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4. CLINICAL PLACEMENT CONSIDERATIONS: BEFORE & DURING
PLACEMENT

4.1 Professional behaviour
Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing program are expected to maintain a high standard of
professional behaviour. It is an expectation that students will know where to locate relevant policies,
professional codes and guidelines, understand these documents and conduct themselves accordingly.

See the Fit for Placement website: Your Performance & Professional Behaviour

Any behaviour deemed to be in breach of expected professional conduct may be cause for disciplinary
action such as Student Misconduct.

IMPORTANT: Students must NOT contact the individual facility prior to placement (unless specifically
stated within the pre-brief), which includes any informal discussions with staff.

4.2 Fitness for clinical placement
Students are required to identify their fitness to practice in readiness for clinical placement. In relation to a
person, this means a person who has a physical or mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder
(including substance abuse or dependence) that detrimentally affects or is likely to detrimentally affect a
student’s capacity to undertake professional practice on clinical placement (Modified from the Health
Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 [Qld]).

Students may become unwell before or during clinical placements. If a student is not fit for practice it is
their duty to follow due process for notifications of absence from clinical placement (discussed later and in
Appendix D).

As stated by QLD health:

 • People with ‘symptoms of infectious gastroenteritis should remain at home until they have been
 asymptomatic for more than forty-eight (48) hours’.
 • People ‘who develop symptoms of infectious gastroenteritis while working with patients who have
 the same symptoms should report their illness to their Supervisor and/or the Infection Control
 Department.’

Students therefore need remain at home until they have shown no further symptoms of gastroenteritis
for 48 hours, which includes vomiting and/or diarrhoea.

Students who use prescribed medication or other substances must ensure this does not impact on their
ability to interact with and/or provide safe care for others. This may mean that a discussion with your
regular registered medical practitioner is required.

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It is a requirement that students have a zero-blood alcohol level while on clinical placement and are not
under the effects of illicit drugs.

Course Convenors who consider that students are not sufficiently prepared to provide safe care for
themselves and others prior to clinical placements have the right and responsibility to prohibit students
from attending clinical placement. Further information may be obtained from the following document:
Inability to complete required components of professional qualification policy

4.3 Griffith University Name Badges
It is strongly advised that students purchase a Griffith University name badge from the University book
shops and place their first name and year within the name space (see below).

Many facilities including Logan hospital, Gold Coast University Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital,
and Princess Alexandra Hospital have requested that students wear name badges so students can be easily
identified by staff and patients.

Name badges may be purchased for approximately $6, with the name insert being created at:

Namebadge Creator

 Name Badge Example

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5. ON PLACEMENT

5.1 Scope of Practice
Students must be aware of their personal scope of practice, as defined by their experience and level of
education/training.

It is also important that students make themselves familiar with the scope of practice document developed
for the Bachelor of Nursing degree (Appendix G), as well as the NMBA standards of practice (section 9.6).

5.2 Supervision and working with enrolled nurses
As clinical placement is designed to help students to become RNs we prefer that all student supervision is
undertaken by an RN. However, at times and in various facilities (such as aged care), this supervision may
fall to an enrolled nurse (EN).

Despite the EN providing immediate student supervision, it is the expectation that an RN is still responsible
in an overarching capacity for the student on placement. An example of this may be seen in team nursing,
where students and ENs work together, but under the indirect supervision and guidance of the RN within
the team. Direct supervision and input from an RN is required for:

 • all IV and S8 medication administration as a minimum.
 • all complex procedures and the management of a deteriorating patient.
 • completion of ANSAT/student assessments.

5.3 Attendance at rostered clinical placement and Public Holidays
Students must attend clinical placement as rostered for their clinical placement block and they must be
punctual for all rostered shifts. Public holidays (PH) for the majority of facilities are not considered a
clinical placement day. Such days may be dependent on the location of the health care facility. For
example:

 • Ekka Wednesday (People’s Day) – Public holiday for Brisbane-based facilities only

 • Logan Ekka show day – Public holiday for Logan-based facilities only

 • Gold Coast show day – Public holiday for Gold Coast-based facilities only

 • Ipswich show day – Public holiday for student if based at Ipswich facility (including prisons)

Please note that the public holiday relates to the facility in which a student is placed and not the students
‘home campus’. If for example a Gold Coast student was on placement at Logan hospital during the Gold
Coast show day, they would be expected to attend placement. If you are on a preceptored or rostered
placement, please check with the facility/clinical facilitator/buddy nurses whether working on a public
holiday is expected. If you are still unsure, please contact the University to seek clarification before not
attending a clinical shift.
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The Student is not considered 'absent from placement' (see section 5.10) on a Public Holiday, however the
overall hours of the placement is reduced by the number of public holidays in that placement group, i.e. if
only 1 public holiday occurs during your placement your overall hours will reduce by 8 (if working 8-hour
shifts). If 3 days are public holidays your overall hours will reduce by 24 hours (not including absences due
to illness or personal leave as per section 5.10). In these circumstances, the day is marked ‘PH’ on the
ANSAT and is not marked as missing 8 hours. Please be aware however that several public holidays on your
allotted clinical placements may impact on your APHRA total clinical hours and may require clinical
completion hours at another time.

PLEASE NOTE: some facilities are expanding their shift span for students to include 12-hour rotations and
weekend work. Please therefore take this into consideration for your time on placement, and when
understanding PH and total clinical time.

See the Fit for Placement website: Attendance

5.4 Inability to attend the first day of clinical placement
Any student who cannot attend the first day of orientation for a clinical placement block will miss the
orientation activities conducted by the facility. The student must notify the relevant parties that they will
be absent (as instructed in this policy and contract) and seek advice on the implications of their absence on
day one of the clinical placement.

If there is no opportunity for a later orientation, in some facilities the student will be removed from the
entire clinical placement block. In such circumstances, the student is advised to apply for a deferred
assessment with supporting documentation for clinical placement.

If a student has not attended orientation due to not understanding or misreading the pre-brief and the
facility will not allow the continuation of the placement, this will result in a fail for the assessment item and
is not eligible for a deferred clinical placement.

5.5 Personal safety on clinical placement
It is important to note that students may be placed in a range of facilities and geographical locations. A
range of shifts may need to be worked, some that may finish at 11pm.

It is important therefore for students to think about their personal safety on placement, including:

 • Transport and parking options,
 • Accessibility,
 • Safety travelling to and from place of work,
 • Parking close to placement site,
 • Shift start and finish times,
 • Security assistance.

See the Fit for Placement website: Infection Control and Risk Management

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5.6 Placement Personal Safety Tips
Griffith Health supports all students to ensure their personal security and safety.
Personal safety tips if you park off site:
 • If possible, vary route to and from placement site.
 • Check your surroundings before getting out of your car or going to your car.
 • Keep car doors locked and windows shut.
 • Stick to well-lit paths and areas.
 • Trust and act on your instincts. If it feels bad, it probably is. Stay away or walk away.
 • Walk with a sense of purpose, with your head held high.
 • Watch out for each other - walk with a group or be involved in a car pool.
 • Carry a charged mobile phone.
 • Call "000" if you feel threatened or unsafe.
 • Don't wear headphones or listen to music, so you're more aware of your surroundings.
 • Don't be distracted by your phone - texting, messaging or using apps.
 • Don't get angry. If someone makes a rude or vulgar remark, don't retaliate, walk to a safe, well-lit
 place and call for help if necessary.
 • Advise someone when you are leaving work and let them know what time you expect to be home.

Personal safety tips when dealing with confrontation outside work:
 • If possible, position a physical barrier between yourself and the other person.
 • Wait for or create an opportunity to remove yourself from the situation.
 • Seek assistance from people passing by.
 • Sound a personal safety alarm.
 • Call the Police "000".
 • Remain in an area where there are lots of people.
 •
Please be aware of your own safety during the day and night hours.
If incidents occur, please inform your University placement officer, your work placement supervisor, and
the police where required.
You will need to lodge an incident report to Griffith GSafe incident management system, or via the
pocketSafery app (see section 8.2)
Your University placement officer can advise regarding this.

See the Fit for Placement website: Infection Control and Risk Management

5.7 Additional Hours
Any additional or ‘extra’ hours completed will NOT be formally recorded and recognised, unless there is
prior approval from the CCC. Such additional hours include any time worked over the maximum required
for the placement block, or any additional time worked over the ‘normal’ facility shift time.

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5.8 Exams scheduled during clinical placement
For students following the standard BN program progression, examination and clinical placement clashes
should not occur, however for students with an altered progression plan, it may be unavoidable that
examinations may be timetabled during the clinical placement. Students following an altered progression
plan and enrolled in a clinical course should alert the Clinical Placement Office and every effort will be
made to schedule a placement outside of the examination period.

Students who have a predicted clash between a scheduled exam and clinical placement should contact
their CCC as soon as they are aware of the situation. If the clash cannot be avoided, the Course Convenor
will negotiate and document the minimal amount of time to be missed on the clinical placement or
organise for the student to sit the exam as a School based exam. This arrangement will be then
communicated to the Clinical Placement Office and Clinical Facilitator. The placement hours recorded on
the ANSAT must reflect the absence for the exam.

Should an end of trimester exam, deferred or supplementary exam be held on a Saturday whilst on
placement, it is expected that the student attends the assessment as scheduled.

5.9 Absence from clinical placement
Students must notify any absences from clinical placement – see Appendix D on when and how to
communicate such absences.

Absences for medical or compassionate reasons, graduate interviews, facility new graduate open days,
exam attendance, or Griffith SONM interviews (e.g. Laos) all need to be supported with appropriate
documentation (e.g. medical certificate or statutory declaration signed and witnessed by a Justice of the
Peace, Commissioner for Declaration, a notary public, lawyer or conveyancer) (see section 6). These are all
considered valid absences, however they are still subject to clinical completion (see section 6).

Important: ALL absences from clinical completion needs to have supporting documentation uploaded to
SONIA; this includes partial days as well as full days missed. As per section 6.4 of this document, students
need to upload all appropriate documentation no later than seven (7) days after the end of placement.

5.10 Academic course failure and clinical completion
Due to the rostering of clinical placement blocks around academic study, it may at times result in the
placement block being after the academic course has been completed and course grades have been
released.

Should a student fail the academic components of the course and their grade is not within the
supplementary assessment range, the student will be contacted by the CCC as they are not required to
attend the clinical placement component of the course. Attendance and completion of the clinical
placement will not change the course result, nor will the clinical hours count towards the student’s total
hours (see below). Students will be advised to discuss this outcome with the course convenor.

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5.11 Clinical placement failure and clinical hours
Should a student receive a fail for their clinical placement, the hours they have completed prior to the fail
will not be counted towards their total hours as shown on SONIA. The placement details will still be visible
on SONIA; however, a fail will be documented, and the hours will be set to zero.

5.12 Financial support when on clinical placement
If you experience financial difficulty when you are on placement, the Welfare and Student Liaison Office
may be able to help you.

See the Welfare and Student Liaison website: https://www.griffith.edu.au/welfare

5.13 Lactation Breaks (including Breastfeeding) on placement
Information taken from Queensland Health’s Guideline for Flexible working arrangements (2014)

Griffith University encourages breastfeeding and supports students who choose to continue
breastfeeding once they return to their undergraduate studies.

When Expressing Students Must:
 • Discuss their specific needs and situation with their Clinical Facilitator and appropriate ward staff.
 • Provide own breast milk expressing and storing equipment (if not available in the workplace).
 • Supply appropriate storage containers for expressed breast milk and clearly label these containers
 with their name and date before placing it in the refrigerator

When Breast Feeding Students Must:
 • Understand that restrictions still apply for caregivers that enter the workplace with the student’s
 newborn/child, and ensure caregivers entering the workplace do so on the understanding that
 restricted access applies
 • Ensure that they, their caregivers, and the child/children in their care, avoid environments when
 there is a risk of cross infection or injury
 • Constantly supervise children in the workplace
 • Ensure that children are delivered directly to the workplace facility designated for the purpose of
 breastfeeding/lactation breaks
 • Ensure caregivers and the child/children in their care vacate the workplace at the completion of
 each lactation break.

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Lactation breaks
Lactation breaks are available for students who choose to combine placement and breastfeeding. The
lactation breaks are specifically for:

 ✓ expressing breast milk
 ✓ feeding the baby (either on or away from the work site).

Lactation breaks can be accessed when other specified breaks are not suitable. Students combining work
and breastfeeding may be granted up to a total of one-hour lactation break per working day.
The one-hour lactation breaks include travelling time for students who take lactation breaks away from the
facility. Any excess time taken is to be discussed with relevant staff and will not be counted on their ANSAT.

When lactation breaks can be taken
 • Lactation breaks are to be taken at times appropriate to the student and the ward/department/
 facility. The flexibility women need to breastfeed, or express milk is to be considered in the timing
 of lactation breaks. For example, some breastfeeding students may require two 30-minute
 lactation breaks, whereas a one-hour lactation break may be required by other students.

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