Please note there are mandatory requirements you must complete before you are eligible for clinical placement. If you do not fulfil the mandatory requirements and upload evidence to your Sonia Online account, your clinical placement will be delayed or cancelled. Click on Mandatory Checks tab.
Clinical placement
Throughout the Bachelor of Nursing Science and Bachelor of Midwifery programs students must undertake a certain number of hours of work integrated learning / clinical placement, as specified by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council.
Inherent Academic Requirements (IARs) ensure the academic integrity of a program is maintained and preserves the University's learning, assessment and accreditation processes. They must be met by all students.
NOTE: Clinical Placements will involve shift work on any day of the week including weekends and public holidays. Students will be expected to work allocated shifts, including quick shift changes whereby you only have 8 hours break in-between. It is not possible to modify shift patterns to suit employment or other personal needs. Placement will impact on students being able to work and this must be considered in their planning.
Clinical placement opportunities
The School of Health works closely with health partners to provide students with professionally relevant work integrated learning experiences for clinical courses. Placements can be from Fraser Coast to Brisbane in public and private facilities depending on availability. There are limited opportunities for students interested in regional or remote placements. Students are responsible for all parking, travel and associated costs. Scholarships are often available.
The University of the Sunshine Coast uses three models of supervising for clinical courses. These differ according to the placement and are also dependent on the contractual arrangement with the placement providers. Some placements use a Clinical Facilitator and a RN/RM Buddy and some use Preceptors.
Midwifery Placements
Midwifery students will be allocated to a Primary Maternity Unit (PMU) for their placements, ideally for the whole of the program. However, it is acknowledged that there may be occasions when allocation to another facility will be required.
The main PMU’s we have secured are:
- Caboolture Maternity
- Redcliffe Maternity
- SCUH and Gympie Maternity
For additional information, please access this information here.
Placement essentials (Mandatory Checks)
To be eligible to commence placement, students must complete the following Mandatory Checks.
NOTE: Some of the Mandatory Checks can take 6 months to obtain. Students are strongly advised to commence working on obtaining their specific mandatories as soon as they have accepted their offer. International students will need to access Australian General Practitioners to be compliant.
Routinely your placement will be arranged in a block of consecutive weeks. Students will be notified when they are scheduled to attend placement 8 weeks prior. All of the mandatory requirements will need to be fulfilled and evidence uploaded to your Sonia Online account.
| MANDATORY CHECK | CRITICAL INFORMATION |
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Blue Card or Registered as an EN with AHPRA |
When: Once enrolled You must submit this application in person at any of the Nursing and Midwifery Placement Offices. |
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When: Once enrolled |
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When: Commence now Provide documentary evidence of vaccination for the diseases listed on the Vaccination Evidence form or documentary evidence they are not susceptible to these diseases, in addition, provide a Hep B Serology Report. Provide evidence of vaccination for Influenza. Complete the Tuberculosis Risk Assessment for Students. |
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Mandatory for all 1st year students |
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When: Once enrolled |
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| QLD Health Student Orientation Checklist |
In preparation for clinical placement, you must complete the QLD Health Student Orientation Checklist. You must also complete the Mandatory iLearn online modules. |
| QLD Health Student Deed Poll | In preparation for clinical placement, you must complete the QLD Health Student Deed Poll. The Deed Poll is a legal agreement between the student and Queensland Health. |
| Code of Conduct | The University’s Code of Conduct provides guidance on acceptable standards of behaviour and conduct during employment or study at the University of the Sunshine Coast. |
Required placement hours
For successful completion of the Bachelor of Nursing Science and Bachelor of Nursing Science (GE) 800 nursing clinical placement hours must be completed to be eligible for registration with AHPRA.
For successful completion of the Bachelor of Midwifery programs, specific Midwifery Clinical Experiences must be undertaken; continuity of care (10); antenatal care (100); labour and birth care (30); complex care (40); postnatal care (100); neonatal care (20). To assist you in achieving these experiences there are 700 midwifery clinical placement hours in addition to the Connect Program.
Learning assessment
While on placement, assessment is an essential part of the education and evaluation process. It promotes learning, measures student progress and improves student performance. Assessment also provides an official record of students' learning achievements and provides access to other courses.
Assessment during clinical placement will be based on the Registered Nurse Standards for Practice or the Midwife Standards for Practice. The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine have adopted the ANSAT and AMSAT tools for clinical assessment.
Remuneration and insurance
No remuneration or payment is made by placement organisations to the students or to the University for hosting the student. Students undertaking an approved placement are covered by the University's insurance policies.
Connect Program (for Midwifery students)
All students enrolled in pre-registration midwifery programs are required by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) to engage in a specified number of continuity of care experiences as a key component of their supervised practice experiences. At USC this is referred to as the Connect Program.
Students are required to engage in a minimum of ten continuity of care experiences. Continuity of care is defined as the contact time students will spend with each woman, throughout their early pregnancy and up to four to six weeks after birth, under the supervision of a registered midwife or medical practitioner qualified in obstetrics.
The Connect Program enables students to experience continuity with individual women throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period, irrespective of the availability of midwifery continuity of care models.
Students are required to provide evidence of their engagement with each woman, which will be evaluated in a consistent, regular and ongoing manner as it is linked directly with their practicum courses.
Please contact the Connect Program Coordinator for further details:
Anna Robins
Tel: 07 5456 5106
Email: Connect@usc.edu.au
Contact us
Once you have enrolled, the Clinical Placement Office (CPO) can assist you in your preparations and requirements for clinical placement. The CPO is also responsible for allocating you to your placement areas.
Clinical Placement Administrator
School of Health
UniSC Sunshine Coast: H1.G.66
Tel: +61 7 5456 5005
Email: Nursing.MidwiferyCPO@usc.edu.au
For all other general student enquiries please contact Student Central.
For further nursing and midwifery course information visit:
Bachelor of Nursing Science
Bachelor of Nursing Science (Honours)
Bachelor of Nursing Science: Graduate Entry
Bachelor of Midwifery