Nursing & midwifery placements

Professional Practice placements are compulsory for the Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery/Nursing. As an enrolled student, you must complete 800 hours of placement over the duration of your course.

Successful completion of the course, including the mandatory placement hours, will let you apply for registration as a registered nurse with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

As of 2020, you may incur a placement fee if you don’t comply with minimum standards for external placements.

VU’s practical learning – Health Sciences - Transcript

VU Collaborate

For further information about clinical learning and placements, log in to VU Collaborate: COMM- Professional Practice HE Nursing & Midwifery (2018) - COMM-91446.

Information you'll find on the VU Collaborate space includes:

placement block dates (via the Clinical Calendar)
professional practice rules and expectations
forms (including mandatory pre-placement documentation)
Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool (ANSAT)
professional practice news and updates (including last-minute placement opportunities).

The best thing about VU is the friendly, multicultural environment, and the amazing support I received from the teachers.

Mlisho Karega — Diploma of Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing

Mlisho's story

Placement locations

Over the duration of the course, you'll undertake both metropolitan and rural professional placements – sometimes at venues far from your home due to placement availability. This may require travel by car or public transport, as well as overnight accommodation.

Shifts may be scheduled for different days and times, due to seven-day rotating shifts across morning, afternoon and night duty. You may need to attend placements on public holidays and university breaks.

Use InPlace Student Placement Portal to view the location of your placements.

InPlace Student Placement Portal

Using InPlace, enrolled Nursing and Midwifery students can:

find details of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) activities (ie placement details)
upload mandatory pre-placement documentation.

Log in to VU WIL/InPlace

My placements allowed me to integrate my knowledge into my clinical practice and also consolidate my knowledge and skills. They also helped me build my independence and confidence and started to shape me as a midwife.

Emma Heard — Bachelor of Midwifery / Nursing

Emma's story

Mandatory pre-placement requirements

To attend placement, students must complete the following pre-placement requirements each year by the due date, which will be updated via VU Collaborate.

If you don't complete these requirements by the due date each year, your course progression may be delayed, and you may be withdrawn from the Professional Practice unit you’re enrolled in.

1. Immunisation requirements

The Department of Health and Human Services requires all students undertaking placement in the healthcare sector to be fully immunised.

The annual Immunisation Checklist is available via VU Collaborate and, once completed, must be uploaded to VU WIL each year.

You need to submit a completed Immunisation Form signed off by a medical practitioner showing you are fully vaccinated for the following:

hepatitis A
hepatitis B
influenza (annually)
pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, diptheria
measles, mumps, rubella
varicella (chickenpox).

You also need to have an annual tuberculosis screening.

Start your immunisations as soon as you enrol, as some immunisations require a course of injections over several months.

Refer to Victorian government health for the latest information about vaccination requirements for healthcare workers.

VU Bachelor of Nursing & Bachelor of Nursing/ Midwifery vaccination program

A one stop shop is being offered by IPC Health (Improving and Promoting Community Health).

Vaccinations and pathology to be performed onsite at IPC Deer Park

Students to book by phone at IPC Deer Park and advise IPC reception staff that they are booking for the VU Vaccination Program appointment.

106 Station Road, Deer Park, Victoria, 3023
Phone: (03) 9219 7142
Email: https://www.ipchealth.com.au/

Documents to bring

Immunisation Certificate of Compliance form
VU student ID card

Costs

Local students
Consultation – bulk billing is offered.
Vaccines – charged cost-price as per the table below.
Pathology – bulk billed where possible.
Tuberculosis test, QuantiFeron TB Gold pathology – approx $75
International students
Consultation – standard fee (no Gap fee) to claim back from your OSHC provider.
Vaccines – charged cost-price as per the table below.
Pathology – standard fees, to be claimed back on OSHC.
Tuberculosis test, QuantiFeron TB Gold pathology – approx $75

For more information please contact the VU Health Advisor - Email: [email protected]

Vaccine	Dose	cost (2020)	Confirmation
Varicella - Zoste	2 doses	$55.13 or $64.35	Confirmed by vaccination record Confirmed by serological evidence of immunity to varicella Confirmed by documented evidence of 2 doses varicella containing vaccine Confirmed by Medical Practitioner definite prior history of varicella infection
diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (dTpa)	1 dose	$29.65	Confirmed by vaccination record indicating one dose of dTpa given within past 10 years
hepatitis A	2 doses	$42.90	Confirmed by vaccination record Confirmed by blood test result
hepatitis B	3 doses	under 20 years old, funded or $10.18 over 20 years old $19.51	Confirmed by blood test result (>10IU/ml)
measles, mumps and rubella	2 doses	$28.50	Confirmed by evidence of x2 MMR vaccinations Confirmed by serology report indicating immunity test result Confirmed by birth date prior to 1966, documentation birth before 1966
tuberculosis	–	$75	QuantiFERON TB

2. Police check

A police check is an industry and University pre-placement requirement that must be issued within each calendar year. You must upload this to VU WIL/InPlace each year.

Enter the Fit2Work Police check site and use your Victoria University student email address to login or create an account if you're a new user.

Further assistance with Fit2work police check

Phone: 1300 525 525
Email: [email protected].

3. Working with children check

Apply for your free volunteer working with children check. Then upload a copy of your card to VU WIL/InPlace.

VU disability services assisted me in developing a plan to support my needs while maintaining fairness. I also completed a study tour to Vietnam where we completed a clinical placement in Hanoi Paediatric Hospital – the opportunity of a lifetime.

Aaron Lethlean — Diploma of Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing

Read Aaron's story