Clinical Placements information

Page Last Updated 13 Oct 2021 9:24pm

Vaccination UPDATE

Mandatory for Residential Aged Care Workers

Mandatory for Residential Aged Care Workers

COVID-19 vaccination has been mandated as of 17 September 2021 for all residential aged care workers, including students on placement.

As a minimum, students on placement must have provided evidence showing they:

  • received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 17 September 2021, or
  • an appointment to receive at least their first dose by 1 October 2021,

Further information - Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in residential aged care

Government changes to all healthcare worker vaccination mandates

The Chief Health Officer has released a direction on mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers.

A healthcare worker is a person (including a volunteer or student) that is employed or engaged as a contractor to perform work at a healthcare setting. Students must therefore comply with the following with regards to attending clinical placement:

By 15 October 2021 all students attending clinical placements must:

  • have had a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or
  • provide proof of a vaccination booking to occur by 29 October 2021.

By 29 October 2021 all students attending clinical placements must:

  • have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and
  • provide proof of a second vaccination booking by 15 December 2021.

By 15 December 2021 all students attending clinical placements must:

  • have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
    (Note that in order to attend a University campus or location, you must have received both doses by 5 November 2021).

Faculty MNHS Mandatory Compliance – upload vaccine evidence to InPlace

Students undertaking a Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences course with clinical or fieldwork placements must demonstrate compliance with police, working with children checks and immunisation requirements.

Please upload your vaccine and other compliance evidence to InPlace.

Out of hours clinical student support for COVID-19 queries and to log close contact case

Weekends - email Georgina Dianiska, Monash Connect directly with details listed in table below.

Monash Connect will notify Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who contacts the student. As required CMO may involve a student case manager (case by case).

Student Clinical Placement Guidance (updated 1 October, 2021)

This guidance has been updated to reflect the current COVID-19 risk ratings in place across Victoria (for both Metropolitan Melbourne and Regional Victoria).

Fit testing requirements to support student clinical placements (updated 1 October, 2021)

Find additional information and resources related to Victorian hospitals and health services’ response to COVID-19 on the DHHS Website.

Staying safe on placement

The health, safety, and course progression of all our students, including those completing approved course-related clinical placements, is our top priority.

  • If you're on placement and you enter environments with patients who are known or suspected to have COVID-19, you must have completed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) training and be wearing appropriate PPE.
  • You are to follow the advice of your placement site coordinator or supervisor on the use of personal protective equipment, social distancing, and hygiene measures.
  • If required for course completion, we will support any student who opts-out to re-engage with placement later in their course by extending the time available to complete their placement unit/s.
  • We are currently prioritising placements for our senior students to facilitate their course progression towards graduation and registration.
  • For students of all years, we will support rescheduling of catch-up placements where possible. This will depend on the discipline-specific requirements and the availability of placements.
  • Students in clinical placements should only be at the health service provider premises solely for clinical experience. This is the contractual arrangement between the provider and the University. No coercion or pressure, perceived or real, is to be placed on students to perform work or activity for any roles outside their clinical placement.

Monash University COVID-19 Fact Sheet updates – please monitor

Government vaccine eligibility checker

Clinical placement students – FAQs

Q. I am currently on placement. Can I continue my placement between now and when I get vaccinated?

Generally, yes. Most clinical placements are continuing during the vaccine roll-out.

COVID-19 vaccination has now been mandated for clinical placements in Victoria. You should follow the advice of your placement provider, who may request that you leave your placement if you have not been vaccinated.

If you are asked to leave placement, please advise your course coordinator.

Q. I have been offered the AstraZeneca vaccine by my placement provider, what should I do?

All decisions about vaccination should be made in consultation with your GP and in line with government health advice.

Please review the latest advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

Q. Can I choose not to get a COVID-19 vaccination?

COVID-19 vaccination is now mandated for participation in clinical placements.

All decisions about vaccination should be made in consultation with your GP and in line with government health advice.

Q. What proof do I need to provide Monash Health that I am on a clinical placement?

You need to complete and sign the Eligibility Declaration on page one of the eligibility form and bring it with you to your vaccination appointment.

Q. I have a shift as worker in the hotel quarantine program, can I go to my clinical placement shift?

You should not undertake a clinical placement at a health service or residential care facility if you have undertaken a placement, worked at or volunteered at a hotel quarantine site and/or other port of entry within the last 14 days.

If you have worked in quarantine hotels or ports of entry in the last 14 days please inform your placement provider. We also encourage you to disclose any work in hotel quarantine to your course coordinators so that they can support you and advise on any potential impact on course progression due to your exclusion from placement.

Additional information