Public Health
What you need to do
Before preparing for a public health professional experience placement, please contact the Subject Coordinator for TM5571 Public Health Placement to discuss your options and the subject requirements:
Assoc. Professor Richard Franklin
College of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Veterinary Sciences
Phone (07) 4781 5939
Richard.Franklin@jcu.edu.au
COVID-19 Update: Clinical placements restrictions in QLD as of 30 September 2021
All students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by 11 November 2021 in order to enter Queensland Health facilities for the purpose of undertaking a clinical placement
- Restricted areas: Students may only attend clinical placements in Queensland Health facilities within restricted areas if they are fully vaccinated. Brisbane City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Gold Coast City Council, Logan City Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council and Townsville City Council (including Magnetic Island) are currently classified as restricted areas.
- Impacted areas: Students may only attend clinical placements in Queensland Health facilities within impacted areas if they are fully vaccinated. Ipswich City Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council, Redland City Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council, Somerset Regional Council, and Sunshine Coast Regional Council are currently classified as impacted areas.
- Students who have been in Local Government Areas with continuing requirements in the last 14 days or since the area was identified (whichever is shorter) cannot enter a hospital facility in Queensland for a placement, unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19
- For all other areas of Queensland: Full vaccination against COVID-19 will be required by 11 November 2021. Full vaccination will be required for all clinical placements in Queensland Health facilities after this date.
- South West Hospital and Health Service (SWHHS) and Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Services (TCHHS) facilities: Full vaccination against COVID-19 is required for students attending a SWHHS or TCHHS Queensland Health facility for placement. This requirement is ongoing.
More information is available at https://www.health.qld.gov.au/employment/clinical-placement/covid-19-and-clinical-placements.
If your placement is not with a QLD Health facility and you are in a restricted LGA, please contact your placement coordinator to check if you can continue with your placement.
Mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 for Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) including Multipurpose Health Services (MPHS) (includes students on placement)
On 28 June 2021, National Cabinet agreed some changes to vaccination against COVID-19 for the aged care workforce. Specifically:
- that at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine be administered by the 16 September 2021 for all RACF and MPHS workforce; and
- that all RACF and MPHS workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the 31 October 2021, as a condition of working in a Residential Aged Care or Multipurpose Health facility.
For the purposes of this mandate, the RACF and MPHS workforce includes students on placements. A list of the relevant facilities can be found here (refer to the Table under Schedule 1 - Definitions). The full media statement from National Cabinet is available here.
COVID-19 Vaccination information for Healthcare students
JCU recommends that Healthcare students who undertake clinical placements as part of their Course requirements be vaccinated against COVID-19 to ensure they can attend clinical placement. Remember to identify yourself as a healthcare student as most vaccination clinics will have priority appointments available.
Students, please use the Vaccine Eligibility Checker and book in as a Healthcare Worker to be eligible to make your first appointment and receive the first dose of the two-dose vaccination course. Remember to take your JCU Clinical ID Card and Medicare Card to your appointment.
QLD Health COVID-19 vaccination information for Healthcare Workers
QLD Health - Hospital Vaccination clinics:
- Townsville Campus Healthcare Students: Townsville University Hospital COVID-19 Vaccination Hub (located in West End, opposite Castle Town and Townsville Showgrounds) info.
- Cairns Campus Healthcare Students: Cairns Hospital COVID-19 Vaccination info.
- Mackay Campus Healthcare Students: Can call 07 4885 6000 and ask them to transfer your call to the COVID vaccination clinic so that you can make an appointment.
After each vaccination, please submit your COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (available through myGov) or other evidence document to dthmplacements@jcu.edu.au. You can provide evidence of vaccination in your immunisation history statement from the Australian Immunisation Register, which can be obtained from the Australian Government using myGov, the Medicare mobile app or by calling the Australian Immunisation Register and requesting a statement to be posted. Further information is available here. Students should also update their Qld Health Student Orientation Checklist to include their COVID-19 vaccination details.
Arranging your placement
This guide will assist you to organise your professional experience placement. However, you may be required to fulfil additional requirements depending on where your placement will occur (e.g. a national Working with Children Check, current resuscitation certification, current vaccinations). Please confirm with a representative from the placement facility what their specific requirements are, and ensure you meet these requirements prior to beginning your placement.
Prior to placement, you must ensure you have:
- Formally enrolled in the subject TM5571 Public Health Placement
- Developed a learning contract to be endorsed by the subject coordinator and placement supervisor
- Completed and submitted the form Approval to undertake public health placement.
- Completed a health and safety plan via RiskWare
Forms and supporting documents including the TM5571 Subject Outline will be provided to you by the subject coordinator.
The work you will be undertaking during your placement must be voluntary. It is not with your employer.
The placement must be public health related; it cannot be clinical practice.
You should not be undertaking any medical procedures as part of your placement.
Your placement must consist of 152 hours of voluntary work, which equates to four weeks of work at 38 hours per week.
These hours can be undertaken as a block or spread out over the semester, e.g. 15 hours a week for 10 weeks.
As a Public Health placement student, you are responsible for covering all costs associated with your placement, e.g. accommodation, travel expenses.
Please read the below-listed JCU and DTHM placement procedures, and complete and sign
the Student Declaration to confirm that you have read and understood them.
The below documents contains vital information for all students of the Division of Tropical Health and Medicine (DTHM) about the responsibilities of both students and the University concerning professional experience placement.
DTHM Professional Experience Placement Procedures
DTHM Procedure for Infectious Disease
JCU Professional Experience Placement Requirements Procedure
JCU Review of a Student's Suitability to continue a Course involving Placement
JCU WHS - PRO-023 Infection Control Procedure
Once you have completed and signed the above-linked Student Declaration, please email it to the Professional Experience Placement Unit.
JCU Confidentiality Acknowledgement
You must complete and sign the JCU Confidentiality Acknowledgement every year.
In signing the Acknowledgement, you – the student – acknowledge that you have been instructed in the concept of patient, client and business confidentiality, and will respect clients’ confidentiality at all times, including during tutorials, lectures and discussions, both professional and private.
Download, complete, sign and email the Confidentiality Acknowledgement to the Professional Experience Placement Unit and retain a copy for your professional portfolio.
There are three pieces of assessment for TM5571 against which you will be graded as competent or not competent:
- Learning Contract (30%)
- Risk management plan via Riskware (10%)
- A portfolio that includes analytical reasoning and a reflective journal or your learning (70%)
The hurdle requirements for TM5571 involve two letters from your supervisor:
- The first letter verifies acceptance of your placement and includes the Approval to undertake public health placement form
- The second letter verifies your attendance at placement and completion of activities specified in your learning contract
Students approved to undertake an overseas placement must register their trip with JCU for insurance and safety purposes. Registration should be done at least eight weeks before departure where possible.
Please follow this link to complete JCU's Pre Departure Checks & Travel Registration Form (online) for your overseas placement.
If your placement is in the United States or Canada, please contact the subject coordinator to discuss if JCU insurance will cover the placement.
JCU is offering a significant number of scholarships and bursaries to eligible students to support costs associated with attending Work Integrated Learning (placements) in 2021. Details are below.
Applications close 31 October 2021.
Applications can be made retrospectively (i.e., for placements already completed in 2021).
Work Integrated Learning (WIL)/Placement Scholarship
Students enrolled in a confirmed placement of a minimum of 1 week or 36 hours in length, arranged within the 2021 academic year will be eligible for a base amount of $500; plus an additional $250 per week, when required to relocate from semester residential address to undertake the placement. The maximum amount of scholarship per placement will be $3,000.
https://www.jcu.edu.au/scholarships-@-jcu/search/work-integrated-learning-wil-scholarship
Work Integrated Learning (WIL)/Placement Bursary
Bursaries to be awarded to students who undertook a minimum of 100 hours of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) or placement in 2021. The students will be required to have completed, undertaking or enrolled in a confirmed WIL or placement which does not require relocation from the student's semester residential address.
The bursary value for eligible applicants is $500.
https://www.jcu.edu.au/scholarships-@-jcu/search/work-integrated-learning-wil-bursary