COVID-19 Advice for the JCU Community - Last updated: 5 May 2022, 3pm (AEST)

Professional Experience Placement Placement Requirements Public Health

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

Student Placement Contact
DTHM Placement Unit
Building 41 Room 18

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Students (updated 5 May 2022)

The following directions have been updated:

Isolation for Diagnosed Cases of COVID-19 and Management of Close Contacts Direction (No. 7) | Queensland Health

  1. Students are now included with employees as workers within a vulnerable setting for returning to work as a close contact.
  2. A student who is in the post-isolation period or a close contact can enter a vulnerable or high-risk setting if they:
  • remain without symptoms consistent with COVID-19,
  • comply with the vaccination requirements of the vulnerable facility,
  • Advise the facility of their close contact status,
  • Wear a surgical mask and/or comply with any other PPR requirements and
  • Undertakes a COVID-19 test and receives a negative test result on the day of their first shift and every second day thereafter until Day 6

Requirements for International Arrivals Direction | Queensland Health

  1. Students are now included with employees as workers within a vulnerable setting for returning to work following international travel.
  2. Students who enter Queensland from a place outside of Australia are now permitted to enter a vulnerable or high-risk setting if they:
  • comply with the vaccination requirements of the facility
  • have no symptoms consistent with COVID-19
  • undertake COVID-19 testing before commencing duties and every second day for 7 days,
  • use appropriate PPE until 7 days have passed and
  • the facility agrees.

Hospital entry guidelines (12 March)

A student is permitted to enter or remain at a hospital in the State of Queensland, if they:

  • have received the prescribed number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Comply with face mask requirements and any other additional personal protective equipment requirements of the facility
  • do not have symptoms consistent with COVID -19 and are not a diagnosed person; and
  • have ceased being a diagnosed person, and it has been 7 days since the end of isolation.

Residential Aged Care Visitor Direction (includes Multipurpose Healthcare Facilities) (12 March)

A vaccinated student must provide evidence of having received the prescribed number of doses of their COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose where eligible.

QLD Health - Hospital Vaccination clinics:

Mater Health Facilities Queensland

Mater Health Facilities across Queensland require:

  1. Students who have been COVID-19 positive or a close contact must wait an additional 7 days following their release from isolation/ quarantine before entering a vulnerable facility. This means that anyone in isolation/ quarantine must wait 14 days before attending or resuming placement.
  2. If any student is planning international travel, they need to be aware that they are not allowed onto a Mater Site for placement for 14 days from their return date and adhere to the below steps;
  • is fully vaccinated and up to date with their vaccinations including booster; and
  • has no COVID-19 symptoms and is not a diagnosed person; and
  • they undertake a COVID-19 test and receive a negative test result before commencing placement
  • results need to be forwarded to your JCU Placement Coordinator

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:

  1. Formally enrolled in the subject TM5571 Public Health Placement
  2. Developed a learning contract to be endorsed by the subject coordinator and placement supervisor
  3. Completed and submitted the form Approval to undertake public health placement.
  4. 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.

It is recommended that students download Adobe Acrobat Reader to be able to fill/sign forms. This is a free program. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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 Social Media Policy

JCU Student Conduct Policy

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.

It is recommended that students download Adobe Acrobat Reader to be able to fill/sign forms. This is a free program. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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:

  1. Learning Contract (30%)
  2. Risk management plan via Riskware (10%)
  3. 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:

  1. The first letter verifies acceptance of your placement and includes the Approval to undertake public health placement form
  2. 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.