Policies

UNSW Medicine and Health is committed to providing professional and safe placement opportunities to students. Students must review the compliance requirements specific to their program and ensure compliance prior to the commencement of their studies and for the duration of their studies.

UNSW Medicine & Health Programs and Compliance Requirements

This table outlines the compliance requirements for various UNSW Medicine & Health Programs, indicated by the Program Code. Information on each compliance requirement can be found below.

Students should review the compliance requirements for the program they have enrolled in as outlined in the table, and then read the corresponding information below. If the cell is blank, the compliance requirement does not currently apply to the program.

NSW Health

UNSW Medicine and Health adheres to the NSW Health Policy Directive for students undertaking placement in NSW Health facilities. The requirements for students under the Policy Directive are summarised on the HETI website. HETI has also developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions for students regarding compliance requirements.

Students must ensure that they are compliant under the NSW Health Policy Directive for the duration of their studies, irrespective of their placement allocation.

NSW Health student compliance is managed on an online system called ClinConnect. Students are responsible for providing evidence of their compliance directly to NSW Health, who will update the student’s ClinConnect profile. Students must email their compliance documentation to SESLHD-StudentCompliance@health.nsw.gov.au for review by NSW Health. Students should use their official UNSW email for correspondence with NSW Health and include their full name and 7-digit Student ID in the email subject line.

NSW Health will advise students of their compliance status after reviewing the provided documents. Students may be assessed as Compliant, Temporary Compliant, or Not Compliant, and NSW Health will advise students of any documentation required to fulfill compliance requirements. UNSW Medicine and Health cannot overrule any decision made by NSW Health regarding a student’s compliance status.

The process of satisfying and supplying evidence of NSW Health compliance can take up to several months. Students are expected to commence this process upon accepting their Offer into a UNSW Medicine and Health program to ensure compliance before the commencement of their studies.

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National Police Check

Evidence of a National Police Check forms part of the NSW Health compliance requirements. Please see the NSW Health section of this page for more information.

Students enrolled in a program in the School of Health Sciences must also submit their National Police Check to the UNSW Medicine and Health WIL team via InPlace.

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First Aid Certificate

Students must hold a valid, nationally recognised qualification or Statement of Attainment issued by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for the nationally endorsed first aid unit/s of competency for the duration of their studies. The current unit of competency is HLTAID011 – Provide First Aid. Students must independently verify the currency of the RTO and competency. Currency can be verified on the training.gov.au website.

First Aid qualifications should be renewed every three years.

Students must submit their First Aid certificate to the UNSW Medicine and Health WIL team via InPlace. 

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Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate

Students must hold a valid, nationally recognised qualification or Statement of Attainment issued by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for the nationally endorsed CPR unit/s of competency for the duration of their studies. The current unit of competency is HLTAID009 – Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Students must independently verify the currency of the RTO and competency. Currency can be verified on the training.gov.au website.

The CPR competency is often delivered in an overarching First Aid qualification. Students should verify this with the RTO.

CPR qualifications should be renewed annually.

Students must submit their CPR certificate to the UNSW Medicine and Health WIL team via InPlace. 

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Working with Children Check

Students must hold a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) for the duration of their studies. Applications for and renewals of a WWCC are completed on the Office of the Children’s Guardian website. The Office of the Children’s Guardian website also provides additional information on the purpose and use of a WWCC.

Students can apply for a WWCC as a volunteer. As a volunteer applicant, there is no cost to apply for the WWCC.

Please note that the WWCC is an online system. Students will not be provided with a WWCC card or certificate and must take note of their WWCC number for submission and verification by UNSW and/or placement partners.

A WWCC needs to be renewed every five years.

Students must submit their WWCC to the UNSW Medicine and Health WIL team via InPlace. 

Students who are referred for a risk assessment with the Office of the Children’s Guardian, or who are barred from working with children by the Office of the Children’s Guardian, will also undergo an internal risk assessment with UNSW Medicine and Health.

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Registration with Accreditation Bodies

Optometry Board of Australia Registration

Students enrolled in the Optometry program must be registered with the Optometry Board of Australia for the duration of their studies. More information can be found on the Student Registration webpage.

The Faculty will arrange registration for students upon commencement of their studies. If students are prohibited from undertaking clinical studies or practice, they will be excluded from the Optometry program at UNSW.

Please note that The Optometry Board of Australia also requires any students potentially undertaking exposure-prone procedures to be aware of their infective status regarding blood-borne viruses. If students are aware that they have a blood-borne virus or infection, they cannot undertake exposure-prone procedures. 

The Optometry Board of Australia also manages notifications about students from members of the public who have concerns about a student’s conduct or capacity, for example relating to health issues or impairments, students charged with an offence, or students breaching conditions of registration. More information is available on the AHPRA Concerns about Practitioners page.

Medical Board of Australia Registration, Internship and Provider Number

Students enrolled in the Medicine program must be registered with the Medical Board of Australia for the duration of their studies. This is in accordance with the Medical Practice Act 1992.  More information can be found at the Medical Board of Australia Student Registration webpage.

The BMed MD Teaching Support Team will arrange registration for students upon commencement of their studies. If students are prohibited from undertaking clinical studies or practice after failing to maintain their registration, they will be excluded from the Medicine program at UNSW.

Please note that The Medical Board of Australia also requires any students potentially undertaking exposure-prone procedures to be aware of their infective status regarding blood-borne viruses. If students are aware that they have a blood-borne virus or infection, they cannot undertake exposure-prone procedures. 

The Medical Board of Australia also manages notifications about students from members of the public who have concerns about a student’s conduct or capacity, for example relating to health issues or impairments, students charged with an offence, or students breaching conditions of registration. More information is available on the AHPRA Concerns about Practitioners page.

If a student is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of enrolment, they might not be automatically entitled to registration, internship, or access to a provider number in Australia. If the student intends to practice medicine in Australia after graduation, they will need to enquire with the relevant bodies: 

• Registration - Medical Board of Australia 
• Internship - Health Education and Training Institute 
• Provider Number - Services Australia

Exercise and Sports Science Australia Registration

Students enrolled in an Exercise Physiology program are highly encouraged to apply for membership with Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA). Applications for student membership can be made on the ESSA Student Membership webpage.

For students completing a combined Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology program, please note there are no current Physiotherapy-specific registration requirements.

Pharmacy Board of Australia Registration

Students enrolled in the Pharmacy program must be registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia for the duration of their studies. More information can be found on the Pharmacy Board of Australia Student Registration webpage.

The Pharmacy Program Authority will arrange registration for students upon commencement of their studies. If students are prohibited from undertaking clinical studies or practice, they will be excluded from the Pharmacy program at UNSW.

Please note that The Pharmacy Board of Australia also requires any students potentially undertaking exposure-prone procedures to be aware of their infective status regarding blood-borne viruses. If students are aware that they have a blood-borne virus or infection, they cannot undertake exposure-prone procedures. 

The Pharmacy Board of Australia also manages notifications about students from members of the public who have concerns about a student’s conduct or capacity, for example relating to health issues or impairments, students charged with an offence, or students breaching conditions of registration. More information is available on the AHPRA Concerns about Practitioners page.

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Get help

Students are welcome to contact the UNSW Medicine and Health WIL team with any queries after reviewing the information above and the associated websites. A list of UNSW Medicine and Health WIL team contacts relevant to each program is below.

Students enrolled in the Medicine program should also review the information available on the Medicine Program website.

Students seeking assistance with accessing InPlace can also visit the Work Integrated Learning website for more information.
 

Students who require additional support with, for example, general UNSW or welfare matters, are encouraged to contact one of the many UNSW support services available to students. More information can be found on the UNSW Support Services page.

Last updated on 03/10/2023