Audiology placement requirements

There is no uniform for audiology placements. Audiology students are expected to dress in smart professional attire.

This means NO jeans, sneakers, sweatpants or revealing items. Placement providers may have specific dress requirements that will be outlined in the placement schedule.

Further guidance will be provided to students before commencing placements. If you are unsure of the dress code requirements, please contact the relevant topic coordinator.

You are required to read and understand the SA Health Clinical Placement Requirements for Healthcare Students (PDF)

Students will be provided with a placement schedule / timetable at the start of each term. You are required to confirm your placements the week prior to your scheduled placement. This involves contacting the clinic you have been scheduled to attend by phone or email to confirm start times and clinic location details.

If a student needs to cancel a placement at short notice, you must notify the clinic by phone immediately as well as email the relevant topic coordinator and work integrated learning support officer at cnhs.placements@flinders.edu.au.

Attendance at all placements is compulsory. It is the student's responsibility to contact the clinician conducting the placement PRIOR to the session if any unforeseen circumstances prevent attendance.

A medical certificate or other appropriate documentation is a mandatory requirement for any absence from an allocated clinical placement.

Any student missing a clinical placement MUST attend a replacement clinic organised by the work integrated learning support officer (given clinic availability constraints). Consistent failure to meet these requirements may result in a student failing the relevant topic.

This section provides guidance for finding solutions for issues that may arise during a placement, and suggestions about appropriate people to contact.

Issues sometimes arise on placement that you may not be able to resolve by yourself. Who to contact and potential solutions are covered below. Keep in mind that you are required to maintain professional behaviour and communication at all times, especially with those at the placement venue.

If you encounter problems while on placement or if you have any concerns about your progress or the fairness with which you are being treated they should contact the audiology placement education coordinator and/or clinical topic coordinator. Initial contacts will be treated confidentially and students will be advised of their options for dealing with the situation either themselves or with the involvement of the placement education coordinator and/or course coordinator.

• Make sure you have all relevant issues documented (for example, keep a full record of dates, times, what happened, any correspondence such as emails, and similar).
• Arrange to meet with your clinical topic coordinator to discuss your concerns.

If you have done this and the problem is still not fixed - what to do next:

• Make an appointment to speak with your audiology placement education coordinator or course coordinator.
  
• If the matter if still not resolved arrange to meet with the Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning).

Where appropriate and as far as is possible, your anonymity will be preserved.

Remember that you have free access to the University Health, Counselling and Disability Services.

Are you experiencing bullying or harassment?

Flinders University is committed to ensuring that students can participate in workplaces that are free from bullying, harassment and discrimination, and where people are respected and diversity is embraced.

The College complies with the Flinders University principles outlined in No bullying at Flinders.

If you feel that you are being, or have been, bullied or harassed at a placement venue, report this immediately to your placement educator/facilitator and/or your topic coordinator.

Also, seek support and assistance as soon as possible from the University Student Equal Opportunity Adviser, who provides assistance to resolve complaints that arise from harassment or bullying, under the University’s Equal Opportunity Policy (PDF).

Students need to complete the clinical hours record form at each clinical session and have their supervisor sign it. Students are also required to keep a record of their clinical hours in an excel spreadsheet which will be provided to students.

Further information on how to record clinical hours and the relevant documents are available on FLO. Any questions regarding the recording of clinical hours should be directed to the relevant topic coordinator.

Students in all years are expected to be mindful of ethical behaviour, in accordance with Audiology Australia (AudA) Code of Conduct and are expected to demonstrate professional responsibility.

View the Audiology Australia Code of Conduct.

What is breach of conduct?

A breach of conduct is when situations arise where there are serious deficits in the way a student conducts themselves or behaves while on placement, for example when a student:

• behave in an unprofessional manner or
• does tasks outside their scope of practice
• engages in unsafe professional practice.

When a breach of conduct occurs, the student will be referred to the clinical topic coordinator or placement education coordinator who will review whether the student can continue activity within the topic, depending on the severity of the breach.

Patients and the public expect to be in a safe environment within a placement venue. If at any time a student demonstrates unsafe practice during a placement, they will be immediately withdrawn from the placement venue. The placement educator (facilitator) will then notify the topic coordinator and course coordinator, in writing, of the event or activity that required the removal of a student from the venue.

Unsafe professional practice includes:

• inadequate knowledge for safe practice
• inadequate performance of skills, including communication
• unprofessional behaviour that places patients at risk of physical harm, unreasonable emotional distress or neglect
• unlawful or unethical behaviour.

If the issue/s that caused the removal of a student from placement can be resolved, and the venue agrees, a student may continue their placement. The topic coordinator, in consultation with the audiology placement education coordinator and clinical educator/s and will determine whether a student may be reinstated.

Client confidentiality

It is important to respect the confidentiality of client care and information in client files. It is inappropriate to discuss clients or clinicians where the conversation can be overheard by clients, family members or others.

Each client brings a set of emotional and physical circumstances, which must be considered at every clinic session. Students should be sensitive to these factors and give them due consideration. Client welfare is the first priority. The clinical educator has final responsibility for client welfare. Students should also be aware that the clinical educator’s consent must be sought before a student gives information to a client or family and before making contact with other professionals involved in the case.

Additional funding for rural and remote placements may be available through external audiology organisations. You will be advised of these when information and application details become available.

During placement, you are required to cover the costs of your travel, accommodation and meals. You are eligible for financial assistance and reimbursement as detailed above.

Accommodation may be offered at a subsidised rate. When you are allocated to a rural or interstate placement the placement education coordinator will advise and assist you to find suitable student accommodation options.

If your placement is in rural South Australia your details are forwarded to the Flinders Rural Health South Australia team who will contact you regarding the available accommodation options.

Students are asked to complete a block placement preference survey in semester 2 of first year. The information collected from this survey is used to assist with the planning and allocation of the block placements in the following year.

Students will always be consulted prior to the final allocation and confirmation of an interstate or rural placement.

Students are asked not to negotiate their own placement/s without consulting the placement education coordinator.