Occupational therapy professional experience placement

Master of Occupational Therapy students are required to comply with the following standard of dress to attend all placement and clinical experiences unless directed otherwise by their supervisor. These standards align with occupational health and safety requirements and safe handling recommendations. Students are advised that they should also adhere to the dress code in the facility in which they are placed and be suitable for the client group. It should be noted that a facility has the ability to negotiate variations to the uniform in certain circumstances.

• Dress in the specified uniform (as outlined below).
• Clearly display your student ID card at all times.
• Wear hair secured above the shoulders; ponytails should not hang below or touch shoulders, hair should be firmly secured with plain bands and clips. Beards should be neatly trimmed or fixed as close as possible to the skin with clips.
• Remove bracelets, wristwatches, dangling earrings, necklaces and rings (only exceptions - simple unadorned religious bands)
• Remove all nail polish (including clear).
• Remove acrylic fingernails and nails should be trimmed and clean.
• Wear a freshly laundered uniform, and clean shoes each day.
• Shower and attend to personal hygiene before attending the placement.
• Complete uniform, may be worn while travelling to and from campus/placement, if desired.
• The uniform and ID badge must not be worn in social settings such as hotels, restaurants and cafes.
  • Lost or broken ID cards, must be replaced, at a small cost to the student.

The occupational therapy uniform consists of:

• A blue polo shirt with the Flinders University College of Nursing and Health Sciences emblem and occupational therapy label.
• Navy or black trousers - no jeans, denim or tracksuit pants may be worn.
• Blue vest with Flinders University College of Nursing and Health Sciences emblem and occupational therapy label (optional)
• Black or blue, enclosed, sturdy, low heeled, non-slip shoe that protects the foot.

Dress code for religious requirements:

• Long-sleeved, cotton navy or black t-shirt may be worn under the College of Nursing and Health Sciences shirt. However, sleeves must be tight enough so when pushed up to the elbows, the sleeves do not roll down. Students will be required to roll the sleeves up when performing clinical procedures and to maintain asepsis in all areas.
• Head wear: plain navy or black head covering/hijab tightly fitted with the face fully visible.

Students who do not adhere to the above policy may be asked to leave the workshop / placement and their attendance marked as absent.

Purchasing uniforms

Valerie Travers
1/20 Benjamin St, Newton SA
Phone: (08) 8223 5375
Buy online: Valerie Travers website

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

If you have an existing condition or develop an illness or disability that may impede your ‘fitness for professional practice’, you must have the Flinders University Fitness for Professional Practice form (PDF) completed by a medical practitioner.

This form needs to be submitted to the placement education coordinator as soon as possible (for existing conditions, at least two weeks prior to the start of the semester).

Students should contact the designated contact person at the placement facility where they are placed at least two weeks prior to commencement of the placement.

This initial contact is to introduce the student, to discuss any learning needs, prior experiences and areas of interest, to arrange a time and place to meet on the first day of the facility and any other key preliminary information.

Further details of what to include in the letter and a template for structuring learning objectives are on the topic FLO site.

Occupational therapy students will abide by the rules, bylaws and regulations of any venue in which they are placed. Supervisors will make available to students a copy of relevant rules, bylaws and regulations at each clinical venue.

Students will be responsible and accountable to the supervisor. Overall responsibility of the student belongs to the head of the relevant department or team.

Students are expected to take responsibility for their own actions and develop the characteristics of self-directed and reflective learners. The supervisor will guide and facilitate student learning, however, it is the students’ responsibility reflect on their performance and to at regular intervals define their learning needs and discuss these as needed.

Further information about expectations specific to each placement can be found on the topic FLO sites.

Students must provide their supervisor or clinical educator with feedback at the end of the placement via the SPEF-r Review of placement form.

Students need to be aware that they are responsible for the management of their clients. In many instances the intervention that the student provides for their clients will be the only intervention that the patient/client will receive. Often students will be sharing or carrying the caseload of their supervisor.

Patients/clients are people not cases or conditions. Students must explain that they are an occupational therapy student when they introduce themselves to their clients and obtain permission prior to commencing. If a supervisor or another student is also present students will introduce them to their patient and describe their role.

Students must communicate with the supervisor before undertaking any assessment or treatment of a client or starting any new activity not already checked by the supervisor.

Students must communicate frequently with their supervisor and inform them of any change in the situation concerning their patients.

The hours of contact are generally based on 40 hours per week which includes two hours per week completing reflective activities. The timetable for each facility is variable and needs to be negotiated with the supervisor. Students must discuss any proposed time off from placement with the supervisor in the first instance who will then liaise with the University. The amount of hours in total that student must achieve is 1000 hours. There a few additional hours allowed in the fieldwork program but students should generally reserve this for periods when they may possibly be unwell and avoid any other leave unless of an urgent and pressing nature.

Elite athletes

If you are an elite athlete, you need to advise topic coordinators and the placement team of your status as soon as this is confirmed. This will enable appropriate placement arrangements can be accommodated. The University’s rule for Elite Athlete status provides further details, including the need to renew applications annually.

Australian Defence Force personnel

If you are a member of the Australian Defence Forces, and expect to be deployed or required for compulsory training exercises during a placement period, please advise your topic coordinator and the placement team as soon as details are known. Wherever possible, alternative arrangements will be made for your placement.

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.

The placement communication framework (available below) provides information about who to contact when you have a question about your placement.

First point of contact

When an issue arises at the venue where you are doing your placement, the first person to contact is always your supervisor or clinical educator. Their role is to act as your advocate and help to resolve any matters of concern. .

If the matter cannot be resolved at the placement site, please arrange to meet with the placement coordinator to discuss your concerns.

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).

Are you having problems meeting the learning objectives for your placement?

During your placement you may find some of the learning objectives within the Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised Edition (SPEF-r) more difficult to achieve than others - this is a normal part of learning. You can discuss these issues with your supervisor if you are having difficulty in achieving any of the learning objectives. They will assist you in developing learning strategies to achieve the expected outcomes.

If you continue to be concerned about your progress or how the placement is progressing you can contact the placement coordinator for advice and support.

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
• 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 topic coordinator who will review whether they 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 supervisor 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 include:

• 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. Negotiation for the support of a Professional Learning Plan may also be considered.

The topic coordinator, in consultation with the placement educator (facilitator) and relevant clinical staff, will determine whether a student may be reinstated.

If a student’s behaviour or practice is such that they would fail the topic, then they will not be reinstated.

View further information about administrative procedures for students on placement in the Work Integrated Learning policy (PDF).

Professional Learning Plans are designed to provide supportive learning strategies for students who have been identified as requiring further support and/or extension, to achieve the required topic learning outcomes within placement timelines.

The purpose of the Professional Learning Plan is to promote student learning by identifying their specific learning needs and providing strategies to promote successful achievement of the topic learning outcomes on placement. The use of a Professional Learning Plan is designed to support the student's successful completion of their placement. A Professional Learning Plan is not an assessable item and cannot be used as such. Students will only be assessed in accordance to the expected topic criteria as indicated on their Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised Edition (SPEF-r)

A student may be offered a Professional Learning Plan (PLP) at any time during a placement. It is the student's choice to implement this learning strategy, however, students are reminded that a learning plan is designed to promote their success during placement.

How is a Professional Learning Plan implemented?

Your placement educator (facilitator) or topic coordinator would meet with you to discuss the areas within your practice, knowledge, etc. that have been identified as requiring development.

A Professional Learning Plan may then be negotiated with you and designed to specify the learning strategies that may help you meet the expected topic learning outcomes, and/or the SPEF-r. The area/s for development are identified and together the supervisor and/or placement coordinator and student develop the learning plan. This can be continually negotiated and developed throughout the placement.