Student Clinical Placements

Student Stories

What is a Clinical Placement?

Clinical placement is supervised patient management in the pre-hospital or medical facility involved in primary care. We ask students to complete their clinical placement after their practical workshops so they have practised the basic skills in a simulated environment to enable them to implement appropriate care in accordance with any local clinical practice guidelines.

Student Clinical Placement is required in the following courses. A record booklet is available for your clinical placement and is required to be completed as evidence of the requirements for the units.

HLT41120 — Certificate IV in Health Care — 80 Hours

After you have completed your theory units and practical workshops, the clinical work placement is a part of putting your new skills into practice to perfect your techniques to build your confidence in face to face patient management.

The unit HLTOUT004 Assess And Deliver Basic Clinical Care states that there must be evidence that the candidate has:

performed the activities outlined in the performance criteria of this unit during a period of at least 80 hours work, under clinical supervision in the workplace
performed a clinical assessment and implemented basic care in a pre-hospital or out-of-hospital context on at least three different patient presentations for an illness or trauma impacting health status including:

primary survey
secondary survey
planning and implementing basic clinical care based on assessment and time-criticality
monitoring patient
safely delivering patient to a healthcare professional, facility, or service

performed basic life support on an adult, child, and infant simulation manikin according to established clinical guidelines and protocols.

HLT51020 — Diploma of Emergency Health Care – 160 Hours

The Diploma of emergency care practical unit HLTOUT005 Assess And Deliver Standard Clinical Care requires students to preform a clinical assessment and implement standard care in an out-of-hospital context on at least five different patient presentations for an illness or trauma impacting health status.

This would include

Primary Survey
Secondary Survey
Planning and implementing patient management based on assessment, time-criticality and available resources
Monitoring a patient, e.g.: Patient observations Pulse Blood pressure and ECG if appropriate
Transferring care using a systematic approach to a handover

They are required to use any applicable clinical practice guidelines or protocols to

Manage a patient’s airway
Cardiac monitoring through limb leads only
Cardiac rhythm evaluation as shockable or non-shockable
Administering and responding to the effects of pharmacological therapy to treat and manage a patient’s illness or condition
Performed basic life support and be able to assist in advanced life support on an adult, child, and infant simulation manikin according to established clinical guidelines and protocols

These skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace or in a simulated environment that reflects workplace conditions. Students will be seeking a work placement at the end of their course after they have completed all learning units and attended a practical workshop and webinars designed to prepare them for the work placement.

All prehospital care workers have had to go through some type of training environment to help them develop real world clinical people skills to develop your confidence in a supported clinical environment

Where can you complete clinical placement?

We have a list of contacts of companies or organisations that have offered to support you in clinical placement. That list is available in the student news section of our student management system.

You are encouraged to seek your own clinical placements that will help support your learning.

International Paramedic College Australia recommends that students seek to undertake clinical experience with several places to broaden or develop specific skills in various fields that may help in developing a network for your new career. Students may be seeking to work in event medical, mining or civil prehospital care services and so may seek to gain experience in a sector relevant to their career pathway.

State-based ambulance services and St John Ambulance have various volunteer programs that can be excellent places for clinical placement. Refer to their websites to find out how to apply.

Suggested Clinical Placements

Event Medical Services provide a diverse range of medical support to events all over Australia
Local and National Sporting organisations
State-Based Emergency Services (e.g. SES in NSW)
Theme Parks Train services and large public events
Emergency Services Offices MESO (medic in mines or civil construction projects)
Defence Force
State Ambulance Services in Tasmania and South Australia have extensive volunteer programs
Local GP Clinics and Medical Centres
Remoter Aboriginal Medical Services
Patient Transport Services
Royal Flying Doctor services
Aero medical transport services
Volunteer overseas e.g. Nepal Vanuatu

While we can help with contacts for clinical placement, it is your responsibility to source a clinical placement and comply with any workplace requirements they may have. We will provide you with a clinical placement record booklet where you can document your experience. Students are responsible for any costs associated with their work placement.

Note: The performance evidence requirement to implement clinical care standards and interventions must have been demonstrated using simulation before being demonstrated in the workplace and with members of the public.

When seeking placement, students may be required to obtain specific certifications as identified by the Host Organisation, such as First Aid/CPR certificates, Working with Children Check, police check, vaccinations etc. It is the student’s responsibility to organise and fulfil any required prerequisites if requested by the organisation. Students are responsible for any costs associated with their work placement.

Work placement may involve exposure to a range of emergencies that may be confronting.

Deal with simulated and actual workplace emergency responses, often in uncontrolled field environments. Violent, aggressive or uncooperative patients and members of the public.

Students undertaking the HLT41120 Certificate IV in Health Care or the HLT51020 Diploma of Emergency Health Care are advised that work placements form a critical component of their training. These placements may occur in uncontrolled pre-hospital care environments where students may be exposed to high-pressure situations, significant stress, and potentially confronting scenes, including but not limited to, serious injury or trauma to individuals.

Students should be aware that these environments are unpredictable and may involve circumstances beyond their control. The nature of these experiences is integral to the training process and aims to equip students with the skills necessary to perform in real-world emergency healthcare settings.

By enrolling in these courses and participating in the associated work placements, students acknowledge the potential for exposure to such environments and accept the inherent risks. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they are mentally and physically prepared for these challenges. If students have any concerns regarding their ability to cope with these conditions, they are encouraged to seek professional advice prior to commencing the work placement component of their course.

The College provides support to students to the extent reasonably practicable, but cannot guarantee the elimination of all risks associated with work placements in pre-hospital care settings.

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