Key undergraduate contacts

Student Advisers

Provide information and advice to students on administrative and related matters:

Student Officer (Undergraduate)

Provides advice to students experiencing more complex difficulties with their program. The Faculty Student Office refers students if necessary to:

Student Adviser (Clinical)

Allocates the nursing practice placements for first- and second-year students. Any requests or problems in relation to nursing practice should be directed to:

Student Officer (Clinical)

Administers the nursing practice placements for third-year students. Any requests or problems in relation to nursing practice should be directed to:

Team Leader, Student and Course Support

Manages the Student and Course Support team. Major concerns or problems regarding administrative and academic services should be referred to:

Technical Officer

Maintains the Faculty's laboratories and other student technical resources. Bookings for and queries about the laboratories and resources, as well as safety issues, should be directed to:

Director of Studies, Undergraduate

Provides academic advice to students on their program, or other assistance such as helping students who experience difficulties coping with their academic work:

Academic Liaison Officer (ALO)

Provides advice on alternative assessment to students with short- or long-term disabilities and with English language difficulties:

Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning

Responsible for the overseeing and quality of academic activities and the coursework programs:

Attendance

For students admitted into the Kuring-gai intake of the Bachelor of Nursing (C10122), most subjects are taught at Kuring-gai campus, however, students are required to attend City campus for science subjects one day per week. For students admitted into the City intake of the Bachelor of Nursing (C10122), most subjects are taught at City campus, however, students are required to attend Kuring-gai campus for nursing laboratories one day per week. For students admitted into the Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (C10123), most nursing subjects are taught at Kuring-gai campus, however, students are required to attend City campus for science and International Studies subjects. For students admitted to the Bachelor of Midwifery (C10225), subjects are taught at City campus (subject to approval).

Class allocation

Students are allocated to particular groups or 'classes' within a subject. This class determines when they attend laboratory sessions as well as tutorial times. Students remain in the same class for the year.

Changes to classes can be made online in the student web enrolment area of the UTS website. Some class changes may be limited by nursing practice restrictions in some years of the undergraduate courses.

Nursing practice policy (clinical placements)

As part of their studies, students are required to undertake nursing practice in a variety of health facilities. This involves students being placed in a clinical environment in accordance with the Nursing Practice Ladder. Students are accompanied by a Clinical Facilitator or allocated an Academic Liaison Person who supports their clinical learning and undertakes their assessment.

The Faculty makes every effort to place students in a health facility in close proximity to their home and close to public transport. However, this is often very difficult to achieve given the limited number of student placements, and students are asked to take this into consideration when they receive notification of their placement. Students with special needs may make a request to be placed in a particular health facility by contacting the Student Adviser (Clinical) on telephone 9514 5125.

Student with disabilities

Students in the Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, and the Bachelor of Midwifery must undertake nursing and/or midwifery practice placements as a prerequisite to satisfactory course completion. For details regarding the practice placement procedures for students with disabilities, see the General Information section.

Accident and incident reporting

Any student or staff member involved in an accident, injury or incident while on clinical placement must complete a standard form (Accident/Incident form), available from their Clinical Facilitator or Academic Liaison Person. Completed forms should be forwarded to the Student Adviser (Clinical). This form is to be completed in addition to any forms which the health facility requires.

The Subject Examiner should be notified immediately of any injury, accident or incident which requires or required medical attention.

If an injury sustained by a student raises doubts about the student's ability to attend subsequent nursing practice experiences, then the matter should be referred to the Director of Studies, Undergraduate.

Attendance

The NSW Nurses Registration Board requires students to undertake a specified number of nursing practice hours. One hundred per cent attendance on nursing practice is required. Should a student miss some component of nursing practice, they may be required to make up the hours at the discretion of the Subject Examiner, in accordance with the provisions below.

Only cases of documented illness or misadventure are accepted as a reason for not undertaking all nursing practice hours. In the event of illness or misadventure, students must notify their Clinical Facilitator or Academic Liaison Person and the relevant health facility. If students are unable to contact these, they should contact the Student Adviser (Clinical) on telephone +61 2 9514 5125. Students in this category may then be offered completion of nursing practice at the specified time (see the Nursing Practice Ladder). Should a student fail to complete all nursing practice hours for any other reason, including work commitments, they may not be offered the opportunity to complete their nursing practice hours, and run the risk of failing the subject.

Students are required to attend designated shifts whilst on nursing practice. Shift times vary between facilities, however, common start times are 7.00 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. Students with carer responsibilities should ask for a document from the Student Office which outlines issues that students may face.

Completion of nursing practice

When assessing whether students are required to undertake additional hours to complete their nursing practice, the Faculty examines a student's nursing practice history, taking into account past attendance as well as the NSW Nurses Registration Board's requirements. Therefore, it is in the interest of students to ensure they maintain a complete attendance record.

As indicated above, students may not be given the opportunity to complete missed nursing practice hours, and may fail the subject if they have a pattern of absences. Documented illness or misadventure are the only legitimate reasons for missing nursing practice hours.

Conduct

Students undertaking supervised nursing practice must follow directions given to them by their Clinical Facilitator, or in the absence of the Facilitator, the staff of the hospital or agency concerned.

Safety

All students review lifting techniques and standard precautions prior to the commencement of each nursing practice placement. Students must also comply with the policies and procedures of the relevant health facility.

Student health and insurance

Students who have health problems that might foreseeably render them unsafe during nursing practice placement for supervised nursing experience are expected to advise either the Associate Dean or Dean accordingly.

Students who have a health problem that they believe might be affected adversely by undertaking nursing practice should seek medical advice before undertaking a placement and should advise the Associate Dean or Dean. Failure to do so may result in the Faculty accepting no responsibility for the consequences.

Uniform

Students are required to wear the official uniform of the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health during all nursing practice placements. Academic staff will indicate any other occasions when students must wear their uniform. Some nursing practice placements, e.g. mental health, do not require uniform. Students are notified of this when they receive their nursing practice placements.

The uniform is under review, but currently consists of:

• white dress or navy blue trousers/skirt (all UTS design) [women]
• navy blue trousers (UTS design) [men]
• white shirt (UTS design)
• shoes (navy or black)
• stockings [women]
• navy jumper/vest/cardigan (optional, but must conform to clinical agency requirements)

Other requirements are:

• Fingernails must be short and clean. Only clear nail varnish is acceptable.
• Hair must be worn off collars. Students with long hair must wear it up; long ponytails are not acceptable.
• Students are permitted to wear a wedding ring and one pair of small, plain studs in the ear lobes. No other jewellery is acceptable.
• Watches should either be digital or have a second hand and have no sharp edges, fancy watchbands or large buckles. A multicoloured ballpoint pen and small notepad are essential requirements. A small pocket calculator is advisable.
• Academic staff provide advice to students on other items which need to be purchased, e.g. fob watch, stethoscope, scissors.
• Students must wear the uniform from their first nursing practice placement in Autumn semester and should ensure that their uniform is available by this time.
• All students must wear a UTS-approved name badge during nursing practice placements, available from the Student Adviser (Clinical) for a nominal fee.

Unsafe nursing practice performance

A student's performance is deemed unsafe if it places patients, clients, staff members or fellow students at risk, and he or she is unable or unwilling to perceive that risk. The judgment that a student's performance is unsafe is usually made on the basis of more than one incident, however, it can be made on the basis of one episode.

Students whose performance is deemed unsafe are removed from the health facility as soon as the judgment is made and are referred to the Subject Examiner who determines the appropriate course of action. Students may receive a Fail grade for the subject, or be given an opportunity to demonstrate improvement in an alternative clinical environment such as the laboratory. If satisfactory, students are given another opportunity to complete their nursing practice in a clinical environment.

Refer to Rule 2.4.5 in the UTS: Calendar.

Unsatisfactory nursing practice performance

A student's performance is deemed unsatisfactory if it fails to meet the objectives and assessment of a given nursing practice experience.

As soon as the risk of an unsatisfactory assessment is identified, the Clinical Facilitator/Clinical Liaison Academic notifies the student and identifies a plan of action. This includes major areas of improvement and specific aims to be met to achieve satisfactory performance. If the student and/or the Clinical Facilitator/Academic Liaison Person have reason to believe they cannot work together to implement the improvement plan, a request can be made by either person to the Subject Examiner for alternative arrangements. On return to the University, the student must make arrangements to see the Subject Examiner to review their progress and plan their next nursing practice placement.

The following diagram demonstrates the process by which unsatisfactory assessments are resolved.

Administering of intravenous medications while on clinical practice

Third-year Bachelor of Nursing students are permitted to administer intravenous medications only under the following conditions:

1. under direct supervision of a registered nurse (including University Clinical Supervisors) accredited by the hospital to administer intravenous medications as long as all other medication requirements have been met, e.g. correct dose, patient, route, time, and written orders, etc., and
2. hospital policy allows students to administer intravenous medications under the direct supervision of a registered nurse as set out in (1) above, and
3. 92238 Adult Nursing: Cellular Alterations or 92261 Adult Nursing: Medical or an equivalent has been successfully completed.

Laboratory policy

Faculty laboratories

The Faculty laboratories are coordinated by Sue Martin. Laboratory staff are based in room KG02.3.51, but can often be located in the laboratories situated in KG02 in rooms 3.46, 3.49, 2.53, 2.56, 2.62, 3.56 and 3.60.

A nursing resource room is available to City campus students for practice Monday to Friday at The Terraces, Broadway (CB08).

Additional services

• Equipment and posters may be borrowed for presentations or tutorials.
• Videos can be viewed in the laboratory area.
• Textbooks are available for quick referencing.

Laboratory access and opening hours

Laboratories are generally open between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. when classes are scheduled.

Practice lab

Laboratory KG02.3.49 has been designated as a practice lab and is open Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m., throughout each semester for students to practice procedures learned in tutorials.

Laboratory rules and safety

Students have a duty of care to themselves and to others and must cooperate and observe the following points when in the laboratories.

• For safety reasons, a maximum of 15 students are allowed in the practice lab at a time. The Faculty recognises that there may be peak times, e.g. prior to examinations, when more practice capacity is required. Should this occur, additional labs may be made available for practice.
• Students must comply with all laboratory safety rules while in the labs – in particular, no food, drink or children are allowed in the laboratories, and covered shoes must be worn at all times.
• All problems must be reported to the Technical Officer, Sue Martin, at KG02.3.51 (opposite the practice lab).
• Should the use of the practice lab be abused in any way, the Faculty will review its operation.

Bachelor of Nursing – accelerated program

Students applying for the Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Nursing Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, who have completed:

• a Certificate IV in Nursing (Enrolled Nurse) from TAFE NSW (Enrolled Nurses), or
• an Australian Bachelor's degree or equivalent in the last 10 years (Graduate entry),

may be eligible for an accelerated program. Numbers are limited and entry is on a competitive basis.

The accelerated program allows students to complete the Bachelor of Nursing in two full-time calendar years, including Summer session, and a pre-semester February school at the beginning of the program for the graduate entry program.

For students who have gained their nursing registration overseas and who are not eligible for registration in Australia, an individual program is developed that may allows recognition of prior learning and experience.

The accelerated program is only offered at Kuring-gai campus.