Allied Health Assistance

Course Description

This course is for people who want to work as allied health assistants in community rehabilitation, facility based care or rural/remote care services.

You will learn to comply with legal and ethical issues in health care, use appropriate communication strategies, and apply anatomy and physiology in treatment and care. Working in allied health assistance will include preparing for, assisting with, and evaluating rehabilitation and mobility sessions, supporting clients in managing their treatment plans, using therapy equipment correctly and safely, and completing administrative duties.

As part of this course you will be required to undertake 100 hours of work placement.

ENROLLING IN FIRST AID UNITS OF COMPETENCY

If you are seeking to enrol in a First Aid unit of competency such as HLTFA301B Apply first aid, you are advised that to complete the unit you must be able to perform basic life support skills, for example control bleeding and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If you have a disability that would prevent you from performing required basic life support skills, you are advised that you will not be able to achieve the unit of competency.

REQUIREMENTS AND ADVICE FOR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN WORK PLACEMENT

Some or all of the following advice will apply to you, depending on your course and the type of organisation where you will be undertaking work placement.

1 NSW HEALTH WORK PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ADVICE

National Criminal Record Check

Before you undertake clinical work placement in a NSW Health facility you will be required to undertake a Criminal Record Check (CRC) to obtain a National Police Certificate, either through a state or territory police service or through the Australian Federal Police. If you have any criminal records, you will be subject to a risk assessment and must obtain an authority to undertake clinical placements from the Department of Health, Corporate Governance and Risk Management Branch.

You will only be exempt from undertaking a CRC if you are under 18 years of age at the commencement of your course.

NSW Health Student Undertaking

In addition, you will be required to sign the NSW Health Student Undertaking, agreeing to notify NSW Health if you are charged or convicted of any criminal offence after the date of issue of your National Police Certificate or during the completion of your course.

Volunteer/Student Declaration

Before commencing each clinical work placement in a NSW Health facility you will be required to sign and provide a NSW Commission for Children and Young People Volunteer/Student Declaration. This form declares that you are not prohibited from working with children and young people.

Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination against Infectious Disease NSW Health also requires students to undertake Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination against Infectious Diseases. Before commencing work placement you will have to provide NSW Health with your Health Care Worker/Student Vaccination Record Card.

Please note that these requirements may take several months to complete and you will be required to pay for your Criminal Record Check screening and any necessary immunisations.

NSW Health Code of Conduct

Finally, before you undertake clinical work placement in a NSW Health facility, you will be given the NSW Health Code of Conduct and be required to sign a form stating that you have read and understood it.

For more information visit the NSW Health website at:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/ and type 'clinical placement' in search area.

2 AGED CARE WORK PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ADVICE

National Criminal Record Check

Before you undertake a work placement in a federally funded Aged Care Facility (or NSW Health facility) you will be required to undertake a Criminal Record Check (CRC) to obtain a National Police Certificate, either through a state or territory police service or through the Australian Federal Police.

Anyone whose Police Certificate shows that they have been convicted of murder or sexual assault, or convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for any other form of assault, is not permitted to work within an aged care service if they are reasonably likely to have access to care recipients. For all other types of convictions and work roles, it is up to approved providers to determine whether the individual is suitable to be hired or to continue in their current roles.

Students will only be exempt from undertaking a CRC if they are under the age of 16 or full-time students under the age of 18 years.

Please note that these requirements may take several months to complete and you will be required to pay for your Criminal Record Check screening and any necessary immunisations.

For more information visit the Department of Health and Ageing website at:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/Home

3 COMMUNITY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES WORK PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ADVICE

Volunteer/Student Declaration

Before commencing each work placement where you will come into contact with children, you will be required to sign and provide a NSW Commission for Children and Young People Volunteer/Student Declaration. This form declares that you are not prohibited from working with children and young people.

NSW Working with Children Check

Depending on the organisation's work placement policy and procedures, you may also be required to complete a NSW Working with Children Check.

For more information visit the NSW Commission for Children and Young People website at:
http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/

4 STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES IN WORK PLACEMENT

To help you understand your responsibilities in the workplace, you will be given a Student Code of Conduct which indicates expected standards of behaviour in the workplace. Students who have committed a breach of discipline or who are assessed as presenting a significant risk to themselves or others during work placement may be prevented from undertaking or continuing work placement. This may mean they will not complete the course. If you require any further information talk to your teacher.

5 STUDENT READINESS FOR WORK PLACEMENT

Generally, work placements will only occur after there has been a reasonable amount of student/teacher contact. Wherever possible, an assessment event will be undertaken by students to determine work placement readiness. Based on the evidence provided, the teacher will form a judgement as to the student's readiness to benefit from workplace learning and perform workplace duties with:
the required level of expertise due regard to ethical conduct avoidance of behaviour posing an unacceptable level of risk to themselves, workplace employer/employees or clients/customers, including those in vulnerable circumstances.

If you require any further information about any work placement requirements, talk to your teacher.