Institute of Health and Nursing Australia Courses

Professional Experience Placements (PEP's) assess students against professional competency standards for nursing in Australia. During this course, you will complete five (5) PEPs of 800 hours throughout Semester 2 of Year 1, and over both semesters 1 and 2 of Years 2 and 3 of the course.

A PEP is designed to provide a close correlation between the theory you will learn and the level of practice required of nurses to meet the NMBA RN Standards for Practice (2016).

Year 1, Semester 2: 160 hours of PEP which includes an introduction to clinical experience and provides students with the opportunity to develop interpersonal and communication skills, an understanding of the role of a nurse in a multidisciplinary team and the knowledge required to care for a healthy older person.

Year 2: 240 hours of PEP will be allocated as an introduction to acute and chronic nursing care (120 hours in semester 3) and mental health nursing (120 hours in semester 4). This will enable students to develop a higher capability of problem solving and critical thinking, as well as developing their assessment and nursing intervention skills at various healthcare settings and facilities.

Year 3: 400 hours of PEP will provide students with the opportunity to focus on developing the knowledge and skills required to effectively care for individuals within the community (160 hours in semester 5) and to consolidate and translate theoretical knowledge and learned skills to their final PEP (240 hours in semester 6) in medical/surgical nursing practice and related healthcare settings.

Students will learn to be effective members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, providing quality nursing care and gaining management skills and a broader understanding of the role and responsibilities of the registered nurse.

Health care facilities mandate that the student provide the following documents at the commencement of the PEP:

• National police clearance
• Working with Children Check
• Immunisation certificate
• Facility requirements such as E-learning modules including orientation and mandatory trainings
• Mandatory e-learning modules/trainings are to be completed prior to PEP. These include Hand Hygiene Certificate, First Aid Certificate and Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate, Manual Handling Certificate, Blood Safe E-learning module, Infection Control- Principles of infection prevention and control module.
• Students will also undertake hurdle assessments that they must satisfactorily complete prior to their PEP. These hurdles are hand hygiene and medication administration and drug calculation hurdles.

These documents must be original, current, and legible. Students are expected to submit and upload all mandatory documentation in the IHM student file, one week before the allocated commencement date of placement. The students are also responsible to provide the health care facility with the evidence of completion of the mandatory requirements. PEP requirements are subject to change, IHM will notify students within a reasonable timeframe of changes or additions to PEP requirements with which students must comply.

The placement experience is designed to provide opportunities to further develop knowledge and apply skills whilst participating, observing, and performing as a student in a variety of practice settings. The relationship between patient/client/resident/consumer and health care professional should always be safe, helpful, and therapeutic and within the ethical and professional boundaries determined by the NMBA code of conduct for nurses (2018).

Whilst on placement, personal presentation should be reflective of a student representing IHM. Professional appearance and behaviour are to be always maintained. The uniform is available at the IHM Campuses. Official uniform clearly identifies that they are a student of IHM and must be worn to and from placement unless otherwise directed. Improper attire may result in being asked to leave the venue and recorded as absent for that shift unless it is a designated "non-uniform" placement as specified by the clinical venue. It is recommended to purchase at least two uniforms. The uniform should be freshly laundered, ironed, stain free, in good repair and appropriately sized.

Attendance at PEP is compulsory. The students are expected to complete a full shift for all required PEP hours. If one or more days are missed due to illness, the student is required to make up missed clinical days and this may be at an added cost for the student. This will be determined by the clinical educator/ preceptor and Clinical Placement Coordinator. Failure to complete the number of clinical days will result in not meeting the requirements of PEP.

• Students must comply with all specified Pre-Placement compliance Requirements (PPCR) in the nominated time frame. It is the student's responsibility to maintain the currency of their pre-clinical documentation.
• Students must plan ahead to ensure they are available for scheduled placements as indicated in their PEP schedules. Placements will normally be in the state where the campus is located but also may be in rural areas. Unless otherwise advised, students are responsible for the cost of placement travel and accommodation.
• IHM is not responsible for any injury, loss or damage suffered or incurred because of participating in travel and accommodation arrangements made by the student. Students are likely to be asked for evidence of having met the Pre-Placement Conditions when they attend a placement site and may not be permitted to continue the placement if that evidence cannot be provided on request.

At times, students on placement may need to contact IHM. This may be appropriate if the clinical educator is not available, the matter is urgent, or if it is outside the scope of the clinical educator e.g., missed clinical days.

• Emergency after hours Contact Number:-
• Placement Coordinator:-
• Phone:-
• Email:-

  The clinical educator is the first point of contact when students are on PEP. The Placement Coordinator or Course Coordinator can be contacted at any time if required. In cases of emergency, the student will be expected to follow the facilities emergency policy and procedures. If an issue arises while travelling to or from the PEP venue, students will be directed to call the appropriate emergency service:

• Police:- 000
• Ambulance:- 000