FAQs

NSW Health Requirements

Requirements
Documentation
Checking Days
FAQs

Requirements

Requirements for NSW Health Compliance

NSW Health requires that all medical students placed in any of its facilities are fully compliant with its requirements. This applies to students undertaking clinical placements or students who require access to its facilities, which includes all UNSW Medicine teaching hospitals.

UNSW Medicine is required to enter information about all medical students into ClinConnect, a NSW Health database for managing clinical training placements in public hospitals. Information reported to ClinConnect includes student name, student number, student e-mail address, gender and date of birth.

Prior to the first clinical training session in Year 1, students will need to provide certain documentation to NSW Health staff at an on-campus checking session. If not fully compliant with their requirements, students will be given instructions on what to do before commencing clinical training. UNSW Medicine cannot overrule the decision of health staff and clinical training will be delayed until compliance is reached.

Students must note that clinical placements are a substantial and essential element in the UNSW Medicine program. Students who fail to satisfy the requirements of NSW Health at any point during their enrolment in the program may be excluded from undertaking a clinical placement. This will delay progress in the program and may ultimately lead to exclusion from the program.

All students studying Medicine at UNSW must be compliant throughout the duration of their studies.

> Please refer to the Documentation, Checking Days and FAQs tabs for further information.

If you have any questions about NSW Health Compliance, please refer to the FAQ section before contacting us.

Documentation

Compliance documentation

Where possible, students are advised to prepare the documentation needed for NSW Health compliance several months before the start of their studies. In addition to the below, you can also find further details on the NSW Health South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Student Compliance website.

All students will need to present the following documentation:

UNSW Student ID Card

Once you have enrolled in your courses, you are able to pick up a Student ID card from The Nucleus: Student Hub. If you are unsure how to get a card, please visit the How to get a Student ID Card website.

On the NSW Health Compliance Checking Day, you must present your original card (not a photo copy, a scan or a photograph).

Australian National Police Check

On the NSW Health Compliance Checking Day, you must present your original police check and also bring 1 photo copy. If the original is digital, you need to be able to present the original and give a printout to NSW Health.

From 14 January 2019, Australian National Police checks are valid for 5 years from the date of issue. Students whose police check will expire shortly, must purchase a new police check. The expiry date of police check already recorded in ClinConnect will not be extended (prior to 14 January 2019, Australian National Police checks were valid for 3 years).

> Students residing in NSW

Apply for a police check on the NSW Police Force website using their online application form.

Please keep the following in mind when you complete the application:

When asked for the “type of check”, chose the “name and date of birth check”. The cost is approx. $50. Do not apply for the fingerprint check (approx. $180) or the volunteer check (approx. $15).
When asked for the “purpose of the check”, chose “employment/student placement” from the dropdown menu.
When asked to specify details, type “medicine student” in the text box.

You may also apply for a criminal record check from another CrimTrac Accredited Broker Agency.

> Students residing in other states of Australia or in other countries

Apply for a police check on the Australian Federal Police website using their online application form.

Please keep the following in mind when you complete the application:

When asked for the “purpose type”, chose “commonwealth employment/purpose” from the dropdown menu.
When asked for the “purpose of check”, chose “care of children/intellectually disabled/aged care staff/volunteers” from the dropdown menu.

Police Check from home country - Additional requirement for international students on student visas

In addition to the National Police Check from Australia, international students on student visas are required to present a police check from their home country.

The police check from your home country must be an original and in English. If it is written in another language, you must bring an English translation done by a NAATI accredited translator.

If it is difficult for you to organise a police check from your home country, you can complete a Statutory Declaration instead. Please note that this form must be signed by you and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace (JP) in Australia. You can search for JPs on the NSW Justice of the Peace website or the UNSW JP website.

NSW Health Code of Conduct Agreement for Students

Please print the Code of Conduct Agreement form, complete it and bring it along to the NSW Health Compliance Checking Day. Students are expected to have read the Code of Conduct before signing the form.

Attachment 6: Undertaking / Declaration Form

You can access Attachment 6 (page 40) from the Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Policy Directive. Please print the form, complete it and bring it along to the NSW Health Compliance Checking Day.

Attachment 7: Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool

You can access Attachment 7 (page 41) from the Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Policy Directive. Please print the form, complete it and bring it along to the NSW Health Compliance Checking Day.

TST screening is required if the person was born in a country with a high incidence of TB, or has resided for a cumulative time of 3 months or longer in a country with a high incidence of TB. To find out whether you need to undertake TST screening, please have a look at the List of Countries with a Tuberculosis Incidence of 40 cases per 100,000 Persons or Greater.

Attachment 1: Blood Borne Virus Student Declaration Form

Please print the Blood Borne Virus Student Declaration Form, complete it and bring it along to the NSW Health Compliance Checking Day. Students are expected to have read the information available on the Department of Health Australian National Guidelines for the Management of Healthcare Workers Living with Blood Borne Viruses and Healthcare Workers who Perform Exposure Prone Procedures at Risk of Exposure to Blood Borne Viruses website before signing the form.

Vaccination card and serology reports

Please note the following:

Your vaccination records should have the batch number recorded or sticker applied.
Vaccination provider signature (doctor’s signature) and practice stamp are required.
Serology results recorded on a vaccination card require a signature and stamp. A copy of the serology report is preferred.
Evidence must be legible and written in English.

You will require the following vaccinations / serology reports:

For more details, please access the NSW Health Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination Against Specified Infectious Diseases Policy. The Obtaining Evidence of Vaccination document will also give you details on how to obtain the information required for the Vaccination Card. A list of countries with a tuberculosis incidence of 40 cases per 100,000 persons or greater can be accessed here.

If you are have not been given a Vaccination Card at your interview or you are unable to pick one up from the MESO office, you can download a pdf version here.

Checking Days

NSW Health Compliance Checking Day

Throughout the year, UNSW Medicine organises NSW Health Compliance Checking Days which take place on UNSW Kensington Campus. Students attend these Checking Days to have their documents verified by NSW Health staff.

NSW Health Compliance Checking Days at UNSW Medicine in 2020

Friday 28 February 2020 - Wallace Wurth building, Rooms G14/G15
Friday 27 March 2020 - Wallace Wurth building, Room G08
Friday 24 April 2020 - Wallace Wurth building, Room G08
Friday 6 November 2020 - Wallace Wurth building, Room G08

Follow-up assessments

All students must attend one of the above mentioned NSW Health Compliance Checking Days at UNSW Medicine for their first/initial assessment. Students who are required to provide NSW Health with further/additional documents, can do so by:

attending another NSW Health Compliance Checking day at UNSW Medicine
attending a hospital checking session (you can download the calendar with all 2019 dates and locations here, the 2020 calendar will be uploaded here as soon as it is available)
e-mailing documentation directly to NSW Health (you can find instructions on how to e-mail your documents here)

Information for first year students

All 1^st year students must attend the February NSW Compliance Checking Day and have their documents verified.

NSW Health staff will be able to give students one of the following verification statuses:

Verified
The student presented all necessary documentation and is fully compliant.
Temporarily verified
The student presented most documentation and has received a 6-month temporary verification. The student must provide further documentation before the temporary verification expires.
Not verified
The student did not present sufficient documentation for verification.

Where students are not verified or only temporarily verified, NSW Health staff will advise the student on what is needed to reach full verification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before contacting us, please have a look at these frequently asked questions. You may also find answers in the NSW Health FAQ section.

I am not sure if I have all vaccinations. Can someone help me?

We recommend you either make an appointment with your GP or with the UNSW Health Service.

Please note that administrative staff in the Medicine Education & Student Office (MESO) are not able to check your vaccinations.

Do I need TB screening?

You will require TST (Tuberculin Skin Test)screening if you were born in a country with a high incidence of TB of if you have resided for a cumulative time of 3 months or longer in a country with a high incidence of TB. A list of countriesis available on the NSW Health website.

If you need TST screening, we recommend you either make an appointment with your GP or with the UNSW Health Service.

I have been fully verified but am wondering how long my verification is valid for?

Your verification will expire as soon as your police check is older than 5 years (previously 3 years). You must apply for a new police check and have it verified by NSW Health before your verification expires.

Can I show my documents to the staff at the Clinical School/Hospital I have been placed at?

Staff at the Clinical Schools are not able to verify your documents. Only NSW Health staff are authorised to do so and confirm on ClinConnect that you are compliant.

What happens if my documents are incomplete?

You will not be allowed to commence or continue your clinical placement until your documentation is complete and has been verified as compliant with NSW Health Policy.

Compliance Requirements have been communicated to you prior to commencing Medicine at Orientation Week, 1st year lectures and through several follow up emails.

There is no justifiable reason or explanation for you not to have your documents prepared and available as directed.

Am I required to have a Working with Children Check?

No. Students undertaking clinical placements in hospitals or other health services in NSW are not required to obtain a Working with Children Check.

What information is stored on ClinConnect and what is the privacy policy?

You can read more about student information and privacy on the HETI website.

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