Placements with Partner Properties

Preference Entering and Communicating with Properties

Students are not to contact any property, either listed on the Virtual Veterinary Campus (VVC) or otherwise, without prior written consent from the Faculty Extramural Admin Unit.

The animal husbandry property list on the VVC is provided to assist students in undertaking the extramural animal husbandry farm placement requirements and students are granted access to this list, through the VVC, on the understanding that they will use it only for the purpose of undertaking their animal husbandry farm placement requirements. Any student found to be using this list for any other purpose or contacting properties on the VVC without first receiving written consent from the Extramural Admin Unit will be found to be in breach of the Student Code of Conduct (pdf) and will be reported to the Veterinary Professional Conduct Committee.

Generally places offered by our Partner properties falls short of the number of placements for student placement. Students who cannot be placed with Partner sites will need to source placements with other properties (Non Partner Sites). Information about applying for Non Partner Site placement is on the Non Partner Site Placements page.

Placement weeks generally run from Monday to Sunday. However, this is not always the case and students need to read the information available on the VVC for each property before entering preferences which may not be able to be allocated if they conflict with the days available for placement.

Prior to Preference Entering

Students should review their AH records on the VVC in preparation for preference entering at least one week before the close of the first round. Students should check the allocation status of each species to ensure that their records are as they believe they should be. Email to notify of alterations.

Students should review all the information on each property available on the VVC by logging onto the VVC/Animal Husbandry Properties pages. Students should only enter preferences for properties they will be able to attend. Students can review their entered preferences and delete or change them until the deadline for preference entering for each round and species as published below in the Placement Organisation tables. Students will be required to attend all allocated preferences.

Notes on some placement sites

Drap'hyd require students to apply initially with a CV before entering preferences on the VVC. Students should only enter preferences for this site after advising faculty that they have been accepted by Drap'hyd.

'Coolangatta Sands Hostel' - Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary are a hostel package including accommodation and transfer costs. Please note that the 'Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary' do offer a work experience program that is distinct from this Coolangatta Sands Hostel Program but the Sanctuary itself is not a Partner Site and placement with them in their work experience program would be a Non Partner Site Application.

The National Zoo & Aquarium and possibly other zoos and wildlife parks are booked up sometimes a year in advance by students from other institutions. The placement schedule cannot work easily with this timeframe. Therefore the faculty does not have any zoos or wildlife parks as Partner Sites. Students are advised to follow the procedure for contact with these sites about a year in advance to secure dates for placement. These are Non Partner Site Applications and students should follow to procedure described on the Non Partner Site Applications page.

Preference Entering

Prior to each vacation period, the faculty will invite students to enter placement preferences for required species and Elective placements. Students enter preferences through the Student Administration System - Virtual Veterinary Campus (VVC)

Student preferences are allocated by random ballot and students in higher years have preference over students in lower years.

A new schedule for preference entering by species is to be trialled for the winter 2013 placement period.

Students are reminded that prior to entering preferences they need to review each properties full record on the VVC, noting specific attendance dates and other requirements such as accessibility – do you need your own transport or not, accommodation options etc. Please note that some properties offer placements Wednesday to Sunday only. The travel time to a following placement should be considered before entering preferences. Students are reminded that they are generally required to be on site the evening before the Start Date of each placement.

Some properties such as Rivalea Australia offer only two week placements. If so students should enter preferences for either Week 1 & 2 or Week 3 & 4. Week 2 & 3 dates will not be allocated. Students must enter two successive weeks to be allocated. They may enter as one preference over 12 days or two preferences eg. Pig Experience for one week and Elective Experience as the next.

Attending the same site for more than one species.

Some properties offer experience in two or more species. The species offered by properties is available on the VVC, Animal Husbandry Properties page, 'Properties Available Month Year' . It is also more convenient to these properties to have students attending for two or more weeks rather than one. Therefore these allocations are sorted before single species allocations are made. It is therefore more advantage to enter preferences for different species to the one site on consecutive weeks. Students who wish to attend the same property for more than one species should enter preferences for either Week 1 & 2 or Week 3 & 4. Week 2 & 3 dates will not be allocated. Students must enter two successive weeks to be allocated. They may enter as one preference over 12 days or two preferences eg. Sheep Experience for one week and Elective Experience as the next.

Entering Elective Experience Preferences

An allocation/placement to a Partner property offering more than one species indicates that the student may be working with any species offered by that property. It is not possible to communicate a students preference for working with a particular species when the faculty confirms student Elective Experience placements. Students may express an interest in working with a particular species when they make initial contact with the site after their placement is Confirmed. However, students cannot be guaranteed that all or part of their Elective Experience will be spent on a particular species.

Students enrolled from 2011

Students are divided into groups and subgroups for the Camden Animal Handling Week and for preference in placement allocation. For example, Group A1 are scheduled to attend for the Camden Animal Handling Week in the first week of the Summer holiday break after 1st Year. Group A1 will be given preference in the allocation process to attend Pig Experience in Week 2, the week following Camden Training. Other students may enter preference for Pig Experience in Week 2. However, other students will only be placed after all Group A1 preferences have been allocated.

The following timetables are issued for the organisation of placements.

Winter 2013 Placement Organisation

Confirmation of Winter Vacation placements, or notice of unsuccessful placements, will be emailed to students as properties return their request letters but should be by Friday, 14th June. If students have not received notice about the confirmation, or otherwise, of their placements by these dates they should email

Summer 2014 Placement Organisation

This information will be updated June 2013.

December preferences are entered on the VVC by the following timetable.

December 2013

January & February 2014

Placements cannot be confirmed until each property returns their final confirmation of placement for each student. Confirmation Emails, or notice of unsuccessful placements, will be issued to students as properties contact the faculty.

December vacation placements should be confrimed by Friday, 2nd November. January and February Vacation placements should be confirmed by Friday, 7th December. If students have not received notice about the confirmation, or otherwise, of their placements by these dates they should email

Entered Preferences Disappearing

Preferences are downloaded after the deadline for preference entering at each round and species as listed above. When preferences are downloaded from the VVC for sorting students will not be able to view them on their VVC record. They should not be entered again.

When the allocation process is finished students will be able to view their allocations on their Preference Allocations page.

Notification of Preference Allocation

All students will be notified by email when all preferences for a species and round have been allocated. Students should log into the VVC and go to Animal Husbandry/ Preference Allocations page to view if they have been allocated. Students who have been allocated should check the details of the allocation, particularly the species, dates and number of days. If the details of your allocation are not as you expected email immediately.

Cancelling Allocations

Allocations will ONLY be cancelled if and when an Application to Cancel or Alter Placement is approved. Refer to Cancelling or Altering a Confirmed Placement on the Student Responsibilites page. Enquiries to . Students will be required to attach supporting evidence for cancelling an allocation. Not planning your finances or transport before entering preferences will not support an application to cancel an allocation.

Obviously if a student is allocated in error e.g. to two sites in the same placement week one of these will have to be cancelled. Students should email immediately they are aware of errors in their allocations.

Swapping Allocations

Students may swap their allocations with other students. However, this can ONLY be arranged if both students have entered preferences for their species and property in a previous preference entering period.

Both students must email . As with all communication with the faculty students must use the format required - see Uni Email.

Insert the words “Swap ‘Species’ Allocation” into the subject line please, so that it will be clearly identified. In the body of the email give the Name of the person you are swapping with, the Property Name and the Placement month and week that you are allocated and the month and week that you are swapping to. Your swap will be confirmed by email. If you do not receive a reply to your swap request within four days you should contact the Extramural Unit.

Giving your allocation to another student can be arranged but ONLY if that student has entered a preference for that site in a previous round of preference entering. The procedure is the same. Both students need to email their wishes - one to give up their allocation to a particular student (please give full name and Year) and the other to take up the allocation.

The VVC is a true record of the status of your placements. If you believe it to be incorrect you should contact the Extramural Unit immediately.

Property Confirmation of Placement

When preferences have been finalized faculty will contact all the properties requesting them to confirm that they can take the students scheduled to attend.

Once the property has confirmed their placements students will be sent a Confirmation Email to their Uni email. A Confirmation Email will include the Site details, Supervisor contact details, and your placement dates. Also included are instructions for contacting the site, further requirements for submitting reports, and information relating to insurance.

A placement package including a cover letter, insurance certifcate, Meeting Schedule, WHS Induction Checklist, Site Contracts and Supervisor Report form will be posted to the property prior to the placement by the Admin Unit. If these documents have not arrived before you please contact ph: (02) 9036 5110 or email on

At commencement of all placements students will be required meet with their supervisor, review the Induction Checklist and sign the Site Contracts with their supervisor. The Site Contract outlines your agreement to abide by a professional code of conduct. Your supervisor completes the Supervisor Report form and returns it directly to the Admin Unit.

UNSUCCESSFUL Placement

Occasionally properties may for unforseen reasons, business or personal, decline a student placement. Changes in circumstances such as illness, accident or reduced stock numbers can happen and although a property was able to host some students a month or so ago, they may no longer be able to take students. In this instance the placement is cancelled.

When a placement is cancelled by a property, the student will be assisted in finding another suitable Partner site if possible. If this is not possible the student should seek out a Non Partner site. Deadlines for students applying for Non Partner sites in this instance may be extended.

Students are advised to plan for at least one cancelled placement when they are organising their holidays and break times so that they are able to meet their placement requirements. It is unwise to plan to attend several weeks of placement in the last several remaining weeks of break i.e. not to plan for one of those weeks to be cancelled for any reason.

Prior to Placement

The Confirmation Email instructs students to communicate with their supervisor on the site. Students are required to phone Property within a few days, two weeks prior to placement and again two days before placement. Students and supervisors confirm phone numbers and arrange arrival details. Students are not to contact the property by email unless they are specifically instructed to do so.

Students need to make sure that they have checked maps and itinerary to reach the property on time as agreed with the supervisor at the property. If you predict that you will be delayed in your arrival contact the site to inform them of your circumstances.

Students are required to attend the afternoon or evening before the Start Date for orientation and to discuss your placement expectations with your supervisor. Students should arrive with the Report Template with Skills Sheet for the appropriate species so that they can discuss the skills they are required to become competent in while on placement.

Students are required to work the operating hours of the property as indicated on the property's VVC record.

If you are staying on site you should advise the site of any health or diet requirements you have when you first contact the site. Take supplies as applicable.

Special Consideration and Emergency Cancellation

If you are unable to attend a placement for reasons of illness, or misadventure due to circumstances beyond your control, please phone the Extramural Unit immediately. If your placement is due to commence before you are able to contact the Extramural Unit, please contact the property to explain your situation and apologise that you will not be attending as scheduled.

To cancel a placement for reasons of illness or misadventure you are required to apply for Special Consideration (pdf) within 7 days of the commencement of placement.

Students are expected to behave in a professional manner at all times, to be enthusiastic and willing to learn whilst on placement.

Property owners and their staff always look for enthusiasm from the students and a keenness to learn and to understand their situation.

The Veterinary Professional Conduct Committee (VPCC) reviews any complaints concerning student behaviour while on placement. The VPCC is not punitive but aims to educate students in appropriate and professional behaviour. If the VPCC finds that a student has willfully breached the Student Code of Conduct (pdf) by inappropriate and unprofessional behavour it will be noted on the student's Faculty records. The Academic Board will be notified if the VPCC determines that a student has again willfully breached the Student Code of Conduct.