Clinical placements
Course-required placements
Many of the health-related degrees at the University involve clinical placements in a range of health facilities. These form a core part of your learning, giving you the opportunity to develop your skills and gain experience in a supervised environment.
The requirements for each will vary depending on your school and degree and outlined below. In most courses, course-required placements are embedded from the first year and increase as you progress in your degree.
If you are enrolled in the Sydney Medical Program, you will participate in clinical training and experience in health care facilities throughout your studies.
Other postgraduate medicine courses may also require you to complete clinical training.
Before undertaking a placement, there are additional factors that you need to be aware of.
- You will automatically be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
- Clarification of Insurance coverage for Sydney Medical Program (pdf, 72KB) students undertaking approved placements.
- You need to complete the clinical checks and clearances required to complete the NSW Ministry of Health verification prior to commencing your placement. You can check these requirements with your course coordinator.
- If you are enrolled in the Master of Genetic Counselling Program at the Northern Clinical School, you need to attend clinical placements in hospitals throughout Australia and internationally.
All health sciencecs placements are provided with the aim of meeting the program requirements, Australian professional accreditation requirements and (where appropriate) Australian professional registration requirements.
Before undertaking a placement, there are additional factors that you need to be aware of.
- Placements often take place outside the standard semester periods.
- You will need to complete at least one placement in a rural area during your program.
- You need to complete the clinical checks and clearances required to complete the NSW Ministry of Health verification prior to commencing any placement.
- If your placement is child-related, or you are studying Exercise and Sports Science, Exercise Physiology, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy or Speech Pathology, you’ll need a Working With Children Check.
- If you are completing a course to become a physiotherapist, medical radiation practitioner or occupational therapist, you are required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
For more information about placement opportunities, please visit our placements page.
If you are undertaking a dentistry or oral health program, you will complete clinical experience during your degree.
Before you can attend a clinical experience placement, you need to have certain clinical placement checks and clearances.
The pre-registration courses at Sydney Nursing School require students to complete more than 860 clinical placement hours during your degree.
Clinical placement sites include private and public hospitals, mental health services, community health centres and schools.
You need to have certain clinical checks and clearances and a Working With Children Check before you can attend any clinical placements.
A NSW Ministry of Health verification is required, even if your placement is not in a NSW Health facility.
Rural and remote placements
Nursing students are also expected to undertake some clinical placements in rural or remote areas including, Broken Hill, Orange, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo and Aboriginal Medical Services.
NSW Air Ambulance placements
A unique opportunity to fly with the NSW Air Ambulance (fixed wing) based at the Sydney Domestic airport. The team at NSW Air Ambulance flies across the state dealing with a mixture of patient transport, emergency and paediatric cases.
Justice Health placements
Sydney Nursing School has secured a number of placements at a range of locations such as Long Bay Hospital, Grafton and Emu Plains. Students have the opportunity to deal with a large patient base from a range of socio-economic backgrounds.
If you are studying the Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Pharmacy and Management or Master of Pharmacy, you are required to complete clinical placements as part of your course.
Before undertaking a placement, there are additional factors that you need to be aware of.
- You need to complete the clinical checks and clearances required to complete the NSW Ministry of Health verification prior to commencing any placement.
- If you are enrolled in a pharmacy program, you are required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
- After completing your degree, you need to undertake an internship before you can apply for general registration. Find more information on the intern training program.
Elective placements
Sydney Medical School offers elective clinical placements for national and international medical students in their final year of study at another university. Eligible students who meet the selection criteria can undertake a placement throughout the year in a variety of rotations.
Our clinical elective placements range from three to 12 weeks and depend on availability at each clinical school and hospital location. To find out more about the opportunities available through our network of clinical schools and international partners visit our elective placements page.
The Sydney Medical School offers elective placements for any final year Doctor of Medicine student across Australia for a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks.
Placements are offered through our network of metropolitan and rural clinical schools. Rural placements in medicine allow students to see and experience a range of clinical problems that aren't present in metropolitan settings.
Scholarships are available for rural medicine students through the NSW Rural Doctors Network and the Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS).
Internships
Following successful completion of the Doctor of Medicine (MD), graduates complete a 12-month internship program primarily in major public teaching hospitals.
On successful completion of this internship, junior doctors are eligible to receive full registration with the State Medical Board or Council.
Internships are provided and managed by state health departments:
- Health Education and Training Institute
- Commonwealth Medical internships (Department of Health)
Indigenous community placements
We offer an Indigenous community placement program available as an elective for senior undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students.
This is a four-week community fieldwork project, in which students work with a non-profit community service organisation in Aboriginal health, disability or community services.
Research elective placements
Sydney Dental School has opportunities for prospective students who are currently enrolled in a relevant degree in dentistry, within Australia or overseas, to undertake a research-based elective.
Download the research-based elective application form (pdf, 59KB) for further details. Applications should be submitted at least four months prior to the commencement of the elective directly.
For further information email Dr Robyn Watson (robyn.watson@sydney.edu.au).