The Bachelor of Dietetics program is an accredited program through the Dietitians Australia (DA). As such students must meet the minimum accreditation requirements of 100 days of placement. This occurs in the fourth year of the program, where students get hands-on experience in a variety of fields. The placement structure occurs across the following dietetic settings:
- Medical Nutrition Therapy
- Food Service Systems
- Public Health Nutrition
Placement details
Students will utilise the knowledge gained in the previous three (3) years of the program and apply it to real life settings. This experience prepares students for the workplace by developing a range of essential skills sought by employers. Students will be placed across a range of health settings such as Queensland teaching hospitals, community health centres, aged care, private practice, and government and non-government organisations.
In addition, Public Health Nutrition placements may include placement within the university setting. Placements are undertaken on a full-time basis and students will work a normal working day consistent with the placement organisation's requirements. Placements are coordinated on a state-wide basis and, therefore, students should be prepared to undertake placements outside the local geographical area.
Travel, accommodation and other expenses incurred travelling to and from the placement are the responsibility of the student. Student’s undertaking a rural placement with Queensland Health may be eligible for rural and remote scholarships. Occasionally, placements will require students to work outside normal business hours, however, this information will be provided to students prior to commencing the placement.
Placement essentials (Mandatory checks)
To be eligible to commence placement, students must complete the following Mandatory checks.
NOTE: some of the mandatory checks can take quite some time to organise and students are advised to commence working on obtaining their specific mandatories as soon as they have accepted their offer.
Remuneration and insurance
No remuneration or payment is made by the placement organisation to the students or to the University for hosting the student. Students undertaking an approved placement are covered by the University’s insurance policies.
Post-admission Requirements
To be eligible to undertake field trips and professional placements, each student must maintain currency of the following certifications at their own personal cost:
- Working with Children ‘Blue’ Card (no cost)
- Proof of immunity to Hepatitis B (or have followed the requirements for those no-responsive to vaccination)
- Evidence of vaccination for the vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), varicella (Chickenpox) and pertussis (Whooping Cough)
- Tuberculosis Risk Assessment
- National Police Certificate
- CPR certificate training
Each student must also complete the following mandatory checks:
- Preplace (no cost)
- QLD Health Student Deed Poll (no cost)
- QLD Health Student Orientation checklist (no cost)
- Allied Health Training Record (no cost)
- USC Student Placement Agreement –
- Placement Details Agreement (no cost)
- Placement Disclosure Statement (no cost)
Failure to obtain any of the above will compromise the student’s ability to go out on placement. In these circumstances, students may be unable to complete individual courses which may, in turn, prevent that student from progressing to the next academic year. Additional requirements, such as the Queensland Health on-line student orientation package, will also need to be addressed prior to Queensland Health placements. Induction requirements for the Sunshine Coast Health Institute (SCHI) will also need to be completed to attend classes timetabled at SCHI. Students will be notified in a timely manner if these are required.
Students are expected to familiarise themselves with the timing and length of placements in the program and plan for these accordingly. All fourth year placements are full-time (i.e. five days per week). Occasionally, placements will require students to work outside normal business hours and it is likely that some placements will occur away from the Sunshine Coast. Travel and other expenses incurred getting to and from the placement are the student’s responsibilities. Accommodation expenses are therefore also the student’s responsibility. Students undertaking a rural placement with Queensland Health may be eligible for rural and remote scholarships.
Individual placements are coordinated on a state-wide basis and, therefore, students should be prepared to undertake placements outside the local geographical area. This includes planning for the potential inability to be able to undertake paid employment during placement and for travel, living and accommodation expenses associated with placements.
Uniforms
Students must wear a UniSC placement uniform shirt when completing placement activities.
How to purchase a UniSC placement uniform:
- Order online from the UniSC MyPrint Shop - you can choose to collect from your local campus or deliver to your home address. Orders may take up to four weeks to arrive.
Contact
For general enquiries about School of Health work integrated learning opportunities please contact:
Placement Administration Officer (WIL)
Email: SHSSplacements@usc.edu.au
Tel: +61 7 5456 3753