UniSA is committed to supporting the rights of all people who wish to pursue a career in nursing or midwifery. The Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement Requirement Statements have been developed to provide guidance to prospective students regarding the physical, sensory, mental, emotional and behavioural requirements needed to undertake nursing and midwifery workplace learning. The Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placements (practice-based learning) guidelines and procedures establish the fitness for practice clearance process for all students and describe the processes to be followed when concerns are raised regarding a student’s ability to meet the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement requirements of a program and/or course.
The Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement Requirement Statements identify the essential abilities, knowledge and skills needed to achieve the core learning outcomes of accredited programs required for professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency (APHRA), inclusive of programs that require a clinical placement experience (on or off campus) to meet the program/course learning outcomes.
The programs included are:
“Fitness to practice in clinical placements” means the requirements of a program (clustered under eight domains) that are essential to undertake nursing and midwifery placement activities in a range of practice-based learning environments (including the UniSA Horizon Hospital and Health Service, hospitals and health services/clinics) and are described in further detail in the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement requirement document.
Nursing and midwifery programs include substantial practice-based learning elements in which students are exposed to clinical practice and the public. UniSA has an obligation under National law to notify AHPRA if a student enrolled in an approved program has:
“An impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm” (Clause 141 (1) (b).
The Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement Requirement Statements have been developed to advise students of the requirements necessary to undertake a clinical placement (including the UniSA Horizon Hospital and Health Service, hospitals, health services/clinics and community services) as a student in preparation for entry (registration) into the nursing and midwifery professions, or for specialist/advanced practice. All students must confirm that they meet the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement requirements on entry to the program and on each re-enrolment in the program. It is important to note that the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement requirements of the specified programs are not necessarily synonymous with an impairment requiring notification under the National law.
Students with a disability or chronic health condition may be able to have reasonable adjustments made to teaching and learning, assessment, clinical practice and other activities to enable them to participate in their program and meet the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement requirements. However, reasonable adjustments should not fundamentally change the nature of the program requirements.
All students are required to read and acknowledge each statement in order to complete the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement Declaration.
All students must confirm that they meet the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placements requirements upon entry to the program, annually for the duration of their study, and or as may be required by their Program Director.
Students who are required to complete the declaration will be sent an email alert to the online Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement Declaration form, which will become available on their “To do“ list in their InPlace portal.
This annual declaration will apply for the duration of their program of study and is mandatory for all students to complete prior to the commencement of all professional placement experiences.
The University provides a range of student services and support. Students who have a disability, mental health or medical condition that may impact on their studies are strongly encouraged to register for disability services on accepting an offer into a program.
Students with a disability or medical condition who have an assessment with a Disability Adviser may be provided with an Access Plan (AP). This document will include an ‘Impact Statement’, which details the impact of the student’s disability and supports the negotiation of reasonable adjustments that can be made to assist the student to achieve the relevant program’s Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement Requirement Statements aligned to the program learning outcomes and program rules. Disability Advisers can assist students in this negotiation process, providing information and advice regarding support options. The reasonable adjustments in specified programs and clinical courses are approved by the Dean of Programs or Program Director and may be subject to amendment if they consider the proposed adjustments are inconsistent with the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement Requirement Statements of the program. The provision of an AP should not be construed as a determination by the University that the student can meet the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placements Requirement Statements of the specified program.
The following procedure must be initiated when concerns are raised regarding a student’s ability to meet each of the eight domains of Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement.
It is essential that any concerns of this nature are properly investigated. Students who are not fit to practice during a clinical placement may pose a risk to the public, clinical placement host staff, UniSA staff and other students if they are permitted to participate in clinical placements. These students may also fall within the mandatory notification requirements under the National law. The University will carry out the procedure described below in a manner that is as timely and discreet as reasonably practicable and provides procedural fairness for students who are the subject of investigations. All information collected by UniSA as part of the procedure described below shall be retained and dealt with in a manner that is consistent with the UniSA confidentiality of students’ personal information policy.
The following circumstances are examples that could raise doubts about a student’s ability to meet one or more of the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement requirements and potentially cause a student to be unfit to practice during a clinical placement.
These examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be exhaustive:
Where the Program Director decides that a medical clearance from a registered health practitioner is necessary to make a determination about a student’s fitness to practice, the student will be requested to provide a report from a registered health practitioner within 10 business days (or a longer period as may be approved by the Program Director). A template form has been developed for this purpose. Through the Program Director, the University can stipulate the medical practitioner the student is required to consult for an independent assessment.
Concerns about a nursing or midwifery student’s ability to meet the Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placement requirements of the program and to demonstrate fitness to practice on a clinical placement, will be managed in accordance with the UniSA Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual, subclauses 4.2 Medical fitness and clinical placements and 4.3 Suitability for practice-based learning activities.
Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placements (Practice-based Learning) Guidelines and Procedures are subject to all policies of the University.
Examples of pertinent University policies and procedures include:
National Laws
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
The UniSA Fitness to Practice Guidelines and Procedures are based on the following work.
Johnson, A., Allan, T., Phillips, K., Azzopardi, T., Dickson, C., Goldsmith, M & Hengstberger-Sims, C. (2011). Program Requirements of Nursing Education (IRONE), UWS School of Nursing & Midwifery and Student Equity & Disability Services.
Edith Cowan University (2016) School of Nursing and Midwifery, Fitness to Practice in Clinical Placements Guidelines and Procedures.