FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WORK PLACEMENT HANDBOOK

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Frequently Asked Questions

Right away!

It can sometimes take a while to locate placement, and you may need to book ahead of time. The moment you have received your folder, start looking for placement.

We always recommend approaching the clinics nearby you, mostly for convenience, but also as we find students do sometimes receive job offers from their placement clinic. So, think about where you might like to work - that's always a great starting point.

If you live in a more remote area or in areas of student saturation, you may need to travel further afield.

We recommend starting with the closest 20 clinics initially and go from there.

Remember, that your studies are primarily focused on dogs and cats, this does mean that large animal clinics may not be suitable for placement, your insurance may also not cover some clinical styles. Please speak to us prior to applying for placement in a mixed, large animal or equine practice.

Unfortunately, mobile vets are not suitable as you will need a clinic in which to perform your tasks.

In short yes. Interstate is generally not an issue (with the exception of WA where veterinary nursing has registration requirements that extend to student VNs), and you are welcome to consider this option if you have family and friends in another state nearby to provide you accommodation.

For overseas, there are a few considerations. For example, some countries standards and laws will differ from Australia. Whilst these are wonderful opportunities for you to learn, sometimes the standard you learn may differ from what is taught and assessed.

If you did want to explore heading overseas, it is best to chat with us about it as there are several factors to consider, including insurances and clinic access for any resubmission work etc.

Visiting the clinic is always preferred. This makes you appear much more professional, provides you with an opportunity to speak directly with someone about placement, and provides the clinic with the chance to meet you face to face. It is also much harder to say no to someone standing in front of you!

Emails can get lost or filed by well-meaning receptionists and phone calls mean you cannot provide your Cover Letter and CV, so you’ll need to email or visit anyway afterwards.

Dress to impress! When visiting clinics to ask about placement, dress like you are attending an interview. Smart casual is appropriate, i.e. moderate or long length skirt or slacks and a nice top or dress is appropriate.

If you visit and clinic and they tell you they don’t take students, that is ok. We would prefer that clinics know their limitations and say no rather than take on a student they cannot provide the right amount of attention to. This is however on the rarer side, usually the reply often is that they are full of students right now.

So, what to do? Firstly, don’t get disheartened. Being full is a good thing, this means the clinic takes on students! Many students are well prepared and book their placement ahead of time, and you’ll need to do the same.

If the clinic says they are full, ask for how long, or when is the next slot available and book it. Even if it is a long time from now, having something booked for 6 months from now is better than nothing, and you can always cancel if you find something sooner or complete your hours needed.

Visit them again! You may need to be persistent and visits clinics repeatedly. Most students get their placement by being in the right place at the right time so to speak. Remember that clinics do not need you, they are helping you – it is you who needs them. It is important to drive this hunt yourself, show up every week until someone says yes. Remember to take your letter and CV every single time and leave it with them, every single time. 

You can try some unique approaches to help you stand out. Are you a keen baker, or like me, no good but have a good bakery nearby? Why not whip up a batch of cupcakes to take along and leave with your CV!

Maybe you live rurally, and your family grows fruits or vegetables; take along a small thank-you box of goodies to leave for the team to enjoy and remember you by. It can be little things like this which will help you to stand out and present yourself on a more personalised level.

Lastly, if you are still stuck, please do reach out to Student Assist. We can talk though your approach and be sure you are ticking every box possible.  We also have a formalised Placement Assistance Program to help when all other avenues are exhausted.

The next step is to get your clinic, mentor and placement approved. You’ll have some forms that need to be completed and these are laid out in steps in your Placement Arrangement subject in your learning centre. You’ll need a printer for these, so make sure one is ready nearby to get these ready to go!

If your clinic and/or mentor have been approved by us previously, they may only need to complete the first page of both the clinic and mentor registration documents. If you or the clinic is not sure, give us a call and we can check if they have been approved and that their approval is still current.

Yes! You can have as many mentors approved as you like. Your registered mentor is the only one allowed to sign your placement work, so sometimes it is handy to have more than one.

Mentors in vet clinics must be a Certificate IV qualified Veterinary Nurse (and provide a copy of their qualification) or a Veterinarian, who must provide their board registration number. 

Mentors in non vet clinics must have a relevant qualification or at least 3 years of related work history in the field.

Anyone in the clinic can supervise and teach you, your mentor is the only one approved to sign your documents. So, if your mentor doesn’t work on the day you are there, this is ok, they can allocate someone else to supervise you on their behalf. You’ll just need to grab your registered mentor on the next day to sign anything needing to be signed.

Placement is permitted to start anytime that suits you and the clinic - as long as the initial requirements have been met. Your study plan shows you the order which we recommend your work and placement be done, in order for the information to flow nicely, however if you need to schedule placement a little differently, this is ok.

You must ensure that before starting placement, you have completed all the pre-requisites for your course. These can be found in your course handbook and the online Placement Arrangement Area. This includes specific subjects complete, mentors and workplaces approved, and insurance in place.

In short no. We do recommend that your placement are done in  blocks of 2 weeks as per your study schedule, however you can break this up differently if it suits you and the clinic offering. Some students will do longer blocks, some shorter. The only golden rule is you must complete all required days of 7.5-8hrs duration (excluding lunch break).

This is up to you. Whilst completing all placement at one clinic provides many benefits such as less forms to fill in, the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with one clinic etc. You can benefit from completing placement at more than one clinic too, for example each clinic will have different cases, different teams, different approach and different learning opportunities.

You can complete your hours across as few or as many clinics as you like.

Each clinic will have their own policy on this, so it is best to ask your mentor prior to starting. Please ensure that you dress appropriately and neatly, remembering that you might get a job offer from this experience.

Most Vet Nurses will wear long black slacks, like the ones you get from Target or similar. Tops might include a plain polo shirt, smart casual top (no sleeveless tops please) and non-slip enclosed shoes, such a black leather shoes or similar.

Keep your jewellery to a minimum, remembering that these can be WHS hazards, and tie your hair back if you have long hair. Make up should be minimal and professional in appearance.

Some clinics may provide you with some scrubs to borrow. You may wish to purchase your own scrubs. You can also purchase ACVN branded scrubs from scrubs.com.au

As you complete it! Please don’t leave the work until after placement to upload your work. Do it as you go each night after you get home from placement that day. This will ensure that you get your feedback sent through over time rather than all at once, ad will enable you to tackle any resubmissions one by one if needed.You also need to keep in mind that you may need access to the clinic for some resubmissions pending what is required. Your feedback will guide you for this, however if you have any questions, we are always here at Student Assist, to help guide you with tackling those as needed.

KEY POINTS 

  • Ensure your CV and Cover Letter are up to scratch
  • Make a list of clinics nearby that appeal to you
  • Customise the cover letters to be addressed to each clinic
  • Plan a day to visit the clinics on your list, dress like you would for an interview
  • Follow up regularly with clinics
  • Secure placement, print and complete placement application forms in the learning centre
  • Review and print placement work such as logs, diaries and video assessment instructions prior to starting placement
  • Submit your placement work as you complete it