Vaccinations

The most common forms of vaccination evidence are Immunisation History Statement and/or Vaccination Record Card. Students must also provide a copy of their serology test results where applicable. 

You must have this check completed before attending a clinical compliance session. Refer to the vaccination checklist guide for students here.

Vaccinations required from all students

• Hepatitis B: An age appropriate course of vaccinations and a copy of serology (blood test) results completed minimum 4 weeks after their last dose of Hep B. 

Vaccination schedule if a second course is required followed by a serology test minimum 4 weeks after your last vaccination

• Adult dose of dTpa: Required every 10 years
• MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine: 2 doses minimum 1 month apart OR a copy of positive serology test results OR birth date before 1966
• Varicella (chicken pox/shingles) vaccine: 2 doses minimum 1 month apart OR a copy of positive serology test results OR AIR recorded immunity
• Influenza vaccine: Must be current year vaccination strain. Available from March each year for current vaccination strain.

Discuss these with your doctor or alternatively see a GP on campus at the UTS Health Service. 

International students

If you’re an international student, before you leave your home country make sure to have:

• your first Hepatitis B vaccination*
• your first COVID-19 vaccination recorded on International COVID-19 Certificate
• your first vaccination of MMR*, or a blood test to say you have immunity
• your first dose of the Varicella (chicken pox) vaccination*
• your criminal record check from your home country.

International students can also provide vaccination evidence from their home country in English and ask a local GP to transcribe this onto a NSW Health Vaccination Record Card. 

Please note 

• The Department of Home Affairs offers a free translating service that students can use to translate vaccination records recorded in a foreign language. 
• Vaccination brand names are required as formulations and combination vaccines can differ between countries.
• Official Government-issued certificates are preferred for COVID vaccination records.
• Overseas students can still have their vaccinations added to the Australian Immunisation Register by attaining an Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) number. Please see How to get an IHI and How to get an immunisation history statement if you’re not eligible for Medicare.
   

Tuberculosis (TB) 

Do I need to be screened for tuberculosis? 

If you were born in, or lived for three months or more, in a country with a high incidence of tuberculosis, you’ll need to be screened for the disease. NSW Health provides a list of high-risk countries. 

If you do require screening it’s important to make an appointment as soon as possible at a NSW Health Chest Clinic or the UTS Medical Centre. It’s your responsibility to contact a clinic and make an appointment. Don’t delay – appointments fill up fast. 

I need to be screened for tuberculosis, how can I fit it into the clinical compliance schedule? 

TB screening can be challenging to fit in before starting your placement. Here are some reasons and important points to keep in mind: 

• You need to wait 28 days after having your MMR and varicella vaccines before you can be screened. This is because they are live vaccines and can affect the results of your TB screening 
• Bookings are busy. We recommend you book in as soon as you can 
• It’s possible to obtain permission to commence your placement (temporary compliance) while waiting on completion of your TB screening. This is subject to you having had your other vaccines and having booked an appointment for your screening. 

Where can I be screened for tuberculosis? 

Screenings take place at NSW Health Chest Clinics (opens an external site). You’re required to book an appointment with the clinic that’s closest to your home. You can also obtain a TST or IGRA test from the UTS Medical Centre. 

I’ve already had some of these vaccinations 

If you have already had some of the required vaccinations, you will need to provide documentary evidence. Acceptable forms of documentation include: 

• Original school or work program certificates 
• A child immunisation book or record 
• A statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) (download from the Medicare portal on the MyGov website). 

Documents (other than downloads from AIR) must be: 

• Stamped, signed and dated with batch numbers, by the doctor or registered vaccine provider 
• In English 
• Original records (photocopies will not be accepted). 

I've contracted some of these diseases in the past 

For some diseases, it’s possible to provide blood test results (serology) as evidence of immunity. However, having contracted the disease before does not necessarily mean you’ll have sufficient immunity. You’ll need to wait for the results of your blood test to confirm if you have sufficient levels of antibodies. In addition, the guidelines set out by NSW Health for levels of immunity differ from the levels that GPs may deem acceptable for the general population. Blood test results can be supplied for: 

• Measles 
• Mumps 
• Rubella (German measles) 
• Varicella (chicken pox) 
• Hepatitis B. 

I can’t have vaccinations 

Unfortunately, you will not be able to attend placements and will therefore not meet the requirements of your course. Contact the Academic Liaison Officer for more information. 

Where can I find out more about the clinical compliance process? 

The Health Education and Training Institute (HETI), and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District have some further information regarding compliance on their websites. 

You can also contact the UTS Clinical Practice Unit. Staff are available Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4:30 pm at the City campus (Building 10, level 6).