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Safety, health and wellbeing

The UTS Counselling Service is available for all UTS students and can help: 

  • If they have stressful circumstances or psychological or emotional issues which interfere with your clinical 

If you are struggling Financially

Contact the UTS Financial Assistance Service for information and practical advice.

Having an accident on Placement

You will need to complete an incident report:

As long as you are:

  • an enrolled student and
  • meant to be on the placement

UTS insurance will cover any costs over your Medicare benefits.

If you’re an international student, you should be covered by the health insurance you took before starting your course.

Evening Placements

From time to time you might be allocated a shift that doesn’t finish until after dark.

There are a number of common-sense ways you can protect your safety. These include:

  • Avoid taking shortcuts through isolated areas
  • Walk to your train or bus stop with other students or staff members.
  • Get to know all of the main walkways and exits of the facility you’re working in
  • Give a friend, or family member, a copy of your roster so they have an idea of when you are due home
  • Program emergency numbers into your mobile
  • Get to know where the security office is in the healthcare facility
  • Ask a security guard to walk you to your car
  • Walk confidently and use body language that shows you know where you’re headed

Completing placements while pregnant

If you get pregnant before you are vaccinated you, won’t be able to obtain clinical compliance, and won’t be able to go on placement.

You may not be able to go on some placements if you are working with:

  • Infectious diseases
  • Radiation
  • Cytotoxic drugs
  • Anaesthetic gasses

Manual handling on placement. How to avoid injury. 

Manual handling is a part of healthcare. It’s important to be aware of best practices to avoid injury.

Tasks that you might need to do:

  • Pushing wheelchairs
  • Manoeuvring trolleys
  • Pushing or pulling a bed
  • Supporting a patient during a procedure.

NSW Health follows a process of risk management called IAEC. Staff members and volunteers are encouraged to:

  • I = Identify hazard
  • A = Assess to determine risk
  • E = Eliminate risk, or
  • Control = Implement effective control strategies.

You can minimise risk by:

  • Being aware of your posture and best practices such as bending your knees when lifting
  • Using the equipment that’s available to perform a manual handling task
  • Scanning the environment for any items, or factors, that might pose a risk (such as slippery floors and inadequate lighting) and eliminating them.

The faculty has produced a number of short video clips that provide more detail. They're available on the clinically speaking resources page along with language activities.