Practical experience

Here’s what you’ll study

You’ll complete some or all of the following clinical placements, depending on the nursing or midwifery course you choose. Note that the length of each placement will vary according to your degree and year of study.

Nursing

• Introduction to Clinical Practice
• Clinical Practice (2A, 2B and 3A)
• Nursing Care of the Older Person
• Fundamentals of Mental Health Nursing
• Transition to Professional Practice
• Leading, Teaching and Mentoring
• Introduction to Specialty Practice (see below for a list of specialties, subject to availability each year)

Midwifery

• Midwifery Practice (1, 2, 3, 4 , 5 and 6)
• Care of the Newborn

Explore undergraduate clinical placement requirements. 
Explore postgraduate clinical placement requirements. 

The UTS Difference

No matter where you study nursing or midwifery, clinical placements will be part and parcel of your course. But at UTS, there are some key differences that set our degrees apart:

Placements that are mapped to your learning outcomes

All our clinical placements are mapped to specific components of your nursing and midwifery course. For example, when you study Medical Surgical Nursing or Care of the Newborn in the classroom, you’ll follow it up with a clinical placement on the same topic. This approach gives you the chance to align your theoretical learning with your hands-on practice – and to put your learning to work in a real-world clinical space.

Connections with leading health care organisations

We’ve built extensive relationships with public and private health care providers in Sydney and beyond. In fact, we’ve signed student placement agreements with all the local health districts in New South Wales, which means you’ll have the chance to experience a real diversity of clinical environments as part of your placement experience. You’ll work in public and private hospitals and clinics, not-for-profit organisations and aged care services, to name a few. 

Specialist subjects that reflect your interests (nursing degrees only)

Our nursing degrees are generalist qualifications, but our Introduction to Specialty Practice placement will help you build specialist skills and experience in a niche area of health. Choose from Aboriginal health, aged care, community health, critical care, child and  family health care, global health (subject to availability), mental health, paediatrics, palliative care, perioperative care, reproductive maternal and child health care (subject to availability), substance use disorders (subject to availability) or women’s health, depending on your interests.   

Placements that consider who you are and where you live

When it comes to assigning you to a clinical placement, we take a data-driven approach that responds to your educational and personal circumstances. Our placement team will input your academic requirements (the subject you need to complete), your geographical location (where you live) and a list of suitable clinical placement providers. The upshot? Where possible, we’ll pair you with a clinical placement that’s within 90 minutes of your home address. 

Placement requirements

Undergraduate placements

Clinical placements will be a key part of your UTS experience. These placements will prepare you for professional registration as a nurse or midwife – and will also help you build critical hands-on skills that will shape your future career.

Bachelor of Nursing (standard 3-year degree)

• Year one: 120 hours over one clinical placement in Spring session.
• Year two: 320 hours over 4 clinical placements across Autumn and Spring sessions
• Year three: 400 hours over 2 clinical placements across Autumn and Spring sessions.

If you’re undertaking a combined Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, the timing of your clinical placements will need to be approved by your course coordinator.

Undertaking an accelerated program (Enrolled Nurse entry)? Consult the UTS Handbook and relevant subject outlines for information on clinical placements.

For study days and clinical placements, see the Nursing Work Integrated Learning Calendar (PDF, 122KB) in the UTS Handbook.

Bachelor of Midwifery

• Year one: 48 hours over a two-week period towards the end of each of each Autumn session. 128 hours over a three-week period towards the end of Spring session.
• Year two: 128 hours in Autumn session and 160 hours in Spring session
• Year three: 232 hours split across 3–5 eight-hour shifts per week for 10 weeks in Autumn and Spring session.

On-call work may be required throughout your course. During third year, you’ll spend the majority of your time in a clinical environment where you’ll be required to work shifts. By the end of the course, you will have followed a minimum of 10 women through their pregnancy and birth.

For study days and clinical placement, see the Midwifery Work Integrated Learning Calendar (PDF, 106KB) in the UTS Handbook.

Postgraduate placements

As a postgraduate nursing or midwifery student, you’re likely to have extensive experience in a range of clinical environments – but at UTS, you’ll gain even more. Our postgraduate degrees are all about building specialist skills in a particular area of clinical practice, and our placements are no different: you’ll learn to translate the theoretical knowledge you gain in the classroom into hands-on experience in the clinic.

Graduate Diploma in Midwifery

During this one-year, full-time course, you’ll complete 32 hours of clinical practice every week for two sessions, plus a day of on-campus study every week.  Prior to commencing this course, you need to have secured your midwifery student position through the NSW Health Midwifery Student Applications for Recruitment and Training (MidStART) program. For more information on the program and application process, see the MidStART website.

Before you start your diploma, you’ll complete Preparation for Midwifery Practice, a two-week subject designed to get you ready for your placement.

Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education and Management

This part-time degree spans two sessions of study. During Spring Session, you’ll complete 40 consecutive hours (a one-week block) in an observational placement. Find out more