Health placements

As an Undergraduate Nursing Student, you will complete up to 840 hours of placement across the course of your degree, depending on your study plan and entry pathway. You may be placed in a variety of settings, such as acute, sub-acute and rehabilitation, and could be exposed to various different areas of nursing such as aged care, mental health and primary health care nursing.

All documents listed below must be uploaded to InPlace and verified by a Placement Officer before you begin any placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement form
• Student Undertaking form
• Valid First Aid and CPR certificate (HLTAID011) - Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend this course for a discounted price through St John Ambulance.
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Worker Screening Check

Participants completing the Re-Entry to Practice Nursing program will complete 160 hours of clinical placement following the completion of online coursework. Placements can be undertaken in a variety of settings based on factors such as your previous nursing experience, location and AHPRA recommendations.

All documents listed below must be uploaded to InPlace and verified by a Placement Officer before you begin any placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

As a combined Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery student, you will complete all Bachelor of Nursing placements, plus an additional 1007 hours of placement across your course. You may gain exposure to a variety of clinical settings, such as Birth Suites, Day Assessment Centres and Special Care Nurseries.

All documents listed below must be uploaded to InPlace and verified by a Placement Officer before you begin any placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• Valid First Aid and CPR certificate (HLTAID011) - Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend this course for a discounted price through St John Ambulance.
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Worker Screening Check

As a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery student, you will complete approximately 180 hours of placement across your course, with the health service you have obtained placement with as part of your application to study.

All documents listed below must be uploaded to InPlace and verified by a Placement Officer before you begin any placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

As a Graduate Diploma in Child, Family and Community Nursing student, you will complete a minimum of 304 hours of placement across the year. You will gain exposure to child care, maternal and child health, community health, early intervention, early parenting/day stay and specialty services. Most Child, Family and Community placements are self-sourced, meaning you will have the opportunity to arrange your own placement experiences in conjunction with the University.

All documents listed below must be uploaded to InPlace and verified by a Placement Officer before you begin any placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

Whilst studying Paramedicine, you will complete approximately 640 hours of placement throughout the final three years of your course. You will be placed with public and private hospitals as well as Ambulance Victoria, and have an option to complete some interstate ambulatory services during your final year.  You will gain exposure to various area of Paramedicine, such as aged care, emergency care and primary care. You may also have the opportunity to complete an international placement in Canada or the United states.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Paramedicine placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• Ambulance Victoria Fitness to Practice assessment

As an Audiology student, you will complete up to 40 placement days across your course. You may be placed in a variety of public and private settings, including major public hospitals, disability service providers and community programs in both metropolitan and regional areas, and gain exposure to both adult and paediatric practice. You will have the opportunity to assess and treat people who have hearing, tinnitus and balance disorders. You will also have the opportunity to undertake placement in the internal Audiology Clinic.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• Child Safety Standard certificate of completion

As a Dietetics student, you will complete 107 days of placement throughout your course. You will gain exposure to a variety of areas, such as food service, clinical patient care, public health nutrition and research. You may be allocated to placements in a variety of private, public or community settings, and will be required to complete placement in a regional facility throughout the course.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be supplied and verified in InPlace before you begin any Dietetics placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

Whilst studying Occupational Therapy, you will complete a total of approximately 1000 hours of placement and service learning throughout your course. Your first placement will be in the second semester of Year 3 (first year for students entering directly into the Master of Occupational Therapy) when you will undertake one four week placement, followed by one eight week placement in each semester of Year 4 as well as a ten week project placement.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Occupational Therapy placement.

You may also need to obtain certificate of completion for a CPR course (HLTAID009), depending on where you complete your placements. Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend this course for a discounted price through St John Ambulance.

Your Police check, Working with Children’s Check and Consent and Acknowledgements forms will need to be provided prior to your fieldwork commencing in Year 2. All documents as listed will be required prior to commencing placement in Year 3.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Worker Screening Check

Whilst studying Orthoptics, you will undertake approximately 85 days of placement across your course, and placements will begin in year two. We place students across a variety of different eye health services in Australia and internationally. This includes private clinics, major public health networks, regional health services and not-for-profit organisations such as Vision Australia, as well as the La Trobe Eye Clinic.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Orthoptics placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

As a Physiotherapy student, you will undertake six 160-hour placements across the course of your degree, as well as observational experiences if you are completing the Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours).

The clinical program ensures that students gain clinical experience across different healthcare settings (acute, rehabilitation and community practice) and areas of practice (musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, neurological) while gaining experience working with people across the lifespan.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Physiotherapy placement.

If you are a Bachelor (Honours) student, you will need to provide the following documents in your first year:

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

Immunisation requirements will then need to be met in the beginning of your third year, and more information will be sent closer to that time.

If you are a Masters student, you will need to provide the following documents in your first year:

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

You may also need to obtain certificate of completion for a CPR course (HLTAID009), depending on where you complete your placements. Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend this course for a discounted price through St John Ambulance.

If you are studying Sports Physiotherapy you will undertake up to 120 hours of placement across your course. If you are studying Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, you will undertake 160 hours of placement across your course.

Post-Graduate Physiotherapy placements are self-sourced, meaning you find your own placement under the guidance of your academic coordinator in an area and setting that is of interest to you. Post-Graduate students often complete placements interstate and sometimes even overseas.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Post-Graduate Physiotherapy placement.

If you are studying Sports Physiotherapy, in addition to these documents, you will need to obtain a certificate of completion for a First Aid (HLTAID011) course before starting your clinical placement.

If you are studying Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, you may need to obtain certificate of completion for a CPR course (HLTAID009), depending on where you complete your placements.

Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend these courses for a discounted price through St John Ambulance.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

Whilst studying Podiatry, you will undertake placement at the onsite clinic, as well as external placement with our experienced placement partners. Placements are undertaken in the student-led Podiatry Clinic within the Health Sciences Clinic (Bundoora Campus). Clinical practice commences in the onsite clinic in year 2 and continues throughout years 3 and 4, as students work towards attaining entry level professional competencies.  An external observational placement commences in year 2 (7 hours), in a private podiatry clinic. External clinical placements in year 3 (112 hours) and year 4 (392 hours) are a combination of observational and hands-on learning activity including patient assessment and management, minor surgical procedures, and use of scheduled medicines. Students will be exposed to a broad scope of clinical practice including but not limited to paediatrics, musculoskeletal, high-risk foot, rheumatological, surgical, general care, dermatological and sports. Clinical learning in years 3 and 4 has a strong focus on the use of scheduled medicines for podiatry. Students in year 4 may also have an opportunity to undertake external placements in regional/rural locations, interstate or overseas.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Podiatry placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• Valid First Aid and CPR certificate (HLTAID011) - Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend this course for a discounted price through St John Ambulance
• Child Safety Standard certificate of completion.
• An NDIS Worker Screening Check may also be requested for some external placements. Students will be advised if this is required.

As a Prosthetics and Orthotics student, you will complete approximately 105 days of placement throughout your course. You may be placed across a wide variety of health services, such as major public and private hospitals, community health centres and private practices, and will be exposed to both prosthetic and orthotic practice.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Prosthetics and Orthotics placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

As a Social Work student, you will complete two 70-day placements in the final two years of your course. You may be placed across a range of facilities, such as major public or private hospitals, community health centres, mental health services and private clinics across both metropolitan and regional areas. Areas of practice may include alcohol and drugs, youth services, indigenous services, gender specific issues and justice services.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Social Work placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

An application form will need to be submitted if you wish to complete a non-standard or overseas placement. Applications forms can be found at the Social Work Student Placement forms page.

Placement scholarships

Eligible students completing Bachelor or Master of Social Work placements in the 2024 and 2025 academic years can apply for $7,500 to help them complete their placement.  The Victorian Government is offering these Inclusion Scholarships for Social Work Students.

For students commencing placements between July and December 2024, the dates for round 2 are:

Applications open: Monday 1^st April 2024

Applications close: Sunday 28^th April 2024

For further information see the Information for Students, and Frequently asked questions.

As a Speech Pathology student, you will complete approximately 92 days of placement throughout your course, beginning in your third (Undergraduate students) or first (Masters students) year. You will gain exposure to both adult and paediatric practice, and may be placed in a variety of settings, including major public and private hospitals, disability support services and community and school programs. You may also have the opportunity to attend placement at the La Trobe Communication Clinic.

Bundoora-enrolled students will attend an Endoscopy clinic observation day during your fourth year. This opportunity is available to Bendigo-enrolled students dependent on availability.

All documents listed below must be uploaded to InPlace and verified by a Placement Officer before you begin any placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• Child Safety Standard certificate of completion

As an Art Therapy student, you will complete approximately 774 hours of placement across your course. More information on individual subject placement requirements can be found in the subject entries of the handbook . You may be placed across a range of settings, including (but not limited to) community health services, mental health services, aged care and schools, taking into account any previous work history and your future career goals alongside academic needs.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Art Therapy placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

As a Health Information Management student, you will complete up to 64 days of placement across your course, depending on the course you are enrolled in. More information on individual subject placement requirements can be found in the subject entries of the handbook .

You will gain exposure to a variety of settings and health services; this could include major public and private hospitals, regional health services and research centres. For your final placement, you will have the opportunity to express interest in a number of projects proposed by our agency partners, and will be matched to one of these by your Academic Coordinator.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Health Information Management placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

As a postgraduate Psychology student, you may undertake placement across a variety of public and private settings. Information on individual subject placement requirements can be found in the subject entries of the handbook .

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Psychology placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

As a Social Work student, you will complete two 70-day placements in the final two years of your course. You may be placed across a range of facilities, such as major public or private hospitals, community health centres, mental health services and private clinics across both metropolitan and regional areas. Areas of practice may include alcohol and drugs, youth services, indigenous services, gender specific issues and justice services.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Social Work placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

An application form will need to be submitted if you wish to complete a non-standard or overseas placement. Applications forms can be found at the Social Work Student Placement forms page.

Placement scholarships

Eligible students completing Bachelor or Master of Social Work placements in the 2024 and 2025 academic years can apply for $7,500 to help them complete their placement.  The Victorian Government is offering these Inclusion Scholarships for Social Work Students.

For students commencing placements between July and December 2024, the dates for round 2 are:

Applications open: Monday 1^st April 2024

Applications close: Sunday 28^th April 2024

For further information see the Information for Students, and Frequently asked questions.

As a Dentistry student, you will provide patient care in the third year of your course (approximately 264 days) and complete 152 days of clinical placements across the final two years of your course. Dependent on the service you attend for your clinical placements you may be required to complete up to 152 days as a dental assistant. You will be rotated through a number of regional and metropolitan clinical sites throughout this time.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be supplied and verified in InPlace before you begin any Dentistry placement.

As reflected in the Dentistry and Oral Health Immunisation and Health Record Form, you must also undertake blood tests to determine your Blood-Borne Virus (BBV) status, in line with the requirements of the Dental Board of Australia,

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• Valid First Aid and CPR certificate (HLTAID011) - Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend this course for a discounted price through St John Ambulance.

Whilst studying the Bachelor of Oral Health Science, you will complete approximately 725 hours of placement. This will begin in the first semester of your second year, with a 170-hour placement that will be arranged by the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, and follow through to your final year with an additional 555 placement hours.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be supplied and verified in InPlace before you begin any Oral Health placement.

As reflected in the Dentistry and Oral Health Immunisation and Health Record Form, you must also undertake blood tests to determine your Blood-Borne Virus (BBV) status, in line with the requirements of the Dental Board of Australia,

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form
• Valid First Aid and CPR certificate (HLTAID011) - Enrolled La Trobe University students can attend this course for a discounted price through St John Ambulance.

As a Pharmacy student, you will complete approximately 250 hours of placement throughout your course. You will gain exposure to a wide variety of public and private settings, including regional and metropolitan hospitals, aged care and privately owned pharmacies. Placements will begin in your first year, with two short introductory observation visits.

All applicable documents listed in the links below must be uploaded to and verified in InPlace before you begin any Pharmacy placement.

Documents required

• Police Check
• Working With Children Check (with La Trobe listed as an employer)
• Immunisation requirements
• Consent and Acknowledgement forms
• Student Undertaking form

Rural Pharmacy Student Placement Allowance (RPSPA) Program

The Rural Pharmacy Student Placement Allowance (RPSPA) Program provides financial support to encourage and enable undergraduate pharmacy degree programs at Australian Universities to deliver compulsory student placements in rural and remote communities. The Scheme aims to facilitate positive placement experiences for pharmacy students in rural and remote communities, encouraging students to return to rural or remote practice on graduation.

For further information and to apply please see the Rural Pharmacy Student Placement Allowance (RPSPA) Program.