Student clearances for clinical placements
This information is for students seeking clinical placements in NSW Health facilities.
Before you commence your placement, the NSW Department of Health has to issue you with a Clearance for Clinical Placements Card.
The information outlined here:
- tells you how to get a clearance card
- lists coordinators of NSW educational institutions
- provides samples of forms
- answers your questions.
Why do I need a clearance?
As part of its duty of care to patients and clients receiving health care in NSW and according to the NSW Department of Health Policy Directive - PD2008_029, anyone who enters a NSW Public Health facility—as an employee or in any other capacity—must first undergo a criminal record check.
What's involved in a criminal record check?
Criminal Record checks are conducted for charges and/or convictions relating to serious offences.
A serious offence is defined as:
- an offence committed in NSW and punishable by penal servitude or imprisonment for 12 months or more
- an offence committed outside NSW that would have been punishable by penal servitude or imprisonment for 12 months or more if it had been committed in NSW.
What happens if I have a criminal record?
If you have a criminal record, a risk assessment is undertaken to determine if the offence committed poses a threat to the working environment of the health facility and to clients relying on its services.