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Essential Information and Frequently Asked Questions

Essential Information and Frequently Asked Questions

CENTRALISED APPLICATION for POSTGRADUATE STUDENT MIDWIVES (CAPSM)

Applications open Monday 2nd July 2012 and close 9am Monday 13th August 2012
for employment as a midwifery student in 2013

This centralised on-line application process is for registered nurses wishing to apply for midwifery student positions in maternity services in NSW Public Hospitals and a small number of private not-for-profit hospitals in 2013.

In order for a registered nurse to train as a midwife, she/he must be enrolled in a recognised postgraduate university course in midwifery and be concurrently employed in a recognised midwifery student position in a maternity service, where the clinical component of the training is undertaken. There are a number of university courses available, as well as a wide range of hospitals which provide training positions. Links to detailed information about universities, Local Health Districts and hospitals can be found at www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing

As part of this application process you will be asked to nominate in order of preference 6 hospitals where you would like to train as a midwife. Your application will be forwarded to your first preference hospital. If your application is accepted, the Local Health District (LHD) or hospital will contact you by email regarding an interview.

Some hospitals and universities offer a mid-year intake for postgraduate midwifery students. If you wish to be considered for this intake, you must include this option as one of your preferences in the application.

Health Services may have memorandums of understanding (MOU) and partnerships with specific universities so that students studying at a particular university may only be able to undertake midwifery training at linked hospitals. In the same way, students employed in some hospitals may only be able to undertake their study at particular universities. It’s important to check with the universities and the hospitals prior to selecting your hospital preferences in your application. Your options for choice of university will also be discussed at your interview.

Please be aware that recruitment is a competitive process, and in some services there are many more applications than midwifery student positions available. In order to increase the likelihood of a successful application, it is important that you choose your preferences carefully. It is suggested that you do not restrict yourself to the major metropolitan/womens’ hospitals and be flexible in your options.

What should I do before making my application?

You should gather all of the information you need to make an informed decision about your application and hospital choice. Information about Universities, Local Health Districts and hospitals which offer postgraduate midwifery training programmes can be accessed via www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing

Please note: At interview you must be able to provide proof of current registration as a nurse with the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia. If you are not yet registered at the time of interview, you are not eligible to apply for a midwifery student position in a NSW public hospital or the two not-for-profit hospitals involved in the centralised application process.

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How do I apply?

You will be able to lodge your on-line application between Monday2^nd July 2012 (from 9am) and Monday 13^th August 2012 at 9am. When your application is lodged electronically, you will be allocated a CAPSM ID number which you will need in order to re-access your application. It is advisable to print off your completed application with your CAPSM ID NUMBER. You must complete all parts of the application. Only online applications will be accepted.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

N.B. Please remember that your university application is separate to the employment process. It is your responsibility to submit university applications. You cannot be employed as a postgraduate midwifery student if you are not enrolled in an appropriate university programme. More information is available on university websites.

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When is the closing date?

The closing date is 9am Monday 13^th August 2012. Late applications will not be accepted.

You will be able to amend your details or preferences or withdraw your application up until the closing date and time. You will need your CAPSM ID number and your date of birth to re- access your application.

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What are the selection criteria for employment?

A requirement of your application is that you must submit a letter (maximum of 750 words) demonstrating your ability to meet the selection criteria. This letter may be typed directly into the application form or “copied and pasted” from a word document which you have prepared prior to commencing your online application.

The selection criteria are:

Current registration as a nurse with the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia
Understanding of the role of a midwife in the current Australian health setting
Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to the requirements of the training programme including the continuity of care experience
Demonstrated effective interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
Demonstrated ability in clinical problem solving
Demonstrated understanding of and ability to work within an interdisciplinary team
Australian citizenship or permanent residency (New Zealand citizens residing in Australia who hold a current Special Category Visa are considered to have permanent residency status)
An understanding of EEO, WH&S, infection control and continuous quality improvement principles

NB. Some positions (e.g. rural and community) may require a valid driver’s licence.

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What is the Recruitment Process?

The recruitment process to the public hospitals follows NSW Ministry of Health recruitment and selection policy and EEO guidelines. The policy can be found at:

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/pd/2011/PD2011_032.html

Information about EEO can be found at: http://www.eeo.nsw.gov.au/

The selection process will consider:

Your application – which includes your letter addressing the selection criteria
The interview
Referee reports

Application

After submitting your “on line application”, there will be a confirmation on the screen with your name and your CAPSM ID number. Please print this acknowledgement for your records
You will only receive email confirmation of the successful lodgement if you provide a valid email address at the time of submission
You will need to use the CAPSM ID number and your date of birth if you wish to change any details or preferences on your application or withdraw from the process
You will be able to change your details only up until applications close at 9am on Monday 13^th August 2012
As per the NSW Health Recruitment policy, applications will be culled according to selection criteria
If you application is accepted, it will be forwarded to your first preference hospital.
You will be contacted by the hospital or Local Health District regarding an interview.
Normally, there will only be one interview for your application. However, if you have not gained a 1^st preference position and you have chosen one of the “not for profit” private hospitals as another preference, you may be contacted for a second round interview.
Information about Local Health Districts and hospitals can be accessed via

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/lhn/

The Interview

The hospital or Local Health District will conduct interviews
Interviews will be held between3^rd September and 25^th September 2012. Please ensure you are available within these dates
Please bring a copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV) to your interview
At interview you will be asked questions related to the advertised selection criteria
Questions are open-ended and seek to assess your knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of a postgraduate midwifery student
There will be up to 3 people on each interview panel
The purpose of the interview is to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate how you meet the selection criteria and to enable the interview panel to gather further information about you to enhance your application
You will be able to ask questions about the position at the interview

As well as your CV, you must bring the original plus one photocopy of the following supporting documents with you to your interview:

Immunisation Record (see page 4)
Proof of Australian Citizenship or Permanent Residency (see page 5)
100 points Identification (see page 7)
Driver’s Licence – if requested in your interview appointment notification
Evidence of current registration as a nurse with the Nurses and Midwives Board of Australia

If you do not present the necessary documents you may not be interviewed.

Reference Checks

You must provide the name, address and telephone number of two clinical referees who may be contacted about you. One of the referees must be your current or most recent manager
A member of the interview panel will contact your referees

Allocation of Positions

Please note: Positions will be allocated on a merit basis. This means that the applicant considered to be the most suitable to train as a midwife is selected following a competitive process.

Notification of Offer of Employment

You will be advised of the result of your application when the selection process is complete. Letters will sent by email on Friday 12th October 2012 when you will be advised of one of the following outcomes:
§ You have been successful and have been offered a position at a particular hospital
§ You have been placed on an eligibility list for allocation if positions remain available
§ You have been unsuccessful

If you are offered a position you will have a 10 day period in which to accept the offer on-line (by Wednesday 24^th October 2012) or the offer will be withdrawn. As recruitment is a competitive process, if you decline an offer of employment, you will not be automatically placed on the eligibility list.

When you accept an offer online, an email will be generated to the address that you provided on the application. This email will provide confirmation of your midwifery student position. This confirmation is required by the university and should be forwarded immediately to the programme coordinator at your preferred university.

Please note: It is YOUR responsibility to notify your preferred university that you have been successful in gaining a midwifery student position.

Eligibility List

For applicants who are deemed suitable for employment but are not allocated a position because of the limited number of positions available, an eligibility list for employment will be created. You may be contacted by LHD coordinators who have vacant positions in their District.

Interview Feedback

The Local Health District or hospital will advise you how to obtain feedback after your interview. In accordance with privacy laws applications can only be discussed with the applicant unless the applicant gives consent for discussion with another specified person.

Sharing of your information

In order for universities and maternity services to coordinate their student midwifery programmes, the names of successful applicants and the facility where they have accepted a position, will be shared with all universities in NSW which have a postgraduate midwifery programme. This list will be sent by the Nursing and Midwifery Office. Your consent for the release of this information will be requested prior to submission of your application. No information (other than name and facility) gained through the application process is shared with any entities outside NSW Health.

You MUST apply to the university yourself. NSW Health and maternity services do not and cannot do this for you
The complete list of successful applicants is sent to all universities. The list does not stipulate which university you will attend, as this is your decision and should be based on information you have gained from the maternity service and the universities. You must inform your preferred university of your intention to study there as well as the location of your midwifery student position.

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Do I need to be immunised?

You cannot be employed as a registered nurse or midwifery student if you are not immunised for a range of diseases. A final offer of employment will be dependent upon you being able to prove that you are immunised/screened.

Further information is available at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/pd/2011/PD2011_005.html

Disease	Acceptable evidence of protection against specified infectious diseases includes a written record of vaccination signed by the provider and/or serological (blood test result) confirmation of protection. NB: the health facility may require further evidence of protection, eg. serology, if the vaccination record does not contain vaccine brand and batch or official certification from vaccination provider (eg clinic/practice stamp)
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis	One adult dose of diphtheria/ tetanus/ pertussis vaccine (dTpa). Not ADT.
Hepatitis B	History of completed age-appropriate course of hepatitis B vaccine and documented evidence of anti-HBs > 10mlU/ml: or documented evidence of anti-HBc, indicating past hepatitis B infection.
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)	2 doses of MMR vaccine at least one month apart: or documented evidence of positive IgG for measles, mumps and rubella or Birth date before 1966.
Tuberculosis (TB)	See note 1 below for list of persons requiring TST screening; Tuberculin skin test (TST) is acceptable evidence. Interferon-gamma release immunoassay (IGRA) is not generally accepted. In the event that an IGRA has been performed, screening by TST will be required if the IGRA result is negative or equivocal. Persons with positive TST/IGRA must be fully assessed by a TB service within 3 months of commencement of clinical duties and must be asymptomatic when commencing clinical duties.
Varicella (chickenpox)	2 doses of varicella vaccine at least one month apart (evidence of one dose is sufficient if the person was vaccinated before 14 years of age) or Positive IgG for varicella or History of chickenpox or physician-diagnosed shingles (serotest if uncertain).

Note 1: TST screening is required if the person was born in a country with a high incidence of TB, or has resided for a cumulative time of 3 months or longer in a country with a high incidence of TB, as listed at:

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/publichealth/Infectious/a-z.asp#T

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Physical demands of the job

Applicants must ensure that they can comply with the physical and emotional demands of the position. You will be asked to sign an acknowledgment of your ability to perform the job demands of the position.

You must declare any health condition/s (physical or mental), which might prevent you from performing the demands of the position.

If you have any health condition that may require the employer to provide you with services or aids (adjustments) so that you can adequately perform the job of a midwifery student you need to discuss this with the interview panel.

Any false or misleading statements may compromise your appointment or continued employment as a midwifery student.

Working a 7-day rotating roster, including shift work (e.g. night duty and weekends) is required. Maternity services usually employ midwifery students for 4 days per week, for 12 months. In some areas, midwifery students will gain experience in more than one hospital over the period of training. Further information about terms of employment can be accessed via the NSW Health website. Follow the links to Health Services.

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What documents do I need to prove I am an Australian citizen or permanent resident?

Please do not assume that we will know you are an Australian citizen. Evidence must be provided at interview.

Examples of evidence are an Australian passport, Australian birth certificate, permanent residency visa or an Australian citizenship certificate.

New Zealand citizens residing in Australia who hold a current Special Category Visa are considered to have permanent residency status – you must be able to provide evidence of this.

If the name on any of your documents is different from your application form, you must also provide evidence of name change, e.g. Marriage, Divorce or Change of Name Certificate, must be provided.

Please note that a copy of your Driver’s Licence or bank statement does NOT meet this requirement.

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What other checks are required?

Criminal Record Checks/Working with Children Check

A Working with Children Check will be undertaken for any charges and/or convictions, including Apprehended Violence Orders (AVO’s). As part of your application, you will be asked to provide your consent for this check. At interview, you will be asked to sign a declaration to state that you are not a prohibited person under the Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998.

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Other information

Personal Information Privacy Statement

All personal information collected from applicants for employment will be handled on a strictly confidential basis. Initial information collected as part of the recruitment process, will be used solely for determining the suitability for employment of the applicant for the position applied for.

You will be asked when you submit your application to consent to passing your personal information to relevant coordinators. Only those persons directly involved in the selection process will have access to an applicant’s records.

Workplace Health and Safety

Workplace Health and Safety refers to legislation, policies, procedures and activities that aim to protect the health, safety and welfare of all people at the workplace. http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/PD/2005/PD2005_360.html

Equal Employment Opportunity

The principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) will form the basis of all phases of the recruitment and selection process. This means that the best applicant will be selected following an objective and thorough assessment of an applicant’s suitability in relation to the selection criteria. Information about EEO can be found at http://www.eeo.nsw.gov.au/

Ethnic Affairs Priorities Statements (EAPS)

All NSW public institutions are required to diversify their policies and activities in order to realise the full potential of the population. The Principles apply to all aspects of the social, cultural, political, legal and economic life of NSW on which public institutions impact.

Code of Conduct

The NSW Health Code of Conduct outlines the standards expected of staff within NSW Health in relation to their conduct in employment. It is a condition of employment in NSW Health that the Code of Conduct must be adhered to by all employees. Copies of this can be found at

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/pd/2005/PD2005_626.html

Proof of Identity – 100 point identification

If you are successful in gaining an interview you will need to bring original identifying documents that provide 100-point identification. The 100-point identification check must be completed prior to lodgement of a NSW Criminal Record Check or Working with Children Check.

Employers are required to sight original identifying documents and ensure that an appropriately delegated officer completes the record of identifying documents. The point score of documents produced must total at least 100 points and must include at least one form of photo ID. These documents include:

ITEM

POINT SCORE

Primary Documents – only one of each may be submitted

Birth Certificate
Birth Card issued by the New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Citizenship Certificate
Current Passport
Expired passport which has not been cancelled and was current within the preceding 2 years

Secondary Documents

The following documents must have a PHOTOGRAPH and NAME:

Driver Licence issued by an Australian State or Territory
Licence or permit issued under a law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory Gov.
Identification card issued to a public employee
The identification card issued by the Commonwealth, a State or Territory as evidence of an applicant’s entitlement to a financial benefit
Identification card issued to a student at a tertiary education institution
Proof of Age Card or NSW Photo Card issued by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority

The following documents must show NAME and ADDRESS:

A document held by a cash dealer giving security over the applicant’s property
A mortgage or other instrument of security held by a financial body
Council rates notice
Document from the applicant’s current or former employer within the past 2 years
Document from the Credit Reference Association of Australia
Land Titles Office record

The following documents must show NAME and SIGNATURE – points from the same source may only be counted once (i.e. a Visa and EFTPOS card issued by the same financial institution):

Marriage Certificate (for maiden name only)
Credit Card
Foreign Driver’s Licence
Medicare Card (signature not required)
Membership to a registered club
NRMA Membership
EFTPOS Card

The following documents must show NAME and ADDRESS:

Electoral roll compiled by the Australian Electoral Commission and available for public scrutiny
A recent signed reference of recommendation from an acceptable referee (e.g. Doctor, Teacher, Clergy, Banker, Police etc)
Lease/rental agreement
Rent receipt from a licensed real estate agent
Records of a public utility – e.g. Phone, water, gas or electricity bill)
Records of a financial institution
A record held under law other than a law relating to land titles

The following documents must show NAME and DATE OF BIRTH:

The records of a primary, secondary, or tertiary institution attended within the past 10yrs
The records of a professional or trade association of which the applicant is a member.

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