Plan for workplace learning, not just class time
Separate simulation, campus learning and successfully completed workplace hours.
At least 400 workplace hours
ANMAC criterion 3.6 requires at least 400 successfully completed workplace hours, excluding simulation. Providers may require more. Ask which settings, blocks and attendance arrangements apply to your intake.
Assessment is more than attendance
HLTENN035 Release 2 requires one clinical work placement in professional nursing practice, two different professional interactions with the registered nurse and multidisciplinary health care team, and reflection on how nursing practice contributed health outcomes. Its assessors must meet RTO assessor requirements and hold current NMBA registration as a registered nurse. Other units have their own requirements; this example is not the whole assessment plan.
Put practical questions on your calendar
- Who arranges placements, and when will dates be confirmed?
- Which campus sessions and skills labs require attendance?
- What travel, shift attendance and clearance requirements apply?
- How are interrupted placements, missed hours and additional costs handled?
How does simulation fit the plan?
Simulation prepares you for workplace experience; it does not replace any of the minimum 400 successfully completed workplace hours. ANMAC criterion 3.6 also calls for exposure to a variety of health care settings. Ask the provider to separate campus practice, simulation and workplace hours in the timetable.
What should be settled before you change your work hours?
Request placement blocks, likely shifts, notice periods, travel expectations and the process for missed or interrupted placement. Ask who arranges a replacement placement, how competence is assessed and what extra time or costs could follow. The minimum hours are not a whole-course calendar duration or a guarantee of a particular placement.