Te Whatu Ora Student Placement Information
This book provides information to support students on placement with Te Whatu Ora.
- Site:
- Ko Awatea LEARN
- Course:
- Ko Awatea LEARN
- Book:
- Te Whatu Ora Student Placement Information
- Printed by:
- Date:
- Saturday, 18 May 2024, 12:31 AM
Table of contents
Haere Mai Welcome
Our main priority is to keep our patients and staff safe. You are encouraged to ask questions and for help if you need it. If at any time you do not feel comfortable doing a task that you have been assigned, please let the person assigning you the task or the person responsible for the area know. If you do not feel safe or think the patient might not be safe, you should ask for help.
How to prepare for placement
There are pre-requisites to starting your placement with Te Whatu Ora.
You will need to complete some online learning and fill in some forms and return or bring them with you on your first day. The pre-requisites differ depending on the profession you are studying for and where you are doing your placement, however the information will be provided to you in advance.
Plan your journey
Plan your journey to the location of your placement to ensure you arrive on time and well prepared.
Parking at Te Whatu Ora sites is limited and has parking restrictions. Consider using alternative transport modes:
- Buses and trains
- Locations with bike parks also have showers; find out where these are located during your orientation
- Parking offsite
- Carpooling
Need to know more?
Te Tai Tokerau Northland Counties Manukau Waitematā Te Toka Tumai Auckland
Contacts
Know who to report to and how to contact them
It is important that you know who to contact within your placement area and from your tertiary education organisation (TEO).
Your TEO will give you contact details for your placement.
Reporting absence
Please report any absence to both your placement area contact and your TEO contact.
Arriving at the right time, place and location
You will need to know the shift start and finish times. You might have an early start. Ensure you know WHEN you need to arrive so that you are prepared and ready to begin at the shift start time.
Please enquire about the shift patterns and your roster obligations as a student in your clinical placement area.
Attire
What to wear
When working in a clinical area that will require you to engage in an environment with direct patient contact, you may be provided scrubs, or be required to wear your own clothes or your uniform from your TEO.
Appropriate attire to wear when working in a clinical environment:
comfortable, smart casual (e.g. no rips, no overt branding, no revealing clothing)
short sleeves (bare below the elbow so that you can perform good hand hygiene)
comfortable closed toe shoes to protect your feet (ideally ones that are spill proof)
no jewellery and no watch (these can become soiled preventing good hand hygiene or be a patient safety risk). A plain wedding band and small ear studs are acceptable.
If needed, you will be provided with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the clinical area you are supporting, such as gowns, aprons, booties etc.
N.B. Some clinical areas may have specific requirements of what can be worn, so please note all information provided.
Please remember your security ID badge – you must wear it at all times whilst on placement.
Meals
It is important to be prepared with any meals you need for your shift. You may also want to bring a water bottle.
There will be staff lunchrooms and areas to take breaks. Some Te Whatu Ora locations have food available for purchase from public retailers and vending machines on site during the day.
Click the buttons below for further information on food at each district.
Te Tai Tokerau Northland Counties Manukau Waitematā Te Toka Tumai Auckland
Facilities and services
You may want to make use of some of the facilities available at the location you are going to. Some of the facilities and services available might include:
- Showers and lockers
- Chapel and prayer rooms
- Disability services
- Breastfeeding
Te Whatu Ora facilities will protect, promote and support breastfeeding through the WHO/UNICEF Ten steps to successful breastfeeding and the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes implemented as the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.
Te Whatu Ora supports breastfeeding and breast milk expression by providing suitable parenting facilities.
Ask about facilities and services during your orientation.
To pre-arrange support, speak to your tertiary education organisation (TEO) school clinical placement contact prior to placement to co-ordinate with Te Whatu Ora.
Induction
When you arrive, introduce yourself to the person in charge
On arrival, someone will orientate you to the area where you will be doing your placement, including where the toilets are, and where you can get a drink. You will be given an induction and required to complete the Health and Safety local induction. Please familiarise yourself with the area and any maps provided.If anything is unclear, please ask.
Fire and Emergency Procedures
Please ensure you have understood the fire and emergency procedures. You can complete eLearning on Ko Awatea LEARN for the district your placement is in.
In an emergency, follow the guidance of the person in charge. If you are unsure of the procedure, please report to the reception area or nursing station where you will be given instructions.
The emergency phone number is 777
Patient emergencies / Codes
Risk management and safety
Manual handling
Helping another person to move is considered manual handling, and if done incorrectly can cause harm to you and/or the person you are helping.
We do not expect you to mobilise patients on your own if you have not had manual handling training. Please ask the patient to wait and use the call button to get another clinical team member’s attention. Stay with the patient and reassure them.
We do not expect you to use manual handling equipment (such as hoists) that you have not had training for, but you may be asked to assist a trained clinician – you will be given clear instructions about how to do this safely.
Falls prevention
Te Whatu Ora are committed to providing a safe environment. It is important for staff to follow processes that minimise the risk of slips, trips and falls.
If you see an obvious hazard, please act to keep everyone safe. If it is safe to resolve this yourself, please do so and report to the person in charge. For example, spilled coffee can be wiped up. If it is not safe to do so or you are not sure if it is safe, ask for help.
You can offer to help a patient tidy their bed space or move things within their reach. You can put away equipment after it is used. Make sure patients are wearing safe footwear when walking (well-fitting shoes or bare feet, hospital issued socks with rubber grips are preferable to regular socks).
Bed rails
- Due to potential risk of injury bed rails are kept down, except when transporting a patient.
- Documented consent is required from the patient if they do want to have the bed rails up.
- Talk to one of the clinical team if you are unsure.
Privacy, Confidentiality, and Social Media
Our patients and colleagues have the right to privacy, please respect this. Do not take photos or post on social media about your experiences. Familiarise yourself with your district's policies on Social Media and Privacy.
Complete the national Te Whatu Ora Privacy Training on Ko Awatea LEARN prior to starting your clinical placement.
Infection prevention and control
Washing your hands keeps you and the patients safe. Perform hand hygiene:
- Before and after touching a patient
- Before and after touching something that could be contaminated (linen, a catheter bag, a vomit carton etc.)
- After touching the patient surroundings (furniture, curtains etc.) even when the patient is not touched
- Before putting on gloves and after removing gloves
- Before and after you go on a break
Hand hygiene products include:
- alcohol-based hand rub (hand gel) in dispensers on the walls and at the end of most beds
- soap and water
- chlorhexidine gluconate 2% and 4% soaps
Gloves are usually only worn when you anticipate contact with blood or other body fluids.
- Gloves are not a substitute for hand hygiene – hands must be washed before and after use
- Gloves, if used, must be changed in between patients
- Latex free (blue) gloves are available for patients or staff who require them
Please ensure you know when and how to perform effective hand hygiene prior to working with patients to keep us all safe.
N95 mask fit testing
Isolation precautions
You may notice that there are restrictions on entry to some clinical areas. Please carefully read the signs on the doors and follow instructions or do not enter that area/room. If in doubt, please ask the clinical team for more information.
Support and wellbeing
Support
We want you to feel supported during your time with Te Whatu Ora. Ensure you know where you can get support from.
- Support on your placement at Te Whatu Ora comes from: educators, supervisors, and/or preceptors.
- Support from your tertiary education organisation (TEO).
Wellbeing
You are welcome to access wellbeing eLearning provided in Ko Awatea LEARN from any district.
You may find this Going Home Checklist useful:
- Take a moment to think about today
- Acknowledge one thing that was difficult on shift - let it go
- Consider three things that went well
- Check on your colleagues before you leave - are they okay
- Choose an action that signals the end of your shift
- Now switch your attention to home - rest and recharge
Communication
Te Whatu Ora uses various communication tools to support good communication practices.
You are welcome to complete communication elearning on Ko Awatea LEARN from any district.
Mihi: Introducing yourself: Kia ora, my name is ...
- My name is ________.
- My role is (I am a [insert profession] student).
- May I help you with ... Can I do anything for you?
Āke Āke App
You may like to download the Āke Āke App to support you to provide culturally safe care for Māori, including help with pronunciation of te reo Māori kupu, and waiata. You may like to use this to say karakia before shift or share karakia moments with your team. Download the Āke Āke app for iOS or Android using these links.
Communication tools
Communication tools provide a structured form of communication that enables information to be transferred effectively between individuals. Examples include ISOBAR, ISBAR, and SBARR.
These tools may be used in clinical handovers of patients or emergency situations (e.g. over the phone to a clinician, or when handing over patients). Ask staff which communication tools are used in the area you are placed and familiarise yourself with the local policy on handover.
Tikanga
Māori Values and Concepts (Tikanga) are embedded beliefs and practices that are integral to Māori wellbeing.
Tikanga is an issue of principle, values, and spirituality. Tikanga is a matter of both having the right intention to honour holistic Māori practices, as well as following specific protocols and procedures.
Integral to this are Māori views on health which include a holistic approach, encompassing the elements of wairua (spiritual), hinengaro (psychological), tinana (body), and whānau (extended family).
Behaviours and practices that are not consistent with Māori beliefs, values and concepts, may cause distress.
Found in He Kāmaka Waiora Māori Health
Please build your knowledge of your district's Tikanga best practice policies. If you are unsure, please ask.
eLearning
Take advantage of elearning you can access via Ko Awatea LEARN, such as:
- Privacy of Personal & Health Information (National Course)
- Disability Equity
- Ngā Paerewa Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Understanding bias in health care
- Health literacy
Use the Find Courses option in the header to search for learning you are interested in.
My Reports: You can see a list of courses you have completed and the hours by clicking on the My Reports button in the header of Ko Awatea LEARN.