WORK PLACEMENT HANDBOOK
Once you have located a workplace willing to take you on, you must obtain our approval and have insurance arranged by completing all the following steps. This all must be completed and approved by us PRIOR to starting your placement.
All forms are available for download in the Learning Centre in your Workplace Placement Approval area.
We recommend returning all forms at least 3-4 weeks prior to starting to allow time for processing and confirming requirements with the clinic if we are unsure they have the right equipment or if we need further information from the workplace or your Mentor.
Any placement that is undertaken PRIOR to any of the steps outlined below cannot count towards your course requirements.
The steps you need to take are:
1. ARRANGING PLACEMENT AND OBTAINING ACAC APPROVAL
The first step is to get ACAC to approve the workplace as suitable for the placement. To do this, you will need the workplace to fill out the Workplace Approval Form and then you will need to upload a copy into your Workplace Placement arrangement area.
Once approved, we will notify you.
If you can’t scan the documents, please post to:
Australian College of Animal Care
Po Box 4208
Hoppers Crossing VIC 3029
2. ORGANISING A MENTOR
When doing your placement, you need to have a Workplace Mentor that can help teach and oversee your time in the workplace. This person will also sign off on your skill development through your key skills.
ALL Mentors need to complete the Mentor Registration packet and be approved by us prior to signing any of your practical skills.
Appropriate clinical mentors vary depending on the qualification you are enrolled in. Generally speaking, they need to hold the same or higher qualification as you are studying, or one that is related to the same field of study.
We suggest getting the Mentor registered at the same time as the workplace to save time. These completed forms are also uploaded into the Placement Arrangement area in the Learning Centre.
In some instances we may not approve a mentor as suitable. You will then need to arrange an alternative mentor at the workplace.
3. ARRANGING INSURANCE
Insurance is vital and is arranged by the RTO once we have approved your clinic and mentor and received the ‘Clinical Placement Application’ form.
The RTO will contact the clinic direct to obtain a Placement Agreement and return it to the RTO direct.
We will email you confirmation that insurance is arranged and in place once the RTO has notified us.
4. COMPLETE THE WHS AND ANIMAL HANDLING SUBJECTS
You must complete the stipulated subjects for your course prior to starting placement. Your course handbook will tell you what these are.
This is to ensure you are aware of all the hazards that can be encountered in the workplace and this is a requirement under WHS legislation. Remember that you need to allow time for your work AND any resubmissions to be graded, so make sure you have submitted work and allowed time for this.
For your remaining placements, you should complete all your associated subjects PRIOR to starting your placement. This ensures that you have completed all your learning prior to performing your assessments.
You should continue to study your subjects if you are waiting for placement to commence or are still looking for placement. Do not stop studying or you will fall behind on your study plan.