Phase 1 Observership - Ochsner

Observership Guidelines

The 2022 Observership Guidelines are  available on the Key Guidelines website, under the 'Phase 1 Observership' tab. 

Supervisor Handbook

Students who self-arrange their placement are responsible for providing a copy of the 2022 Year 1 Observership Supervisor Guide to their supervisor/s. This will ensure your supervisor has an understanding of the objectives of the Year 1 Observership and expected experience level of the student.

You can download the 2022 Summer Block Observership Supervisor Handbook Guide here.

Student Handbook

The 2022 Observership Student Handbook can be downloaded here.

UQ metro Clinical Unit Placements

UQ Clinical Unit sites have Observership placements available for all students to preference. These placements will run from 21 November - 18 December 2022. 

• Preferencing will be by clinical site only, and will not be by discipline.

• If students desire a specific discipline, they are encouraged to source their own placement in their field of interest (at a Non-UQ Clinical Unit site).

• As per Observership guidelines, students are not to contact clinicians affiliated with UQ Clinical sites. 

Sites and availability for clinical unit placements will be provided in due course.

How to apply

Students will preference for UQ metro Clinical Unit placements, via the Placements System. Instructions on how to preference for a UQ Clinical Unit offer through the Placements System can be found here.

Preferencing opens Monday 25 July - 12pm

Placement Offers

Placement offers will be published to students  via the Placements System and students will be notified by email.

Students who do not wish to undertake their Summer Block Observership at a UQ Clinical Unit are able to self-arrange their own placement, noting that:

• Students are not permitted to self-arrange an Observership placement at a UQ Clinical Unit or affiliated site

Where to Start?

First, ensure the site is not affiliated with UQ. Students who wish to undertake a Summer Block Observership placement at a General Practice should contact the UQ General Practice Clinical Unit (med.gp@uq.edu.au) prior to contacting the General Practice, to check if the practice is affiliated with UQ.

We then recommend students review the list of sites we already have Overarching Agreements with which you can find here, under the ‘Locations’ tab (noting that you are only able to undertake your Summber Block Observership placement in Australia). As an agreement with these sites is already in place, no further legal negotiations or Student Placement Agreements (SPA) are necessary. Students must still submit an application via the Placements system and their placement will still be subject to academic approval.

If the site is new and not on our list, we recommed that you review the providers website (prior to contacting individual clinicians) and follow any processes they have in place for administering student placements.  

• Students are advised not to contact clinicians from Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service facilities, as they do not accept students for observational placements.
   
• Students interested in undertaking a placement at a UnitingCare facility, including Wesley Hospital, St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital, Buderim Private Hospital or St Stephen's Hospital in Hervey Bay, need to contact UnitingCare Clinical School in the first instance (medical.school@uchealth.com.au) and are not to contact clinicians directly. For more information, including details about their non-refundable enquiry and application fees, see the UnitingCare Clinical School website.

How to Apply

After obtaining agreement from your placement provider, students are required to provide a completed and signed copy of:

• 2022 Observership Clinical Student Placement Agreement

Please have your host Preceptor complete the Placement Provider Details form and the Student Placement Agreement (SPA).  Instructions on how to fill out the SPA can be found here.  Once completed, please submit via the Placements system.  Please upload your form as one document, including all pages. Instructions on how to submit a non-UQ (self-arranged) placement can be found here. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your placement is more than 50km from your usual place of residance and you require an overnight stay for your placement, you must also complete an online Travel Declaration form. 

Approvals for self-arranged placements can take up to 2 weeks. Students are advised NOT to make any travel arrangements until full approval has been received.

MD-Ochsner students who commenced in 2021 and undertook their first year of study online are still required to complete the Longitudinal Semester Observership placement in Semester 1 or 2, 2022.

MD-Ochsner students who commenced in 2022 will be required to complete the Longitudinal Semester Observership placement in Semester 2, 2022 or Semester 1, 2023.

These placements will involve a placement of half a day per week for 8 weeks. Students will be allocated to a given Semester and UQ Clinical Unit (in metropolitan Brisbane, Australia) at the discretion of the Faculty, according to operational requirements.

If you are self-arranging your placement, the placement site may require you to submit certain documents when you apply for an Observership placement. You can find information on who to contact and turnaround times below:

* This Letter will be issued only to students who are currently in good standing with the University, who have achieved an average GPA of 4.5 and above and have a clear conduct report. Students must wait for the release of official results before obtaining this letter.  

** A Letter of Good Standing is not available until after Semester 1 grade release, therefore in its place we can provide a Letter of Endorsement  

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the Faculty has received a completed Supervisor Assessment Form by the end of each Placement. This evaluation is required prior to the commencement of Year 2 and failure to successfully complete the Observership may prevent graduation from the MD program.

If you are unable to make this deadline, please contact the placements team (med.placements@uq.edu.au)

Supervisor Assessment Form

At the end of each placement students are required to be assessed by their supervisor/s, via the Supervisor Assessment Form, which can be completed here:

• Supervisor Assessment Form

The student will be emailed the result of the online Supervisor Assessment survey once completed. If your Supervisor is unable to access the online form, you can download a pdf version here.

Students are responsible for uploading their Supervisor Assessment Form to the MD Community Blackboard Site 2022 - Year 1, via the assessment link available in the Phase 1 Observership folder. These will be marked off by the Academic Coordinator as evidence of your Observership completion.

​Reminder: Students may travel to locations with limited internet access.  Please make sure to print the PDF version of the assessment prior to departure.This can be completed by your supervisor and then scanned and uploaded to Bloackboard upon return to Brisbane. 

Student Feedback and Reflection 

Students are asked to complete the Student Feedback Form one week prior to completion of their placement.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact med.placements@uq.edu.au
 

The Faculty of Medicine OHS team is here to work with you to protect your health, safety and wellness while you're studying with us.  During your Observership, your safety is our priority, so please check out the following information to ensure your Observership placement remains safe and incident free.

Phase 1 Observership OHS Information

For more information - med.ohs@uq.edu.au

Who can I contact and who is a ‘Qualified Supervisor’? 

The preferred method for self-arranging an Observership is that you contact a medical practitioner, practice or site to negotiate a placement yourself.  Placements cannot be in a UQ teaching facility or QLD Health Site as outlined in the Observership Guidelines.  The supervisor must be a medical practitioner or Allied Health Professional in a clinical setting. Further details can be found under ' Where to Start?' in the Summer Block Placement - Self-Arranged tab.

Is it possible to split the Observership?  

Students who undertake their Observership externally to a UQ Clinical Unit may divide their Observership into two blocks.
If the Observership is divided, the blocks do not need to be in consecutive weeks.

What are my insurance requirements? 

Your Insurance requirements will depend on the location of the Observership. Please refer to the Student Insurance Information page.

As a UQ student, once approved, you are covered for public liability, professional indemnity and malpractice insurance during the dates specified on your submitted application form.

If you have any specific insurance questions, we recommend your contact UQ Insurance directly on insurance@uq.edu.au.

What is a Student Placement Agreement (SPA)? 

An SPA is a legal document between the host provider and UQ.  It requires signatures from the placement host, and also the delegate of the Faculty of Medicine.  All self-sourced placements will require an SPA.  Without a fully completed and signed SPA your placement will not be approved. 

Detailed instructions on how to complete the SPA can be found under the Summer Block Placement - Self-Arranged tab.

What happens if I haven’t passed Clinical Practice 1 or Clinical Science 1?

Students must successfully complete #8 units, including Clinical Science and Clinical Practice 1, before commencing an Observership. If you have not taken Clinical Science and Clinical Practice 2 due to failing a semester 1 course, you are advised to contact the Academic Coordinator for the Observership for further advice.

What happens if I miss a day? 

Attendance is 100% mandatory for completion. Days will need to be completed at a later time or as it has been discussed with preceptor/student administration.