LEARNING AT ASTUTE
Work Placement Hints & Tips
Work Placement
Many of the courses available at Astute Training Pty Ltd require students to undertake Work Placement as a compulsory part of their study.
Work Placement provides an important opportunity for students to apply acquired skills and theoretical knowledge in real-life situations. All students who complete Work Placement find that is extremely helpful; it boosts confidence and students say that they feel much more positive after the experience. Experiencing duties in your chosen aged care, disability or community services environment is important for your professional development. It helps inform career choice and enables students to apply and gain competence in the many different skills required across community service industries settings.
All employers want experience.
While undertaking Work Placement you will refresh existing skills as well as learn new ones. This will make you far more confident about yourself.
Your Work Placement host facility will be negotiated with you by our Work Placement Co-ordinator and your placement will commence in your second term of study. The host facility will give you valuable feedback on your performance as an employee. This can be great encouragement as well as an opportunity to identify areas you may need to improve.
Everything you do while on Work Placement is observed by someone. Every aspect of your time can potentially inform the supervisor, either by them observing you directly or speaking to residents and staff, and getting feedback on how you are performing. These are valid methods of evidence collection used for assessment.
National Criminal History Check
Prior to undertaking Work Placement, students will be required to supply Astute Training Pty Ltd with a National Criminal History Check. This will be discussed and can be arranged for you during your orientation session.
Astute Training Pty Ltd does not send any of our students to Work Placement without first thoroughly training them in practical skills necessary for their roles in facilities. We have a well-equipped simulated environment area in our premises which contains equipment and mannequins. Please view our Facilities Gallery to view some students using our equipment during class time. Practical sessions are programmed into our class schedules and are refreshed prior to all Work Placement weeks.
Preparing for your placement
The following strategies can help you to prepare for your Work Placement.
- Revise your theory. The old saying “knowledge is power” is true. It also helps a great deal with your confidence in facing new situations that you encounter during your placement
- Look up the facility you will be visiting online. You can find out a lot about their services, the facilities available, parking, public transport and the mission of the organisation.
- Map out your journey. Google maps has a directions feature so that when you put in your address and your destination, it will show you which route to take.
- Do a trial run to your facility to ensure you will get there on time.
- Check your wardrobe for dark pants, white shirt and closed toe shoes with non slip soles. All clothing must be clean, neat and professional.
Working with your supervisor or buddy
Remember that you are a guest in the facility. When you arrive on the ward, it is important to be realistic. Staff are very busy and may be preoccupied with concerns about residents or other activities, therefore supporting a student is one item on a list of many aspects of their day that they have to manage. Their priority is and should be, their duty of care to the residents assigned to them.
- Ask as many questions as you need to. Mentors are usually happy to help and there is no such thing as a stupid question.
- Make sure you are polite, try not to get in the way and offer your help
- Be prepared to follow, show interest in the routine and don’t take anything personally
- Be friendly, open and get to know your mentor. It will make it easier to ask them questions.
- It helps to be confident and approachable
- Always be proactive and ask them to explain procedures and their methods of doing things if you do not understand.
- Be assertive, but don’t pretend you know everything.
- Communicate by means of open-ended questions and paraphrasing. Also, ask them to explain differently or by different means, by showing or using another method if you do not understand.
- Listen and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Remember that they were once in your position.
PLEASE NOTE: Undertaking Work Placement as part of your course at Astute Training Pty Ltd DOES NOT GUARANTEE EMPLOYMENT.
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At Astute Training, we place the needs of our students first. That is why we have worked hard to find the best instructors in the field, offer challenging, real-world courses, and provide plenty of career guidance to our students. If you would like to learn more about how an education from Astute Training can help you jumpstart your career, then contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!