Safety on placement – Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences

Do you need to travel and stay away from home for placement?

If you need to travel and stay away from home for your Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences placement, you must complete additional requirements.

This applies if you need to travel:

• within Australia more than 50km from home
• outside Australia.

Refer to the Travel requirements for placements webpage to ensure you have completed all necessary requirements.

Do you have a communication plan in place?

Does someone know where you are and when to expect your return?  Review the Queensland Police Adult Safety website. This website provides situational safety strategies for various settings including public transport, workplaces and private vehicles.

Use these strategies as a starting point for conducting an informal risk assessment for yourself and develop a personal safety plan. A personal safety plan is comprised of safety strategies chosen by you to suit your lifestyle and abilities. When formulating your personal safety plan, consider placement scenarios such as transport to and from your placement and your accommodation arrangements if you are living away from your usual place of residence while on placement.

Are you driving to a placement outside Brisbane?

Driving in rural Australia is challenging and brings with it additional risks. 

If you are driving on country roads for your placement, read: 

• Queensland Government regional driving webpage
• navigating the challenges of country driving (PDF, 5.6 MB).

Remember that some remote locations have limited mobile phone coverage. You should check this prior to commencing your journey and ensure you notify people of your travel plans. 

Are you being asked by your placement provider to drive your own vehicle or a host's vehicle while on placement?

You should check with your UQ Placement Coordinator for further advice as UQ has firm guidelines in relation to this type of activity.

Do you commute to and from placement in uniform?

A uniform identifies you as a professional-in-training within the workplace which is a positive. However, outside in the wider community it can make you vulnerable to undesirable attention. By covering up your uniform or changing into other clothes when travelling to and from placement it prevents you being identified as a certain profession and being approached by individuals who may have negative associations with healthcare professionals, or who may be looking to prey on the empathy of your profession for other reasons. We also recommend that you remove your name badge when in public. Wearing a name badge can increase risk in the form of someone who pretends to already know you, taking advantage of your trust.

• Your personal safety includes both physical as well as psychosocial safety.

• UQ is committed to ensuring that the work and study environment for all employees, students and volunteers is safe, respectful and free from all forms of sexual violence, assault and misconduct. Refer to the UQ Respect page for information on:

  • support and information for survivors of sexual assault and misconduct

  • options for reporting sexual assault and misconduct if you choose to

  • information about consent, and UQ's policies and procedures.

The Sexual Misconduct Support Unit (SMSU) is a safe and supportive place for the UQ community to receive free, confidential guidance and support around sexual assault and sexual harassment.  Even if you choose not to formally report an incident involving sexual assault or sexual harassment, you can still access support from the Sexual Misconduct Support Unit. UQ will ensure that your privacy is protected when you discuss an incident.

• Incidents of a non-sexual nature that occur while on placement should be reported both to the placement host and to UQ. Incidents should be reported as soon after an incident as possible, when you are in a safe environment. This ensures the incident details are fresh in your mind and you can provide sufficient detail to enable an effective investigation and resolution. Your UQ contact for these incidents is your Placement Coordinator or Course Coordinator. If you are not able to contact your Placement Coordinator to report an incident, you can also report it to hmbs.placements@uq.edu.au and we will pass this on to your School.  UQ will ensure that your privacy is protected when you report an incident.

• If undertaking a rural or regional placement you should also consider potential hazards that are specific to the location.  This includes increased risk of bushfires during the Spring and Summer months (September to March).  We recommend you review this UQ safety alert related to bushfire risk (PDF, 267.9 KB). You should also carry a record of local emergency numbers and keep up to date with local environmental warnings via social media or government website alerts. Ensure you have adequate supplies in reserve such as food, water, personal items and medications for situations where you may be forced to remain onsite longer than intended. 

No induction at your placement location? Work conditions unsafe? Have you been involved in an incident?

Our staff work tirelessly with our placement partners to ensure your safety and we are keen to make sure your experiences are positive and safe. Please share any safety concerns you may have with your UQ Placement Coordinator/Course Coordinator.

It's important that you let us know as soon as you think there is a problem so it can be addressed and resolved quickly. UQ will ensure that your privacy is protected when you report any concerns.

In the first instance you should contact your UQ Placement Coordinator or Course Coordinator for assistance with your placements. However, if this is not possible or preferred, there are other options available to students seeking support.  

Emergency support

Police, Fire, Ambulance - Phone 000 or Triple Zero

UQ Security - Phone 07 3365 3333

Keeping safe on campus

UQ Student Support Services

Counselling, crisis support, financial hardship assistance, accommodation, international student support, Allianz Care.

UQ Student Support Services

Student counselling services

UQ offers a range of different counselling sessions to suit your needs including one-on-one appointments, group sessions and online support.

Student counselling services

If you need assistance outside normal business hours, please call our UQ Counselling and Crisis Line: 

Phone: 1300 851 998

You may also wish to access UQ with You:

• For all UQ students, families and broader UQ community within Australia
• 6 complimentary sessions
• F2F and Zoom

Sexual Misconduct Support Unit

The University of Queensland's Sexual Misconduct Support Unit is a safe and supportive place for the UQ community to receive guidance around sexual assault and misconduct.

8am–5.00pm Monday to Friday - Phone: 1300 851 998

After hours - Phone 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 07328)

Sexual Misconduct Support Unit

First Responder Network

The First Responder Network offers a safe and supportive environment for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment so that you can receive information on the support services that are available to you.

Note: The First Responder Network is not an emergency response or counselling service

First Responder Network

UQ Healthcare

Provides a range of health services including wellness support

UQ Healthcare

UQ Mental Health Champions

Mental Health Champions are trained UQ staff members who can provide support and referral information about mental health and wellbeing.

UQ Mental Health Champions

Contact your school

• School of Biomedical Sciences
• School of Dentistry
• School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
• School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences
• UQ Medical School
• School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
• School of Pharmacy
• School of Public Health
• School of Psychology

UQ Advocate complaints and appeals

UQ is committed to developing and maintaining an inclusive and harmonious environment where all members of the UQ Community feel welcome. We encourage genuine complaints made in good faith and we are committed to providing an effective and transparent complaints management system.

If you wish to submit an anonymous complaint, you can do so via UQ's Complaints and Appeals form