Placement Disclosure Statement: Disclosing Health Conditions University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia | CRICOS Provider No. 01595D This fact sheet outlines factors to consider including when disclosing a health condition on the Placement Disclosure Statement. What to include in your disclosure Some of the details listed here may not be applicable to your condition but try to include enough information to determine the likelihood of the condition impacting your placement and the possible consequences of any impact. Diagnosis • Is this a permanent or temporary condition? • How long have you had the condition? • Are you registered with USC AccessAbility Services due to this condition? Impact on functioning and Inherent Academic Requirements • How does this condition impact on your day-to-day functioning (eg Do you experience increased pain following extended time in a seated position)? • Are there times when your condition worsens and therefore has more of an impact (eg Do you experience impaired/reduced concentration in the afternoon)? • Would you have difficulty meeting some of the Inherent Academic Requirements of your program at these times, or in general? Frequency of impacts • Is your condition stable, or does it fluctuate? Can you tell when an exacerbation is likely to occur? • If your condition impacts on your functioning intermittently, or the impact is greater at certain times, how frequently does this occur (numerous times a day, once per week or every couple of months)? • Is there anything you are likely to encounter on placement that could result in an exacerbation of your condition (eg interacting with groups of people, stress, hours, manual handling etc)? Management • What are you currently doing to manage your condition (eg Are you taking medication, utilising psychological strategies, etc)? Note that it is not necessary to list which medication you are taking unless the medication itself has impacts. • How long have you been on the current treatment regimen? • Are you aware of any plans to make changes to your medication just prior to or during your placement? • What plans do you have in place to maintain your treatment regimen during placement? • Is there anything else you would do on placement to reduce or prevent the impact, including any potential reasonable adjustments you would like to request (eg commence on a part-time basis, minimize speaking in groups)? Outcome of previous placements (if any) • If you have successfully completed previous placements, did your condition have any impact? If so, what was the impact and what had to be done about it (eg make-up days at the end of placement, assistive technology)? University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia | CRICOS Provider No. 01595D • If you were unable to complete a previous placement due to your condition, what has changed, or would need to be put in place, to ensure greater chance of success next time? Examples Mental Health Issue I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder and I may find it difficult to respond quickly to questions without sufficient time to fully process and formulate an answer, but I have strategies to manage all other aspects of the condition. Last semester, I completed a two-week placement with no significant impact on my performance or my ability to meet the Inherent Academic Requirements. Hearing Loss I have a profound left-side hearing loss. I rely on assistive hearing equipment. I find it difficult to distinguish a speaker’s voice from background noise at times depending on the noise level. I’m comfortable telling people about my hearing loss and asking them to speak clearly and at a reasonable rate when talking to me. I will need placement review meetings to be held in a quiet location with minimal background noise. Medical Condition I suffer from hemiplegic migraines. I experience about one per month, on average, despite avoiding known triggers. When they occur, I have a couple of minutes to lie down before I lose the ability to move the left side of my body. They typically last several hours and I would need to be absent from placement the following 1-2 days. I will need to develop a management plan with the placement site. Medical Condition Due to medication I take for chronic abdominal pain, it may take me a bit longer to process information. I will be able to best complete the induction training and quiz with extra time and a quiet location to limit distractions. Physical Injury I am recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident in November 2019 and I am registered with AccessAbility Services. I experience pain which is well-managed with over-the-counter medication and I regularly see a physiotherapist but I am currently unable to lift more than 10kg. Neurological Condition I have Epilepsy. This has been well-controlled with my medication regimen since 2017. The only seizure I have had since that time was mid-2018 and it was triggered by dehydration and fatigue due to an infection. Contacts For information about disclosing a disability, including medical conditions and mental health issues, please refer to http://www.adcet.edu.au/students-with-disability/disclosure/or contact AccessAbility Services on (07) 5430 2890 or at AccessAbility@usc.edu.au for a confidential appointment. For any other queries, please contact your Placement Coordinator. For counselling support, contact Student Wellbeing on (07) 5430 1226.