Certificate III in Health Services Assistance HLT33115

If you are looking to start a career in healthcare, and get a taste of what the industry has to offer, Open Colleges’ Certificate III in Health Services Assistance is perfect for you.

Please note: This course is not suitable for students wishing to obtain employment as an Assistant in Nursing (AIN) in NSW and Western Australian hospital settings. Students wishing to become an AIN in NSW and WA will need to complete HLT33115 Certificate III in Health Services Assistance (Assisting in nursing work in acute care). Unfortunately, Open Colleges does not offer this course.

If you are an existing worker or have experience in the related industry, please inform our enrolment consultants during your enrolment conversation. You may be eligible to enrol as an existing worker and complete your studies faster. Please note - limitations do apply.

The HLT33115 Certificate III in Health Services Assistance will equip you to assist Nurses and health professionals in the treatment of patients who are struggling with illness and injury. During your study you will learn how to:

• Communicate effectively and build relationships with health professionals and clients.
• Effectively work within the health and community services sector.
• Understand the human body and how it works.
• Provide first aid.
• Perform general cleaning tasks in a clinical setting.
• Help and assist clients with movement.
• Provide transportation for clients unable to transport themselves.
• Help clients to maintain oral hygiene.
• Respond effectively to behaviours of concern.
• Organise and prioritise your workload.

The duration for the course is maximum 18 months. As a self-paced online course, the time it will take you to complete is flexible and dependent on ability and time available.

Education

You will need to have completed year 10, or equivalent. Equivalency can be demonstrated by one of the following:

• A qualification at Certificate II level or higher OR
• 2 years of industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation and communication.

Minimum age

You will need to be at least 18 years old.

English

This course involves reading and undertaking a range of written assessments, as well as engaging in online forums and discussions. Furthermore, the delivery mode relies on the extensive use of written communication. As such, entry to the course requires the successful completion of English to Year 10 level.

If you haven't successfully completed English at Year 10 level, you can demonstrate equivalency through one of the following:

• Successful completion of a Nationally Recognised Training qualification at Certificate II level or higher; or
• 2 years relevant industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation and communication

Open Colleges recognises that not all people are able to read, write and perform calculations to the same standard. See the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Considerations section for more information on tools, resources and support services provided to you by Open Colleges.

Computing

Access to others

This course includes a requirement to record video and/ or audio roleplays. These will require participation by 1-2 other people sourced by you.

Tools and equipment

You will need to purchase specific tools and equipment for this course. Click here to view the complete list of materials, equipment and tools required for this course. IT Requirements It is recommended that students have the following hardware and additional software:

• Operating System:
• Processor: 2 GHz or faster, 2-core
• Memory: 8GB of RAM or higher z916GB recommended)
• Hard Drive: Space 2 GB free disk space
• Browser: Chrome is the preferred browser for students
• Windows users:
• Microsoft Windows 7 or higher (Windows 10 recommended)
• 1 Ghz or faster processer (2GHz recommended)
• Software:
• Internet Connection: DSL, Cable, or Satellite with at least 2mbps upload speed Note: it is strongly recommended that you have access to the Internet from home. Expecting to access your course from your work internet or a public network like a library or coffee shop may be impractical due to your average weekly study hours.
• Printer/Scanner: Access to printing/scanning devices or facilities may be required for certain course activities
• Peripherals:
• E-Mail Capability: Access to e-mail through an e-mail program or web-based e-mail system (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail, Mail for Android or Mail for iOS apps)

Equipment and tools

Students will be required to purchase the following:

• Oxford Minidictionary for Nurses (Martin, E. & McFerran, T.) - $13.25 (Booktopia)
• Nursing Student’s Clinical Survival Guide (Reid-Searl, K., Dwyer, T., Moxham, L. & Ryan, J.) - $23.75 (Booktopia)

Digital equipment

You will need access to:

• A digital video recording device and/or a digital camera and associated software to save and upload video, image and audio files to OpenSpace. Many mobile phones and smart phones include this technology.
• Software to view online videos and images. Software such as Adobe Reader, Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Viewer etc. are available as a free download from the internet.

Skills

To successfully complete this course, you will require basic computing skills. This includes:

• Creating, saving and editing Microsoft Office documents
• Accessing and searching the internet
• Downloading and saving documents from websites
• Uploading documents through websites
• Participating in online discussions
• Connecting digital cameras and downloading and storing images and audio files
• Connecting digital video devices and downloading and storing videos
• Compressing image, audio and video files.

Physical requirements

You will need to be reasonably physically fit as the role involves providing direct physical manipulation whilst assisting with movement or exercise requirements, assisting clinical staff with procedures, and transporting clients.

Other Requirements

There are a number of statutory checks required by workplaces, such as a Criminal Record Check. These may vary by state. In addition, individual workplaces may impose additional requirements on students undertaking work placement, such as manual handling training and immunisations. You will be responsible for the costs of any such checks or requirements.

Each individual host organisation may have different requirements regarding vaccinations. Please discuss these with your Work Placement provider before beginning your placement. Please note – there are mandatory vaccination requirements within each state, and it is up to the student to ensure they are complying with their own state, territory legislation and workplace organisation policies and procedures.

State/Territory Health departments, clinics and hospitals across Australia will require students to provide a notice of immunisation, completed by a registered GP, to verify current and active immunisation prior to the commencement of their clinical placement. It should be noted that immunisation against Hepatitis B consists of a series of three injections taken over a 5 month period and you will not be deemed to be immune until such time as serology is provided post the 5 months to indicate your current status. (Please add - remind students that most workplaces and state regualtors require students and workers within health care related roles to attain flu and COVID-19 Vaccinations.

More information can be found in the Workplace Assessment Guide.

• By undertaking a work placement you’ll get a chance to put the knowledge you’ve learned on your course into practice.
• You’ll also develop practical, on-the-job skills and could make contacts that could help you find a job once you graduate.
• Work placement is often the most rewarding part of a student’s course. Working face-to-face with clients and colleagues in your chosen field makes a huge difference to your career confidence.

You’ll need to find a work placement yourself and ensure it’s approved by Open Colleges. When looking for a suitable work placement host organisation, have a think about the following:

• Are you already working or volunteering in the industry your course is related to? You could potentially do your work placement at your current place of work or have contacts that could recommend a suitable work place. Ask around!
• If you’re entering a new industry, do some research and start thinking about organisations you could approach. We have plenty of resources available to help with approaching and finding a suitable work placement organisation.

All costs of work placement, including any placement fees charged by the host organisation (whether to the student or Open Colleges), cost of statutory checks and vaccinations, travel, accommodation, and uniforms are the responsibility of the student. These fees will vary and are dependent on your location within Australia.

• Costs for statutory checks will range between $50 - $250 dependent on the type of check you select and your state.
• Costs for vaccinations will very between practitioners, please refer to your GP for approximate costs.
• Placement fees will vary, please discuss this with your intended host organisation for approximate costs.

You will need to be involved in the delivery of professional health services to clients and will need to have access to specialist equipment and resources, relevant to the delivery of healthcare assistance.

You will be required to complete a minimum of 120 hours of work placement in 2 blocks. This may be completed as a block or part-time depending on organisation requirements. 

Work placement block 1 can only be commenced after successful completion of Modules 1 – 4 inclusive. Work placement block 2 can only be commenced after successful completion of Modules 6 – 8 inclusive. You will not be able to achieve competencies until you have completed some of your work placement hours. 

Please note that your host organisation may require you to provide an up to date immunisation history prior to the commencement of your work placement. Open Colleges has no control over this requirement so if you are unable to provide this, you will need to discuss it with your intended Host Organisation.

It should also be noted that some immunisations, such as Hepatitis B and COVID-19, need multiple injections to be administered over a specific time period before you are deemed immune. It is important that you consult with your GP as soon as possible to avoid delays in starting your work placement.

You are required to be supervised in the workplace by a Registered Nurse/ Division 1 nurse. This is in line with current industry practice, where the assistant in nursing (or equivalent) is always the responsibility of the Registered Nurse on duty. Registration status of the Workplace Supervisor will be verified online through the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (AHPRA) website by the Open Colleges Workplace Assessor.