A new system for student placements

Overview

We are strengthening the way student clinical placements are managed in the health sector. The student system is critical for growing our locally trained health workforce and enables a workforce that better represents the communities it serves.

What we want to achieve - our objectives, goals and scope

We aim to remove the bottleneck that is constraining our ability to grow health workers in New Zealand.

Our work has four workstream objectives:

Coordination infrastructure–technology and national support for placements (the Digital Coordination Tool and Health Placement Hub)
This will support better organisation and more diverse settings for placements, through effective coordination and wider visibility. It will improve student experiences and give education providers the confidence to enrol more students in health programmes.
Standardisation of placement related forms and, processes (a simplified and unified approach to quality and administration).
Expansion of placements by increasing the number, quality and range of placements across health settings.
Equity and retention of students in health education programmes, through improved accessibility, culture and better experiences.

Our strategic and measurable goals

This change programme of work directly contributes to the Government’s Workforce priority – ‘having a skilled and culturally capable workforce who are accessible, responsive, and supported to deliver safe and effective health care’ (as outlined in the Government Policy Statement on Health 2024-27 published in June 2024).

"A new system for student placements to coordinate capacity nationwide” is also identified as a key action in the Governments Health Workforce Plan 2024 under ‘Priority 1 Get our workforce basics right.

Our work will help New Zealand to train the right number of students locally and retain those already in study. It is a sustainable way to increase our health workforce with people from our communities.

Success will see:

A ten percent increase in the number of clinical placements that can be accessed across the whole health sector over the next three years – enabling over more nursing, midwifery and allied health students to enrol each year
An eight percent increase in student completion rates over the next five years (especially for Māori and Pacific students) – resulting in more graduates per year.
More placements with Māori and Pacific health providers, and in other primary, community and rural settings.
More diverse and better placement experiences for students in culturally safe environments.

Our scope

We are focusing on placements in all health settings for pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied scientific and technical health students. In future we may extend the scope of some of our deliverables, such as the digital coordination tool and unified student clinical placement and access agreement to medical students.

We’ll see the best results when all health and education providers get involved.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini
My success is not mine alone, it is the success of the collective

Key documents about the project

Student placement digital tool design feedback and next steps - July 2024

This document outlines the initial design of the digital tool for coordinating student placements nationwide and what we heard from future users about the proposals.

Download: Student placement digital tool design feedback and next steps (external link)

Finding a place to learn in health – July 2023

Our analysis and findings of how health and education providers manage existing student clinical placements. It is informed by intensive sector engagement activity, data and other research. We’re using this current state analysis to inform and implement a collaborative design and iterative approach to improving the student placement system in New Zealand.

Download: Finding a place to learn in health (external link)

Updates

We are committed to keeping stakeholders informed throughout the project. Emphasising whanaungatanga, we believe that connecting and moving together is key to the success of the new student placement system. Our team is always eager to discuss the project, so please email us if you’d like to learn more.

The previous stakeholder updates are linked below.

If you’d like to receive these updates, please email us at placementmodel@tewhatuora.govt.nz.

2024

National Clinical Student Placement and Access Agreement

Overview

The National Clinical Student Placement and Access Agreement [PDF, 613 KB] has been signed by Health New Zealand and the following tertiary education providers:

Auckland University of Technology	Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi
Bethlehem Training Institute	University of Auckland
Massey University	University of Canterbury
New Zealand Management Academies Limited	University of Otago
Te Pūkenga	University of Waikato
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa	Victoria University of Wellington
Te Wānanga o Raukawa

This new national legal agreement has been in place since 6 January 2025 and replaces over 400 varying contracts between the former DHBs and education providers.

The agreement helps Health NZ, and our education partners establish a consistent approach to quality, safety (including screening and onboarding), information, planning, and enable operational efficiencies such as streamlined business processes, documentation and equity.

The agreement provides national oversight and will be implemented locally, to ensure smooth coordination and visibility in clinical service teams within Health NZ as well as across education providers.

Placement detail schedules to the agreement will continue to be developed locally and agreed annually.

If you can't find what you need on this page, please contact the team by emailing placementmodel@tewhatuora.govt.nz.

Schedule 1 - Placement Details and Fees

Schedules to this agreement outlining placement details - Schedule 1 template [DOCX, 136 KB] will be developed locally and agreed and signed off annually by the local relationship managers.

Please email completed schedules to the placementmodel@tewhatuora.govt.nz for the purposes of Health New Zealand workforce planning nationally. In future, once the digital coordination tool is rolled out to all professionals, this will not be required as there will be live data available for monitoring anticipated and actual student placement volumes.

Placement fees

The Placement Detail Schedule outlines the agreed fees for placements which are paid by education providers to Health NZ. For now, there is no change to how placement payments are calculated and collected at a district level.

Work is planned in 2025 to develop a national framework for placement payments. This work will be undertaken in consultation with Health NZ and education provider stakeholders.

Privacy and confidentiality declaration

Health New Zealand requires students to sign a short declaration when they undertake placements. Student Privacy and Confidentiality Declaration [DOCX, 275 KB] on the first day of their first placement. A copy of the signed declaration needs to be stored locally and made available to the placement hub team at any time for audit purposes.

This forms part of the local induction process. In future this form may be available on the digital coordination tool for students to sign alongside standard on-line training.

Health and safety information

The agreement requires education providers to confirm that pre-placement requirements (such as immunity screening and police and child safety vetting) are completed.

Health NZ does not need to collect or store this information. This ensures Health NZ follows the Privacy Act 2020 by not keeping unnecessary data.

The requirements set out in the agreement are the minimum requirements for all Health NZ staff, are consistent with Health NZ obligations under the Children's Act 2014 and Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and are based on health and safety science. This includes the requirement for screening for infectious diseases and mask fit testing (amongst other requirements) prior to accessing Health NZ facilities.

These pre-placement screening requirements are an important preventative and wellbeing occupational health service for students, staff, patients and their whānau.

Vaccinations for identified infectious diseases are generally expected – meaning they are not mandated but are considered best practice.

If a student is not vaccinated, a risk assessment will need to be undertaken (consistent with guidance). This may result in a student not being permitted to undertake a placement in settings where the risk cannot be managed. Read summary of the Infectious Diseases Screening Requirements [DOCX, 131 KB] for reference.

Update on COVID-19 Policy

While getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is recommended, it is not mandated for new employees or students.

Infectious diseases may be introduced into the workplace by workers or present in the working environment and occupational infectious disease screening and vaccination is a key tool to ensure Health NZ is providing a safe environment for everyone.Therefore, we encourage our education partners to continue working with districts to meet the local vaccination and screening activities prior to commencing work/clinical placements and to support the ongoing protection and vaccination efforts.

The COVID-19 vaccination policy withdrawal in December 2024 removes the requirement for workers (and students) not meeting vaccination requirements to have COVID-19 specific risk assessment known as an ALAMA, and an individual Risk Mitigation Plan.

Relationship managers - local and national

The agreement outlines roles that hold responsibility for oversight of the access arrangements and signing of schedules.

This does not require additional staff as relationship management tasks were managed in previous arrangements.

Local relationship managers agree on the annually confirmed schedules of student placement details and manage day to day placement confirmations and issues (this work may be completed by delegated staff). Health NZ local relationship managers are the Chief Nurse, Chief of Allied Health Scientific and Technical and the Midwifery Leader (or equivalent role) at each district. Education providers choose their relationship manager, and it will likely be the head of a programme/school.

National relationship managers have oversight of how placements are working and liaise on at least an annual basis to explore any issues with placement availability, location and timing and alignment with workforce planning. The student placement team will convene these discussions.

Health NZ will have multiple national relationship managers (one per discipline). Similarly, for education providers with several disciplines (they do not have to have a national remit to be a national relationship manager). In some cases, the local and national relationship manager will be the same person.

Resources for expanding placements

About Dedicated Education Units (DEUs)

A Dedicated Education Unit is:

A collaborative clinical education model proven to give health students structured, supportive, and high-quality learning experiences during their practical placements and also proven to expand placement capacity.
A partnership between a tertiary education organisation and a healthcare provider, which can be based in a range of clinical settings, from hospital wards to rural health facilities or mental health centres.
Grounded in community of practice theory which ensures students' learning needs are met through organised orientation, daily learning opportunities, and close collaboration between students and interdisciplinary teams.

The two essential roles that work together to support DEUs are:

The Academic Liaison Role which represents the tertiary education organisation, helping students integrate theory with practice, supporting their professional development, and ensuring a seamless connection to the curriculum. 
The Clinical Liaison Role, which represents the healthcare provider, supports students' clinical learning and acts as a bridge between students, staff, and preceptors. They mentor students, monitor progress, and ensure clinical objectives are met.

Note: titles for these roles align with the profession which the role holder belongs to (e.g. Clinical Liaison Nurse or Academic Liaison Midwife etc).

The following DEU principles work together to create an environment that enhances clinical education, improves student outcomes, and fosters strong collaboration between healthcare providers and educational institutions.

Principles	Description
Equity and Cultural Responsiveness	Foster inclusivity by integrating culturally responsive practices that address the diverse needs of students including Māori, Pacific, and other groups. Ensure equitable access to DEU opportunities and outcomes.
Collaborative Partnerships	Strengthen relationships between education and healthcare providers through clear communication, shared goals, and transparent processes that align clinical and academic objectives.
Student-Centered Excellence	Prioritise structured learning experiences, robust feedback processes, and high-quality placements that enhance student satisfaction, readiness, and practice confidence. Protected roles like Clinical Liaison Facilitators and Academic Liaison Facilitators ensure comprehensive support and mentorship.
Sustainable Development and Evaluation	Promote workforce sustainability with career pathways, ongoing staff training, and financial transparency. Implement evaluation frameworks using standardised tools to measure outcomes such as student retention, competency, satisfaction, and patient care quality. Monitor and review DEU activities through governance mechanisms.

The following feedback on DEUs from student and staff at Counties Manukau reflects feedback across the country.

Students said:	Staff said
“There was a connectedness between ward staff and the students”	“The CLN has a positive impact on the staff and organises teaching sessions, rosters, and ongoing learning for student and staff”
“This was my final placement in the Bachelor of Nursing, and I received an email welcoming me, my rosters were in advance, and I was welcomed with a powhiri”	“Everything we do is role-modelling, so we have to get it right. It raises everyone’s standards of practice”
“The staff were amazing and really seemed happy to have me there as a student…	“No matter how busy we are in winter we always find ways to support students as much as we can”
“I feel very much like I already work here”	“The team feels incomplete without students now”
“I felt very included and supported”	“The DEU becomes the driver of best practice and high-quality communication”

DEU Resource Hub

The following resources are outputs of a Dedicated Education Unit project led by Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora’s Workforce Development team

Other resources include:

DEU Network Groups

The following networks are being established as a Community of Practice with four regional groups connected to a national group.

Regional groups will share knowledge, address challenges, and propose solutions. The national group will represent regional groups in governance forums.

Leadership will be shared between education and health sectors, with a secretary managing communications.

Group	Chair	Contact
Health New Zealand \| Te Whatu Ora National DEU Group		Email: placementModel@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Northern Regional DEU Group	Jackie Reid	Email: Jackie.Reid@middlemore.co.nz
Te Manawa Taki Regional DEU Group		Email: placementModel@tewhatuora.govt.nz
Central Regional DEU Group	Jodie Pilkington (Interim Chair)	Email: Jodie.Pilkington-Ching@cdhb.health.nz
Te Waipounamu DEU Group	Jacinda King (Interim Chair)	Email: Jacinda.King@cdhb.health.nz

Promoting placements 24/7 and across the calendar year

Placements offered year-round on a 24/7 schedule maximise the use of all available shifts, increasing capacity and enhancing continuity between students and supervisors.

This approach can also better prepare students for the workplace upon graduation and can provide more flexible options to accommodate their work or whānau commitments. In future the digital tool will make these expanded opportunities more visible, fostering the innovation needed in education programmes to optimise placement use.

Recent conversations with academic nursing and district placement leads have highlighted a shared interest in further exploring 24/7 placement models now and building on the success of areas where these have already been implemented.

We will share some resources and collaborative solutions that address the challenges of the 24/7 placement model soon - watch this space.

More diverse settings for placements

We have been engaging with community health providers to understand new placement opportunities.

These include Hauora Māori and Pacific providers, Nurse Leads in primary care, Lead Maternity Carers, and other non-government organisations and private providers. In future, providers will be able to enter their placement information into the new digital tool.

This will improve visibility of, and access to, placement opportunities for education providers.

If you are a community health provider and are interested in providing placements in the future, please email us placementmodel@tewhatuora.govt.nz.

We will add you to our database for recruiting on to the digital tool when it becomes available for your area and the relevant professions you want to support.

Guidance for the digital coordination tool for health student placements

On 7 October 2024, we launched a pilot for the first iteration of placement coordination tool with anaesthetic technicians. The guidance and resources in this section is of relevance to those who are taking part in this pilot and using the tool now.

We can assure you that stakeholders will receive timely advice about which professions will be invited to use the tool and when, allowing ample time to plan and prepare for onboarding. The full rollout of the tool to all health professions, with complete functionality, may take a few years.

Overview

Background on the student placement coordination tool

We are currently building the first iteration of a nationwide digital coordination tool. The tool has been developed using a codesign process. A summary is available in the Student placement digital tool design feedback and next steps [PDF, 558 KB].

Once built, health providers can use the tool to offer the placements they have available, and education providers can outline the number placements their students will require in various health settings. Coordinating in advance, and across the whole country, will mean health and education providers will be able to better plan their future placement capacity.

The tool will support local and national relationships between health and education providers, making it easier to see and access placements across wider settings, and reduce manual and duplicated administration. Future, iterations of the tool will enhance the student experience, streamline the recording of placements and related invoicing, and enable effective feedback processes.

We are building the digital tool in an agile way; testing and refining the tool as we go, to provide maximum value for clinical and academic users. There will be iterative releases of the tool, with more functionality and improvements added over time.