As part of the mandatory Griffith Orientation sessions held during O Week, Health Services Management (HSM) students attended their orientation session in South Bank campus. We were introduced to the Work Integrated Learning Course, or simply WIL; which students complete in the last Semester of their Master. The fact that a Course we will be taking in our last Semester (more than a year’s time from now) was discussed in Orientation gives you a good idea of how important it is to prepare for WIL in advance.
WIL is a full-time, project-based placement that gives HSM students the opportunity to put into practice the theoretical knowledge and learning of their Master Program; working in a real project in a real workplace. It is a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between University and the real world!!
If you want to do WIL, you need to follow some necessary steps to meet the requirements set out by the University and no student can go on WIL without successfully completing all of them. There are two blocks of requirements for going on WIL. The first one, which are more to do with the professional side of your placement, you have to submit to the WIL Placements Officer. The second group of requirements are Fit for Placement, which are the legal side of your placement, and you have to submit to the Fit for Placement Officer. You can access up to date information in the Health Services Management section of the Placement Essentials page. Once you successfully complete all the following requirements, you will be Fit for Placement and ready to go on WIL.
There are three WIL Placements Officer requirements:
- Your Resume. Be resume ready and prepare an updated and professional resume that is suitable for HSM jobs, and is tailored to the type of placement you want. It will help you secure a WIL placement. Griffith Careers and Employment services offer lots of resources and even one-on-one assistance if you need it. Make sure your resume is appealing to the eyes of a potential placement supervisor.
- Your WIL Placement Proposal. This is a form where you indicate your preferences for your WIL placement in terms of location; health care organisation; area of HSM for your project; etc. It is worthwhile to spend some time thinking about what you want from your WIL, so that you provide the WIL Placements Officer the necessary information to organise a placement that suits your particular needs.
- Approval form. This is a form that is used by the University to communicate with your future placement organisation the insurance that will cover you while on placement. You must submit this form to the WIL Placements Officer, who will send it to the Student Centre once your placement gets confirmed.
You have to submit these to the WIL Placements Officer, and they are due some time half-way in the Semester prior to your WIL.
The Fit for Placement requirements are accessible online and because it’s a long list you should start preparing your paperwork sooner rather than later. You have to submit these to the Fit for Placement Officer, and the due date is the last day of the Academic Semester 1 or 2 prior to your WIL. You will be able to check online which requirements you have done and which ones you still have to complete, through Sonia, the placements software. Remember that only after you successfully complete all these requirements, you will be Fit for Placement and ready to go on WIL.
Each Semester there is a WIL Information & Planning session in South Bank campus. This session is compulsory for those students going on WIL the following Semester. However, everyone is welcome, and it is highly recommended to attend if you are a new student at Griffith HSM. This session is about how to prepare for a successful WIL experience. You will realise how important it is to develop good skills in Microsoft Office, as well as good Project Management abilities.
Additionally, there will be other compulsory sessions, for example with Career & Employment, which will be focused on improving your resume writing and your interviewing skills. There is a selection process prior to going on WIL, therefore it is critical to be very well prepared for it.
Lastly, it is important to know that you must check the Melting Pot regularly. The Melting Pot in Learning@Griffith is where all the announcements for these sessions; the due dates for the requirements; and all other important information for WIL is posted.
Hopefully you find this information useful. Good preparation is key for a successful WIL. Get started now. It is never too early to start preparing for your WIL!!
All the best! We wish you a great career with Griffith!
This post was co-written by Rohit and WIL Placements Officer, Javier Gomez-Cano
