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Frequently Asked Questions
POST Program |
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I want to do a placement outside mental health. Can you help me?
No, unfortunately the POST Program
is unable to provide placements
outside the field of mental health.
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Does the POST Program offer group placements?
The majority of POST placements are
organised for individuals. However, group placements (maximum of
four people) have been facilitated in the past. The availability of
group placements depends on the timing and subspeciality option
being requested. As group placements are more logistically complex
to organise, they are not offered routinely. Therefore, if you are considering the POST Program for a group of
staff, please contact the
POST Program Administrator before applying to determine
whether your request will be possible.
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What can I expect during my
POST
placement?
As a POST Fellow, you will be offered
an Honorary (unpaid) Position as a Fellow in the Department of
Psychiatry, University of Melbourne. A typical POST placement
involves being attached to a mental health professional in your requested subspeciality
area. You can observe and discuss all aspects of
their daily clinical and non-clinical activities (eg. home visits, clinic visits, clinical review meetings, team meetings,
research events etc). There is also an
academic program within the Department of Psychiatry that you are welcome to attend. This involves lunch-time seminars and
journal clubs twice weekly during University semesters.
Within each subspeciality area, the POST Program aims to provide
you with a range of experiences. For example, if you are
specialising in Community Psychiatry, you will have the opportunity to spend
time with each of the different teams involved in community mental
health service delivery (eg Crisis
Assessment and Treatment Team, Mobile Support and Treatment Team, Community Care
Unit, Continuing Care Team, Homeless Outreach Psychiatric Service).
Visits to other mental health services or non-government
organisations may also be arranged for you where appropriate.
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How long should my POST placement be?
If you want to gain a basic overview
of your subspeciality option, a duration of about 4 weeks is
recommended. However, the length of
a POST placement is negotiable and may vary according to your
individual learning
needs. In the past, we have facilitated placements
from 2 weeks to 12 months. If you are intending to come for longer
than 4 weeks, we would also recommend you have a
self-directed project you can use as a focus for your placement.
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Will I be able to do my POST placement on my requested dates?
Where possible, we will attempt to accommodate
your preferred dates. However, our ability to do this depends
upon the level of demand upon clinicians in the mental health
services and the number of POST Fellows already coming at that time.
If we are unable to accommodate your request, we will try to
negotiate an alternative time frame that is mutually agreeable.
It is important to note that we
require 3 months from the date of application to organise a
POST placement. If we are given less notice than this, it may be
very difficult to accommodate your request.
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How much will my POST placement cost?
The training fee
for a POST placement is available upon request. The training fee
covers your clinical placement only and will vary according to the
type and length of your training. In addition to the training fee, other
costs that you will need to cover are: accommodation (from AUD $350
- $700/week); transport (from AUD $30/week); and daily living expenses (
from AUD $200 - $300/week).
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Where can I stay during my POST placement?
With the exception of Scholarship holders, POST Fellows are responsible for
organising their own accommodation. Although there is no accommodation available
on the hospital grounds, there are several long-term
accommodation options close by. We are able to provide a list of
suggested accommodation options (eg. university accommodation, serviced
apartments) on request.
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Where will
my POST placement be
located?
As part of the Department of
Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, the International Unit
organises placements in mental health services affiliated with the
University. These include St. Vincent's Mental Health, NorthWestern
Mental Health, Austin Health, Royal Children's Hospital Mental
Health and the Melbourne Clinic. Where you are based will depend on
your requested area of subspeciality, learning goals and the
availability of staff in different mental health services to
supervise you.
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Is my level of English fluency
important for my POST placement? Yes,
this is essential. The POST
Program is conducted entirely in English. Therefore, for maximum
benefit, you need to have sufficient English to both understand and
express yourself in discussions about clinically complex concepts
and issues. In some circumstances (eg. if you have not undertaken
any university-level training in English) we may request details of
IELTS or TOEFL tests to ensure that your English level is adequate to
meet your learning needs.
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Will
I require a visa to undertake my POST placement?
Yes, the offer of a POST placement is
subject to you obtaining a visa in the appropriate visa subclass
(eg. short stay business visa) so that you are allowed to stay in
Australia for the duration of your study visit. Other requirements
of the Australian Immigration Department must also be met where
requested (eg. medical assessments). For some POST placements,
police record checks may also be required.
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© St. Vincent's
Health, Melbourne, PO Box 2900, Fitzroy VIC 3065, AUSTRALIA
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