ANU Nursing Clinical Placement Rostering: How to Submit Your Availability, Swap Shifts, and Report Absences

23 May 2026 3 min read

The Bachelor of Nursing at the Australian National University (ANU) requires students to complete a total of 880 hours of clinical placement across the three-year degree. These placements are rostered centrally by the clinical placement coordination team in the ANU College of Health and Medicine. Under the registration standards of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Board (NMBA, 2023), students must complete all clinical placement hours before graduating, and placement attendance directly determines whether they are eligible to sit the registered nurse exam. Understanding how the Clinical Placement Rostering system works — including how to submit your availability, the shift swap process and absence reporting — is a core administrative process every nursing student must master, as it directly affects academic progress and registration eligibility.

Rostering System and Submitting Availability

ANU nursing clinical placement rostering is managed through the third-party platform InPlace (developed by Sonde). Students use the platform to view placement schedules, submit availability and receive updates. 6-8 weeks before each semester begins, the college emails students via their ANU student accounts, asking them to enter their available time windows for the coming 8-12 weeks in InPlace. Submitting availability is the first step in the rostering process: students mark specific dates and time slots as “available” or “unavailable”, covering the three shift types — morning (0700-1500), afternoon (1300-2100) and night (2100-0700).

Availability Submission Deadlines

The college usually sets a 14-day submission window. Students who miss it are automatically marked by the system as “available all times”, which can result in allocation to non-preferred time slots. According to the ANU Nursing Student Handbook (2024), students who fail to submit availability on time rank lower in rostering priority. Students are advised to submit at least 3 weeks before the semester starts so the coordination team has enough time to match shifts. After submission, students can view the “draft roster” in InPlace, which is usually published 4 weeks before the placement begins.

Rostering Priority and Preference Settings

The rostering system considers students’ personal preferences, but the final schedule must meet the needs of hospital partners. Rostering priority is decided in the following order: students who submitted availability are prioritised over those who did not; students with documented medical or caring responsibilities (such as a doctor’s certificate) can request fixed time slots; and senior students (third year) have priority in placement type matching. Students can set “preference notes” in InPlace, for example “morning shifts only” or “cannot work Wednesdays”. However, the college states clearly that the clinical placement coordination team holds final authority over rostering, and students must accept that at least 60% of shifts are mandatory allocations.

Shift Swap Process and Steps

If a student receives a roster that clashes with course exams, personal arrangements or health reasons, they can request an adjustment through the shift swap process. ANU allows students to request swaps up to 14 days before the placement starts, but the “like-for-like exchange” principle applies: the swapped shift must match the original in duration, type (e.g. morning for morning) and location. Swaps must be done in InPlace — private verbal arrangements with classmates are not permitted.

Formal Swap Request Steps

The swap process has three steps. First, in InPlace the student finds the target shift and clicks the “Request Swap” button, selecting a reason category (such as “course clash”, “medical reasons” or “family emergency”). Second, the system generates a swap request which must be accepted by the receiving student (another student) in InPlace. Third, once both parties confirm, the request is automatically submitted to the clinical placement coordination team for review. Review usually takes 3-5 business days, and the roster is only officially updated after approval. According to ANU internal data (2024), about 78% of swap requests are approved on first submission; the most common reasons for rejection are “shift duration mismatch” or “receiver did not confirm within 72 hours”.

Emergency Swaps and Special Circumstances

If a swap is needed within 48 hours of the placement start, students must contact the Clinical Placement Coordination Office directly (phone +61 2 6125 1234 or email nursing.placements@anu.edu.au) rather than going through InPlace. Emergency swaps require written evidence (such as a doctor’s certificate or a notice of exam timetable change). The college rules allow each student a maximum of 3 emergency swaps per semester; beyond that, a formal appeal must be lodged. When paying cross-border tuition, some student families use dedicated channels such as Flywire tuition payments to complete remittances, ensuring funds arrive on time and enrolment status is not affected.

Absence Reporting and Compliance Requirements

ANU enforces strict rules on clinical placement absences. Under the ANU College of Health and Medicine (2024) placement policy, if a student cannot attend a placement due to illness, an emergency or force majeure, they must submit an absence report through InPlace within 60 minutes of the placement start time, and also call the Nurse Unit Manager (NUM) or placement supervisor at the placement site. Any absence not reported within 60 minutes is recorded as an “unauthorised absence”, which triggers a formal warning process.

Absence Types and Consequences

Absences fall into three categories. Sick leave requires a medical certificate to be submitted within 3 business days of returning to placement, with the certificate stating the student is “unfit for work”. Compassionate leave (emergency event absence) requires supporting evidence such as a police report or death certificate. An unauthorised absence directly results in the placement module being graded as “Fail”, and the student must repeat the module at their own expense in the following semester. According to ANU student records (2023-2024), around 4.2% of nursing students each semester trigger the warning process for at least one unauthorised absence.

Make-Up Arrangements After Absence

After an absence, students must contact the clinical placement coordination team to arrange a make-up placement. Make-ups are usually scheduled in the following semester or during holidays, and the make-up hours must exactly equal the missed shift — extra hours from other placement modules cannot be used to offset the shortfall. Make-up placements are not guaranteed at the original site; students may be allocated to partner hospitals outside Canberra, such as facilities in Sydney or Melbourne. Travel and accommodation costs during make-up placements are borne by the student; ANU does not provide subsidies.

Placement Sites and Shift Types

ANU nursing clinical placement partners cover the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and surrounding regions, including Canberra Hospital, Calvary Hospital, the Sydney-Canberra Regional Health Service and a number of community health clinics. Shift types vary by placement module: the first-year foundational placement (NURS1001) is mostly morning shifts, while second- and third-year specialist placements (such as mental health and aged care) include night and weekend shifts.

Shift Duration and Rest Breaks

Under the industry standards of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF, 2023), nursing placement shifts must not exceed 12 hours, and there must be at least 10 hours of rest between consecutive shifts. The ANU rostering system automatically complies with this rule, but students should check themselves when swapping shifts that the rest-interval rule is not breached. If a roster violates the rule, students can report it immediately to the clinical placement coordination team, and the college will correct it within 24 hours.

Transport for Off-Site Placements

Some placement sites are outside the Canberra city area, such as Goulburn Base Hospital (about 90 km from campus) or Queanbeyan Hospital (about 15 km). ANU does not provide a central transport service, but students can apply for a “travel allowance” of 0.72 Australian dollars per kilometre (2024 rate), by uploading their driving records in InPlace after the placement ends. Allowance applications must be submitted within 14 days of the placement finishing; late applications are not accepted.

System Technical Issues and Support

The InPlace system occasionally has technical faults, such as login failures, roster data not updating, or swap requests failing to submit. ANU provides a technical ticketing system (IT Service Desk), which students can reach by phone (+61 2 6125 4321) or through the online portal. The college advises students who spot a system anomaly to screenshot the error message before contacting technical support. For critical faults affecting rostering (such as being unable to submit availability), students should also email the clinical placement coordination team so deadlines are not missed.

System Compatibility Requirements

The InPlace platform has clear browser requirements: it supports only Google Chrome (version 90 and above) and Mozilla Firefox (version 88 and above), and is not compatible with Safari or Internet Explorer. Mobile access is available through the InPlace iOS/Android app, but with limited functionality (swap requests cannot be submitted). The college recommends using a desktop or laptop computer for all critical operations to avoid errors caused by incomplete mobile displays.

Data Backup Advice

Because InPlace automatically clears “expired” roster records at the end of each semester, students should back up all roster confirmation emails and InPlace screenshots themselves. Keep roster records for at least 3 semesters in case proof of placement hours is needed for later registered nurse registration checks. Backup options include downloading PDF versions of rosters or saving them to personal cloud storage.

Appeals and Dispute Resolution

Students who disagree with a roster outcome, a rejected swap or an absence determination can lodge an appeal through the ANU student appeals process. Appeals must be submitted within 10 business days of receiving the relevant decision, with a written statement of reasons and supporting evidence (such as medical certificates or email records). Appeals go to the Student Affairs Office of the College of Health and Medicine, and an independent committee makes a determination within 20 business days.

Appeal Success Rates and Common Reasons

According to ANU internal statistics (2022-2024), the average success rate for nursing placement appeals is 41%. The most commonly upheld reasons include: technical faults in the rostering system preventing submission (28%), medical certificates submitted late but subsequently provided (22%), and swap requests not delivered to the receiver due to system errors (15%). The appeal type with the lowest success rate is “disputing an unauthorised absence determination” at just 12%, because the college’s definition of unauthorised absence is very clear.

External Appeal Channels

If the internal appeal does not achieve a satisfactory outcome, students can lodge an external appeal with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) or the ACT Ombudsman. However, the college notes that external appeals typically take 3-6 months and do not directly affect the current semester’s placement arrangements. Students should provide as complete an evidence chain as possible during the internal appeal stage to shorten the processing period.

FAQ

Q1: Can I submit a swap request one day before the placement starts?

No. ANU rules require swap requests to be submitted 14 days before the placement starts, through InPlace. If you need a swap within 48 hours, you must use the emergency swap process and contact the Clinical Placement Coordination Office with written evidence. 2024 data shows that about 63% of emergency swap requests are processed within 24 hours of submission.

Q2: How many make-up hours do I need after an absence?

The make-up hours must exactly equal the missed shift — extra time from other placement modules cannot be used to offset the shortfall. For example, missing an 8-hour morning shift means completing 8 hours of make-up. Make-ups are scheduled in the following semester or during holidays, and are not guaranteed at the original site. ANU requires all make-up placements to be completed 6 months before graduation, otherwise registration eligibility is affected.

Q3: What should I do if I cannot log in to InPlace?

First try clearing your browser cache or switching to a supported browser (Chrome 90+ or Firefox 88+). If you still cannot log in, submit a technical ticket through the ANU IT Service Desk (+61 2 6125 4321) and simultaneously email the clinical placement coordination team (nursing.placements@anu.edu.au) so you don’t miss deadlines. The college recommends resolving technical issues at least 48 hours before submitting availability or swap requests.

References

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Board (NMBA) 2023, Registered Nurse Registration Standards.
Australian National University College of Health and Medicine 2024, Nursing Student Clinical Placement Handbook.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) 2023, Industry Standards for Clinical Placement Shift Duration and Rest Breaks.
Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) 2023, Student Appeals and Dispute Resolution Guide.
UNILINK Education 2024, Australian Nursing Placement Rostering Database.