So many kids grow up dreaming of becoming a doctor. That’s one of the most noble professions in the world, one of the most rewarding, not to mention it’s a sure and well-paid job. Many young people applying for a place at one of Australia’s medical schools are totally baffled when they are told they have to consent to a background check. Why is that? I only want to help people?

There’s a very reasonable explanation for such a requirement and it’s meant to protect those that you plan to help once you get your degree.

What are student placement programs

You don’t need a police clearance to become a student. The requirement has nothing to do with you going to classes every day and learning. It’s about the student placement programs. As a future doctor or nurse, you need to get some hands-on experience. You have to go see doctors at work, see how they arrive at a diagnosis, what tests do they use, etc. And you’ll be required to perform some tasks yourself, mostly routine at first, but they will get more complex as you learn more.

These programs are invaluable to prepare you for your future career and you cannot graduate without completing them.

Why do medical schools ask for background check

Medical schools ask for police checks because they are mandated by law. If you didn’t know that, people who work in healthcare must all submit to background checks when they apply for a job like a police check or any other form of a national criminal history check. This is because they will be working with vulnerable people on a daily basis. The term vulnerable people refers primarily to the elderly and people with mental or physical disabilities. The same requirement applies to those working in care homes and other institutions providing health services.

At the same time, people working with children need to apply for a special background check to obtain a Working With Children permit.

All these categories are considered vulnerable so they need to be protected against any possible type of abuse. This is why the law requires background checks for all those working with such people, and this also includes those studying or even volunteering in medical facilities.

What are online background checks

As you’re busy preparing for the moment you’ve been waiting for so long, going to university or medical schools in Australia, you don’t have time to waste on a routine background check. The good news is that you don’t have to waste any time. You can easily order a police check on yourself using an online agency. You can access such an agency on your computer, tablet or smartphone and all you have to do is fill in basic identity information and upload a selfie. That’s all. The result is sent back via email and you can forward it to the admission board or print it and put it in your file.

In the unlikely event that you do have some offences on your criminal record you’ll have to talk to the dean of your faculty and see what’s to be done. They might be able to help you and find student placement programs that would accept you or they might recommend studying something else that doesn’t require a clean criminal history,