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Details of Undergraduate Programmes: https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/study/undergrad/ Details of Postgraduate Programmes: https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/study/postgrad/ View facilities: https://youtu.be/KpTnHzV7vQI W: https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery E: nursing.studies@ucc.ie

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING CLINICAL PLACEMENT

DURING COVID-19 PERIOD1

1 Acknowledgement: Thank you to Professor Nicole Muller and staff of the Audiology team, UCC for sharing their draft document.

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Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3

Other Web based Resources include: ........................................................................................... 3

PRE-PLACEMENT: ....................................................................................................................... 3

Is it compulsory for me to go on placement at this time? ..................................................... 3

• If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or other communicable infectious disease ............. 4

...................................................................................................................................................... 4

What pre-placement preparation will I be required to carry out, in terms of infection control? .................................................................................................................................... 4

What if I have been unwell prior to starting placement? ....................................................... 5

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING CLINICAL PLACEMENT: ................................. 5

Will placement allocation during the COVID -19 period be the same as usual? .................. 5

Will my placement hours be the same as usual? ................................................................... 5

Will the assessment of placement be the same as usual? .................................................... 5

DURING PLACEMENT: ................................................................................................................. 6

Will I be asked to treat patients with COVID-19? ................................................................... 6

What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will I be wearing on placement? ..................... 6

Can I refuse to see a patient if there is no PPE available? .................................................... 7

Will I be required to physical distance while I am on placement? ........................................ 7

Am I required to launder my uniform every day during placement? .................................... 8

What if I develop signs of COVID-19 during placement? ...................................................... 8

What if a patient I treated subsequently tests positive for COVID-19? .............................. 10

What if a person I live with tests positive for COVID-19 while I am on clinical placement?................................................................................................................................................. 10

If I need to self-isolate or restrict movements – what effect does this have on my clinical placement hours? .................................................................................................................. 10

Is it important to have the flu vaccine this year? ................................................................. 10

DECLARATIONS REGARDING COVID-19 ................................................................................. 10

Practice Placement Agreement Addendum regarding Covid19: ........................................ 11

Annual UCC registration process and associated COVID-19 declaration .......................... 11

Daily Symptom Checker ........................................................................................................ 12

Health and Wellness during COVID-19 ........................................................................................ 12

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Introduction

COVID-19 (coronavirus) is an illness that can affect an individual’s lungs and airways. It is caused by a virus called coronavirus. UCC is following the advice of a number of organisations to inform its approach to supporting students at this difficult and uncertain time. These include:

● Irish Government ● World Health Organization (WHO) ● European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

Other Web based Resources include:

Information on UCC's response to COVID19 https://www.ucc.ie/en/emt/covid19/

COVID19 UCC Student FAQ https://www.ucc.ie/en/emt/covid19/student-faq/

The HSE Website – Information for public on COVID-19 https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus

The HSE Website - Information for staff re COVID-19 https://healthservice.hse.ie/staff/news/coronavirus-news/

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre advice for healthcare workers during COVID- 19 pandemic https://www.hpsc.ie/a- z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/guidanceforhealthcareworkers/

Please note that advice may change - UCC students are advised to regularly check these websites. Within this guidance, we are summarising the information that you need to be aware of and outlining the actions you need to take prior to going on your clinical placement. Completion of clinical placements is an NMBI programme requirement for of all nursing and midwifery courses. Please take the time to read this guidance carefully and complete the eLearning modules referred to within this guidance. This guidance is based upon what is currently known about COVID-19. The risk of getting COVID-19 is now part of our daily lives and will remain so for the foreseeable future. COVID-19 like many other transmissible infections may spread in either direction from a healthcare worker to a patient or from a patient to a healthcare worker. Good infection prevention and control practice seeks to manage both of these risks in a rational way that respects the dignity and safety of both the patient and healthcare worker/healthcare student. Thus, you as a student are urged to use your own professional judgement and take personal responsibility for protecting yourself and others. The University, Health Service Providers in partnership with you as the student seeks to mitigate this risk through providing opportunities for you to learn about infection prevention and control and to be fully aware of the guidance on preventing the transmission of COVID-19.

PRE-PLACEMENT:

Is it compulsory for me to go on placement at this time?

Completion of placement is required to progress through your programme, however we understand some of you may have concerns and our advice is as follows:

You should NOT go on placement under any of the following circumstances:

If you have an underlying health condition that would put you at higher risk of serious illness

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should you contract COVID-192

If you have been identified as a close contact of an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days

If you are in self-isolation or restricting your movement

If you have symptoms that suggest you have COVID-19 • If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or other communicable infectious disease3

Missed clinical placement time can be completed at a later date.

What pre-placement preparation will I be required to carry out, in terms of infection control? All students will need to register on HSELand, if not already registered. To register with hseland log onto https://www.hseland.ie/dash/Registration

• Enter name • Enter email address • Choose username • Choose password • Choose security question • Other questions to complete- identify that you are a student.

Look for the resource titled: INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL Complete INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL4 AND ASSOCIATED SUBMODULES which include:

Health Protection Surveillance Centre- Infection Prevention and Control Guidance on COVID-19 for Staff

Breaking the Chain of Infection Putting on and taking off PPE in acute healthcare settings. Putting on and taking off PPE in community healthcare settings.

2 The HSE advice is available here. If in doubt, please contact your GP or UCC Student Health or Occupational Health for advice as required. A letter from your GP/Consultant confirming you are in a very high/high-risk group will be required, if this is the case. Please inform the Clinical Placement Allocations Officer and the Allocation Office, UCC if you are not taking up your clinical placement due to an underlying health condition. Please email Ms Nadia Curran immediately so that we can inform any potential future placement area. This email should also include a letter from your GP/Consultant confirming you are in a very high/high-risk group. 3 The full listing of notifiable infectious diseases are available at: https://www.hpsc.ie/notifiablediseases/listofnotifiablediseases/

4 This is a Resource Pack for Registered Nurses and Registered Nurses Returning to Professional Nursing Practice (General) in response to COVID-

19 outbreak 2020, Resource Pack for Registered Midwives and Registered Midwives Returning to Professional Practice in response to COVID-19 Outbreak 2020, Critical Care Resource COVID 19.

You need to ask yourself each day: “Have I symptoms which could suggest COVID-19 or other related pandemic or acute infections such as symptoms of

viral respiratory tract infection or gastroenteritis?” If the answer is “Yes” then I will undertake NOT to present

myself to clinical placement or to the University.

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ANTT Aseptic Non Touch Technique Introduction to Infection Prevention and Control Hand Hygiene for HSE Clinical Staff

All students must upload certificates for the listed HSELand5 e-learning courses, to their Clinical Placement Module, one week prior to starting the block of clinical placements. This is an annual requirement. Students will be credited with 6 hours supernumerary clinical placement time for completion of these modules.

Additionally, students must consult the following webpage: UCC COVID-19 Student FAQ https://www.ucc.ie/en/emt/covid19/student-faq/

What if I have been unwell prior to starting placement?

Students who have been unwell either generally or with COVID - 19 symptoms in the 14 days prior to placement will need to contact their GP or UCC Student Health for advice.

Students who displayed any of the COVID - 19 symptoms must have followed HSE guidance of 14 day self-isolation from first onset of symptoms and be 5 days free of symptoms prior to starting clinical placement. EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS ATTENDING CLINICAL PLACEMENT:

Students need to be aware of the ever-evolving work practices during this time and need to demonstrate flexibility and initiative with regard to this. Discussion will take place between UCC team and relevant clinical site staff with regard to any new working environment /practices during the COVID-19 period. It is important to be aware that work hours may be adjusted to suit the needs of the service. These hours will be communicated to you via your CPC or through the area Manager/CNM/CMM and may be subject to change, over the duration of your placement.

Will placement allocation during the COVID -19 period be the same as usual?

Where possible, UCC will aim to clearly outline what specific environment each student will be entering. This may not always be possible in advance.

Will my placement hours be the same as usual?

Students may be expected to work different hours to the standard placement week and will need to be flexible regarding this in order to complete placement requirements. Structure of days / weeks will vary from site to site. UCC will be guided by each individual clinical site on this.

Will the assessment of placement be the same as usual?

Yes, the student will be expected to demonstrate proficiency in all domains of clinical practice.

5 HSELanD is the Health Service Executive's online learning and development portal. Each students will need to create and account.

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As per normal practice, you will be required to complete all scheduled NMBI placement time and achieve all required competencies as per your assessment documentation.

DURING PLACEMENT:

Will I be asked to treat patients with COVID-19?

This is site dependent and can be discussed with your supervisor/ area Manager / preceptor. A number of different placement scenarios may exist:

- In some sites, you will not be required to see patients who have tested positive for, or are

suspected of having, COVID-19. However, you may see a patient who displays no symptoms, but then subsequently tests positive for COVID-19

- Some placements may be in step-down facilities where patients have COVID-19 or may have had COVID- 19 but have tested negative twice

- Some placements may involve direct contact with patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Students will keep an account of the times and dates they were in each placement area – which will aid the contact tracing process if the need ever arises. The log will be maintained by the student and made available to the Allocations team, UCC in accordance with GDPR guidelines.

What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will I be wearing on placement6? In accordance with Published HSE Guidance the use of gloves, aprons and masks are not routinely recommended for all tasks but remain appropriate for certain tasks, the use is based upon individual risk assessment carried out by the supervising clinician.

Face Masks: You will be required to wear a surgical mask (type 2R) with all patients and in certain other circumstances also:

● When providing care to patients within 2m of a patient, regardless of the COVID-19 status of the patient e.g. when performing personal hygiene.

● Working for 15 minutes or more, with other healthcare workers in the workplace where a distance of 2m cannot be maintained.

● Please note that in accordance with HSE guidance, removal of facial hair that interferes with seal of mask is advised.

Use of surgical masks by healthcare workers in the context of viral respiratory tract infection has two objectives:

1. To reduce the risk of droplet transmission of infection to the wearer 2. To reduce the risk of droplet transmission of infection to others.

Use of surgical masks for these purposes is in addition to and not as a replacement for other measures to reduce the risk of transmission of infection. These measures include hand hygiene and maintaining a distance of 2m between people whenever possible.

6 Please note this guidance is regularly updated by the HSE and please be guided by the HSE and HSPC in this regard. Please see: https://healthservice.hse.ie/staff/news/coronavirus/prevent-the-spread-of-coronavirus-in-the-workplace.html

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You may at times be given a FFP2 mask and goggles/face shield to wear, if you are in the vicinity of an aerosol generating procedure (AGP) such as suctioning. Although contact and droplet precautions are required under normal circumstances, airborne precautions are required during an AGP.

Gloves: You will also be required to wear disposable, single use gloves for:

Any activities that have a risk of contact with blood or body fluids.

For handling items which could be potentially soiled with blood or body fluids.

Cleaning surfaces soiled with potential body fluids. Gloves can carry germs from one patient to another or from one part of the body to another, so gloves must be changed:

Between different care episodes for the same patient.

Single-use disposable gloves should be discarded after each use and must never be worn and must never be re-used for another patient.

If gloves are required during care, hands must be cleaned before putting them on.

Plastic Apron: A plastic disposable apron should be worn if there is a high risk of blood or body fluids splashing onto health care worker’s clothes. Aprons are single use and should be discarded after each use and must never be re-used for another patient Donning and Doffing of PPE: All students will receive training in PPE donning and doffing on-site. Any PPE worn must be properly put on – “Donned” and taken off – “Doffed” and disposed of in line with relevant clinical waste guidance.

See HPSC Video Resource for the Donning and Doffing of PPE: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/videoresources/

Please note that PPE reduces the risk of contamination but does not eliminate it; therefore, PPE is not a substitute for hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette. Please see more details on HSE guidelines on PPE. Failure to comply with infection control and PPE guidelines may result in you not being able to access your clinical placements.

Can I refuse to see a patient if there is no PPE available?

Yes – you are under no obligation to see patients without PPE (if it is required). Please inform your CPC or UCC Link Lecturer if you have any concerns about PPE.

Will I be required to physical distance while I am on placement?

Yes, at all times students are expected to adhere to HSE guidelines regarding physical distancing. However, if you are treating a patient you must wear appropriate PPE if you cannot maintain physical distancing.

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Students will act on guidance given by clinical site staff in relation to any new COVID–19 work practices prior to and during placement.

Failure to comply with physical distancing and PPE guidelines may result in you not been able to access future placements.

Am I required to launder my uniform every day during placement?

Yes, students will be expected to wash their uniform each day on a 60-degree wash cycle. Students must have enough uniforms (e.g. tops and trousers) to ensure they wear a fully clean uniform each day. Shoes not worn outside the clinical site. Uniforms/shoes should not be worn when going in or out of work as per usual practice.

Students will be expected to shower every morning before attending placement and at the end of each workday either in the department or immediately on return home.

Students will be guided by area manager/ preceptor/ CPC regarding use of scrubs if in contact with COVID–19 patients.

What if I develop signs of COVID-19 during placement? Ultimately it will be your (the student) responsibility to communicate any COVID-19 symptoms or test results to the Programme Lead, UCC and the Clinical area as soon as is possible. Please follow local sick leave reporting guidance regarding such communication.

Please note test results will be relayed to you the student via the HSE contact tracing units not your GP or Occupational Health Departments.

The HSE contact tracing unit does not inform the university or clinical placement site.

Student with any COVID – 19 symptoms7

If you are at home when you develop symptoms, do not go into placement, do not leave home. Please note if you if you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID 19) or any other communicable infectious disease (e.g. Mumps) you must immediately notify the clinical area (via the number on the ARC contact details page) and also notify your BSc programme lead by phone and email. The most important thing you can do is to protect others from catching coronavirus. You should self-isolate and contact your GP or student health UCC for further advise. Please see https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/ for further details. The full listing of notifiable infectious diseases are available at: https://www.hpsc.ie/notifiablediseases/listofnotifiablediseases/

If you are on clinical site when you develop symptoms: Students must

inform your preceptor or Clinical Area Manager/ CNM/CMM or CPC immediately

put on a face mask

leave the clinical site immediately

7 If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, such as severe shortness of breath or high fever, call the Emergency Services in the first instance.

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return home alone and not use public transport

self-isolate in your home and contact the Occupational Health Service responsible for the clinical site, (or if this is not available you should contact UCC Student Health or your GP), from home.

For all settings: advise the Doctor of your symptoms and of your clinical placement setting. If you are too ill or unable to return home unassisted you will need to be isolated from other people in the clinical setting until transport home or to a clinical facility advised by your Dr is arranged for you.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 during clinical placement

Please note if you if you test positive with coronavirus (COVID 19) or any other communicable infectious disease (e.g. Mumps) you must immediately notify the clinical area (via the number on the ARC contact details page) and also notify your BSc programme lead by phone and email. The most important thing you can do is to protect others from catching coronavirus. You should self-isolate and contact your GP or student health UCC for further advise. Please see https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/ for further details. The full listing of notifiable infectious diseases are available at: https://www.hpsc.ie/notifiablediseases/listofnotifiablediseases/ The students should inform the Clinical Site manager/CPC and their Programme Lead of a positive result as soon as is possible. Students will need to be able to provide a list of clinical areas, dates, times of placement and a method to identify close clinical contacts, to enable contact tracing. Students should inform their GP/Student Health of the test result and follow their Dr’s advice. Current HSE advice is to self- isolate for a minimum 14 days and a student must be 5 days without symptoms before returning to the healthcare setting – but students must contact the Occupational Health Service, Allocations Office UCC and Allocations Officer in the Health Service prior to planning their return to the clinical placement area. If symptoms worsen, contact GP/Student Health/ED for advice.

Students who test negative for COVID-19 during clinical placement.

If the test is negative, current HSE advice is to return to work once symptom-free for 48 hours. Students must contact the Occupational Health Service, Allocations Office-UCC and Allocations Officer in the Health Service whilst planning their return to the clinical placement area and follow the sick leave policy and current HSE advice in this regard.

Useful contact details:

● https://www.ucc.ie/en/emt/covid19/

Student Health can be contacted on 021 490 2311 in office hours, Monday to Friday. Outside office hours a recorded message on the 4902311 line will advise resources of help available.

24/7 HSE public advice line: 1850 241850.

SouthDoc (Cork & Kerry):1850 335 999

D Doc (Dublin city and county north of the river Liffey): 1850 224477

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NOW Doc (Leitrim, North Roscomon, Donegal): 1850 400 911

West Doc (Galway, Mayo, Roscommon): 1850 365 000

Shannon Doc: (Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary): 1850 212 999

NE Doc (Cavan, Louth Meath and Monaghan): 1850 777 911 This list is not all inclusive. The full list of GP out of hours service and contact details can be found on the HSE website here.

What if a patient I treated subsequently tests positive for COVID-19? This is site dependent so you need to check when this happens - at the moment it depends on whether you had casual or close contact i.e. how much contact you had and what type of PPE you were wearing at the time. Should you develop any symptoms of COVID-19, follow advice as previously outlined.

What if a person I live with tests positive for COVID-19 while I am on clinical placement?

People sharing a household are defined as close contacts - therefore students will have to restrict movement for 14 days unless the suspected person turns out to have a negative test. Discuss with the clinical site manager/occupational health department regarding attendance at placement. Students may be asked to leave placement for 14 days.

If I need to self-isolate or restrict movements – what effect does this have on my clinical placement hours?

As per usual protocol on absence from placement, UCC will endeavour to arrange for you to complete your placement hours at a later date.

Is it important to have the flu vaccine this year? We are urging all healthcare students to get the flu vaccine. Healthcare workers prevent the spread of flu and save lives by getting the flu vaccine. Patients with weaker immune systems depend on their carers to be protected against flu. The School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC is strongly recommending the vaccine to you. Please see the HSE website for further details. All students are being asked to comply with national guidance pertaining to immunisations for health care professionals.

DECLARATIONS REGARDING COVID-19

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said: “The importance of people exercising their own judgement and taking personal responsibility in protecting themselves and others cannot be overstated --handwashing, physical distancing, cough/sneeze etiquette, face coverings and knowing the symptoms of Covid-19 - and what to do immediately when experiencing symptoms - is how every individual can equip themselves to live safely” in this uncertain and difficult time. The School of Nursing and Midwifery and UCC have initiated 3 declarative processes to support you. These are:

Signing a Practice Placement Agreement with an addendum relating to COVID-19 (see section 22 of the PPA)

Making a declaration as part of UCC’s annual registration process

Completing a daily symptom checker/health declaration when you are scheduled to be on clinical placement or in the university.

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Practice Placement Agreement Addendum regarding Covid19:

Additional points have been added to the Practice Placement Agreement (PPA). Students are asked to review each of these items and use this as a checklist and sign the PPA prior to going on placement:

I know that I have a personal responsibility to protect myself, my patients and the general public from the potential of Covid-19 virus transmission. I will ensure that:

I am aware of COVID-19 symptoms or other related pandemic symptoms. Please see:

https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus/

I understand that if I have symptoms of COVID-19 or acute infections such as symptoms of

viral respiratory tract infection or gastroenteritis, that I will undertake not to present myself to

clinical placement or to the University8.

I am aware that if I have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 that I am not to

present to clinical placement or to the University and should avoid public places for a period of

14 days after the last day of close contact with the COVID-19 case.

I will ensure that I keep myself up to date with current Public Health Advice regarding COVID-

19.

I will under the Infection Prevention and Control training recommended by the School of

Nursing and Midwifery and the HSE.

I will ensure that I abide by the rule of ‘bare below the elbows/bare above the wrist’ while on

clinical placement.

I comply with Infection Prevention and Control directions given by HSE and other Clinical staff

when I am in a clinical areas

I undertake to cooperate with requirements for management of outbreaks or other incidents of

infection including providing samples for testing where required.

I will commit to declaring that I am free of key symptoms of COVID-19 each day before I

present myself to clinical placement.

Students can move from a placement in one institution to a placement in another without an interval

of time as part of their programme. Thus, I undertake to:

Adhere to recommended Infection Prevention and Control Practice at all times when interacting

with all individuals during clinical placement.

Not present to the new placement area if I have a fever, cough, shortness of breath or other

symptoms of communicable infectious disease or if I have been in close contact with someone

with COVID-19.

Annual UCC registration process and associated COVID-19 declaration In addition, as part of the annual UCC registration process there will be a requirement to make declarations regarding Covid-19 awareness and associated infection prevention behaviours. For students accessing placements before September 7th 2020, there is an additional requirement to complete an online induction module, MCQ quiz and once-off self-declaration. The on line module has been published on Canvas. Students can self-enrol at this link: https://ucc.instructure.com/enroll/BCBD9C Students can then upload the email notification in their practice module when they have completed the course.

8 In the case that I have doubt or uncertainty regarding the symptoms I am experiencing, I will inform the relevant clinical area manager by phone and then contact the relevant ALO/CPC/LL for further advice.

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Daily Symptom Checker Before students attend the university or go on their clinical placement, they will be required to complete a daily symptom/health status declaration9. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Self-Checker helps you quickly self-assess if you are able to attend placement or go into college. The aim is to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Details of how to access the symptom checker will be available in your clinical module on CANVAS. It is your professional and personal responsibility to complete this symptom checker EVERYDAY PRIOR to your attendance on a clinical site or going into the university. Failure to do this will be considered a disciplinary matter and will be considered under the auspices of the School of Nursing and Midwifery “Disciplinary Policy for Students on Practice Placements”. Any information disclosed to the University pursuant to this Symptom Checker questionnaire will be treated with the highest standards of security and confidentiality and processed in accordance with the University’s Data Protection Policy. The University is collecting this personal data in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and to implement the requirements of the HSE in relation to the resumption of clinical placements. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the legal basis for processing this data is to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of others and for reasons of public interest in the area of public health. This questionnaire will be retained for a period of 4 weeks. Full details of how we collect, use and share your personal data and your rights under data protection law are outlined in our Student Data Protection Notice. Health and Wellness during COVID-19

The COVID-19 Pandemic is evolving very quickly. It is important to ensure you continue to get the latest up to date health advice and information from reliable national and international authorities. With COVID-19 we are all experiencing a new and challenging event. We may find ourselves worried to some extent, some more, some less. Not everybody will experience it in the same way. It is the uncertainty that generates fear and the absence of control. Feeling worried is a normal reaction to something that feels threatening. Please note there are many supports available, please talk to the School of Nursing and Midwifery Team or your CPCs and preceptors or access the university resources during this difficult time. Please see details at:

https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/study/undergrad/plansfor2020-2021academicyear/

https://www.ucc.ie/en/emt/covid19/health/

9 This self-checker is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a medical professional for serious symptoms or emergencies.