Student Placement FAQ: General questions

COVID-19 vaccination is a placement requirement and is an important measure in protecting our patients, staff and other students from the spread of COVID-19. Students and clinical instructors are required to obtain their first dose prior to Sept. 1, 2021 and are expected to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 22, 2021. It takes 14 days following the second dose to be fully vaccinated, so the latest date for the second dose to be given is Oct. 8. Please view the full COVID-19 Vaccination FAQ.

Placement opportunities for students are coordinated directly through St. Joseph's Health Care London's Student Affairs office and the placement coordinator/practicum director of the school.

The official placement request must come directly from the school.

Schools will notify students directly if they have been successful in securing a placement opportunity at St. Joseph's.

There are placement requirements for health, vulnerable sector screening and required learning that students must complete two weeks before their placement beings at St. Joseph's.

TB requirements:

You are required to have a baseline two-step TST regardless of Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) unless you have: documented results of a prior two-step test which can include: two individual skin tests done at least one week apart*.

A single step is required if the last of the 2nd step was more than 12 months ago, or if there are indications of travel to an area known for high levels of TB or an exposure to someone known or suspected of having TB or symptoms of TB. .

*(The two-step TB skin test is normally given as a series of two single TB skin tests repeated between 1-4 weeks apart. However, two individual TB skin tests performed 4-52 weeks apart are also considered an acceptable “two-step TB skin test” - Canadian Thoracic Society & the Public Health Agency of Canada, 2013.)

If the student cannot provide proof of immunity, then yes the vaccination is mandatory. Please see further details below.

• Documented evidence of two doses of varicella vaccine (e.g., physician's certificate or vaccination record), or laboratory evidence of varicella immune status (a blood test indicating the student has developed immunity to the illness), or diagnosis/verification of a history of typical varicella or a history of herpes zoster (shingles) by a health care provider
• Immunization is required for those persons without evidence of immunity

Influenza vaccination is strongly encouraged and is an important measure in protecting patients from the spread of influenza. If a student declines the influenza vaccination, the school needs to notify Student Affairs so that both the school and student are provided with the influenza policy and information regarding next steps and protocol. If there is an outbreak in the hospital, the student will be considered unfit for placement and his/her placement hours could be jeopardized.

The N95 mask fit is not required for any student placements at this time.

Please return your pre-placement documentation to your school two weeks prior to your placement start date.

For parking information and maps (including accessible spaces) and public transit please see our parking at St. Joseph's Hospital, parking at Parkwood Institute, parking at Southwest Centre, or parking at Mount Hope.

The personal attire required varies according to site and role but there are three requirements that are the consistent across the organization:

• The environment is scent free
• Jewelry should not be worn other than a wrist watch and a medic alert bracelet that are cleaned regularly 
• Functional footwear is required for staff and students who work with patients  -- closed toe/closed flat heel, material impermeable or resistant to liquids, no large openings or holes, and slip resistant sole

Students should contact the St. Joseph’s staff member supporting their learning BEFORE the placement begins to obtain information about additional expectations or recommendations for personal attire specific to the program area.

The student will be informed through Student Affairs onboarding process to submit a photograph for their ID badge to their preceptor or clinical instructor (CI). The preceptor or CI will submit the student’s photo to @email a minimum of fourteen days prior to the student’s start date, ensuring they specify the student has been registered with “Student Affairs”.

Once the student’s access package and ID badge are ready for pick up at the assigned Security Office, the preceptor or CI will be informed via email and will be required to pick up the student package(s) from Security. Students must have their ID badge and security items on their first day. 

Failure to submit your photograph fourteen days in advance of the start date will result in a delayed start date.

Below are the requirements for photograph’s: 

• Image to capture from shoulders up 
• Face and shoulders to the camera: straight-on 
• Subject of photo to be in contrast with the background 
• Background to be a solid colour (preferably Grey, Black or blue) 
• Image to match current appearance 
• Not altered in any way 
• Eyes open and clearly visible 
• Jpg. format
• The Student Affairs Office submits the information to Security to prepare identification, access cards, keys, and personal panic alarms as needed for students prior to the start of the placement. Please see below for information about which Security Services site applies to your placement location.  
• Personal panic devices are used at two of St. Joseph’s sites: Parkwood Institute's Mental Health Care Building and Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care. Students completing placements in those buildings must wear a personal panic device at all times as outlined in the personal panic device protocol. The device must also be checked each day the student is on the premises to confirm the alarm is working as outlined in the personal panic device protocol.  The device must be returned to Security at the end of the student’s placement. 
• Students completing placements at other St. Joseph’s sites who visit the Parkwood Institute's Mental Health Care Building or the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care should obtain a personal panic device from Security to use during their visit. Personal panic devices used by visitors must be returned to Security at the end of the visit.
• Students must read the personal panic device protocol on the St. Joseph’s intranet site. Your preceptor or CI will show you the location and means to check your personal device daily.  
• The provision of security items is tracked by both Security and Student Affairs. On the last day of placement, students must return all security items to their preceptor or CI.  If security items are documented as not returned or lost, Student Affairs will invoice the school for the missing security items. The cost of lost identification and access cards is $50.00 per item, lost keys is $75 per item, and lost panic device is $350. The school will follow up with the student regarding the bill for these lost items as per the school’s policies and protocols.