Health Studies Clinical and Field Placements

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Your Guide to Completing Placement Requirements

This page is intended for all new and returning Health Studies students to help you navigate and complete your clinical or field placement requirements. Please bookmark this page for future reference (this page is accessible through the Centennial College web site from a link on our School's home page).

The requirements for field placements are an integral part of being a health care professional. They are designed to protect you, the people you work with and those to whom you provide professional care. It is a requirement when you are seeking employment in your field. These requirements are needed to be renewed annual or periodically even if you continue to work in the same position. If this is new to you, it is reccommended you learn everything you need to know and make an active effort to be organized around making this a normal part of your commitment to working in the health care field.

For your convenience, the following information, more detailed information and related documentation are all contained in the Placement Requirements Student Handbook .

What needs to be done

All Health Studies students, prior to the start of each clinical or field placement, must demonstrate that they have fully met the following requirements:

Clear Vulnerable Person's police check (valid for one year).
CPR level HCP (Health Care Provider) (valid for one year)
Standard First Aid Certification (valid for three years)
Influenza Vaccination (yearly in November)
Respiratory Mask Fit Certification (valid for two years except for the Paramedic program which is one year)
Immunization Review Form (various components and timeframes).

Important Note One: Students who do not have all placement requirements completed (as determined by their program) completed will not be permitted to begin their placement. Also note that your program (for example, the Paramedic and Bridging to University Nursing programs) may have additional or different requirements. If you are a new student, please refer to the information package provided by your program.

Important Note Two: Your certifications for the above requirements must be good (or valid) for your entire clinical or field placement. For example, should you have a current CPR certificate which expires part way through the term, you need to re-do your certification prior to the start of the placement. The only exception to this rule concerns immunizations where follow-up actions (such as a blood test or second stage vaccination) may be required after the placement has started.

Important Note Three: Health Studies programs of the School of Community and Health Studies do not accept the OESC (Ontario Educations Services Corporation) card as a valid police check. Students must present a clear Police Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening obtained from your local police services.

Important Note Four: First Aid and CPR certification must be provided by approved Canadian-based training. Original documents must be presented (Copies or certificates obtained through internet sources are not acceptable).

If you are a new student...

Depending on your background, you man need to act on most or all of these requirements. You should have received an information package from your program detailing what your program-specific requirements are along with additional information regarding how to go about completing these requirements. Should you not have received this package you can drop by Room 352 at the Centennial HP Science and Technology Centre and pick one up.

Major components of the placement requirements system

With concern for you, your time, the number of students and the changing standards of many of our placement sites, we are continuing to improve the process of ensuring that all of our students are as organized as possible around getting these important certification documents in place. Below are the major components of the process all students need to be aware of:

Student placement checklist: This form is the basis for documenting completion of all of your placement requirements. It is completed by assigned School staff upon presentation of appropriate certification documentation. A new checklist (with the supporting documentation) must be completed prior to each placement. Click here to view a sample.

Police checks with vulnerable sector screening: Students must have their vulnerable sector police checks done in the region they reside. Students who reside in Greater Toronto Area and York Region must use the forms signed by the college. You can obtain these forms at the main Health Studies office, Room 352 HP Centre. It is critical to note that each region has their own policies, application forms and the time between application and receiving your police check may take up to ten weeks. Click here for more information.

Mask fit testing: All mask fit testing will be performed by trained School staff in our Health Studies Lab area. This allows us to better manage the scheduling for mask fit testing and provide you with a high level of service. Taking into account all of the placements for all of our programs, we have developed a mask fit testing schedule which will ensure that you have the opportunity to have this done prior to your first placement. All students who require mask fitting will have an appointment time assigned to them, normally during the semester prior to their first placement. Your appointment time will be available through your program coordinators. Prior to your mask fit testing appointment, each student must complete a health questionnaire related to mask fit testing (entitled N-95 Respirator Health Questionnaire). Students are invited to download, fill-in and bring the completed questionnaire to their appointment. Download questionnaire.

Critical Notes

If you miss your mask fit testing appointment: Due to the large number of students requiring mask fitting, we are obliged to centrally schedule your mask fit appointment. All students are expected to organize their schedules and activities to respect their assigned appointment time. We recommend that you arrive 10 to 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. If you miss your appointment, you will be charged a $30 fee to rebook your appointment (cash only). Only for documented medical or other critical reasons will this fee be waived, and only at the discretion of the Program Coordinator of your program.

Handling of certification documents: All students are expected to submit original documentation for verification in advance of their first clinical or field placement. Once your requirements are complete, we will return your documents to you together with the completed Checklist. (Individual program requirements may vary slightly from this policy - please refer to the information provided to you by your program).

Document Submission and Return Process

Each student is responsible for fulfilling all of their placement requirements in a timely fashion prior to the start of their first field placement. The following processes have been developed to reduce the amount of time spent waiting for service and allow our staff to work most efficiently in support of all students. If you are a returning student, you need to think about how you fit into this process based upon your current certifications and when your next clinical or field placement will start.

Drop-off and pick-up: All original documents are to be dropped off and picked up from the Health Studies office front counter, Room 352 HP Centre between the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm Monday to Friday. Your completed Immunization Review Form, CPR certification, First Aid certification, mask fit test documents and police checks can all be handed in together in a sealed envelope to a drop box located on the front counter. We encourage you to try to submit all of your documentation at the same time to simplify this process both for you and for our staff.

Immunization Review Forms: These will be reviewed by our Health Nurse, Kim Johnson. Once reviewed, this documentation will be made available at our Health Studies Front Counter upon presentation of Student ID. This usually takes about one week. Any student concerns and inquiries regarding Immunization Review are to be directed to our Health Nurse (kjohnson@centennialcollege.ca) only. Her schedule of available appointment times is located on our Front Counter where you can make and appointment. Note: You are encouraged to submit your Immunization Review Form as early as possible so that if there is anything missing or unclear there is adequate time and opportunity to resolve any discrepancies.

Other documentation: CPR, First Aid, mask fit and police check documentation will be reviewed by our Clinical Placement Administrative Officer, Margie Schulz. Once reviewed, this documentation will be made available for you to collect at our Health Studies front counter upon presentation of Student Photo ID. This takes one to two weeks. Any student concerns and inquiries regarding these documents are to be directed to our Clinical Placement Administrative Officer.

Please note: It is your responsibility to collect and sign for your own documents. You will need these documents to present to your placement agency.

We need your assistance

In order for us to provide the best possible support to approximately 1500 other students, we look to you to familiarize yourself with all of these changes, particularly around grouping your requirements verification into one visit. This will save you considerable time and allow us to do our work more efficiently.