Pre-placement requirements

Health review forms

• Download the Health review form and the Instructions for completing the Health review form.

COVID Vaccination

All students and clinical instructors (CIs), whether in-person or remote, will now be required to obtain the COVID vaccine for placement purposes, or provide proof of a legitimate medical exemption. Students and CIs will be required to obtain their first dose prior to Sept. 1, 2021 and are expected to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. Academic sites are responsible for tracking student vaccination statuses (fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, medically exempt) and sharing aggregate data to St. Joseph’s Occupational Health and Safety Services (OHSS) monthly. Health card numbers for any students who are partially vaccinated or medically exempt will also be required to have regular (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) rapid antigen testing throughout their fieldwork placement. Please view the full COVID-19 Vaccination FAQ.

Influenza vaccination

The students and the influenza vaccine flowchart outlines the process that will be followed for students related to flu vaccination and outbreaks.  

One of the options to facilitate a placement continuing for an unvaccinated student in an area with an influenza outbreak is for the student to obtain a prescription for Tamiflu and provide proof he/she is taking Tamiflu. St. Joseph’s does not provide Tamiflu to students.  

Students who interact with patients

Students completing placements at St. Joseph’s Health Care London whose placement requires direct interaction with patients are required to obtain a vulnerable sector check (VSC) from their local police service. Students who are also St. Joseph's employees are exempt from this requirement.

Clinical instructors of student groups will be required to obtain a VSC annually. St. Joseph's employees are exempt from this requirement.

A vulnerable sector check is an enhanced criminal record check. This type of record check was created in 2000 to protect children and vulnerable persons. Vulnerable sector checks are used to verify if an individual has a record suspension (formerly pardon) for sex offences. They also include checks of national data bases maintained by the RCMP and local police records where the applicant lives. Vulnerable sector checks must be conducted by the local Canadian police service where an applicant lives. 

Please note that some police services require several weeks to months to process VSCs, so we advise that you contact your local police service well in advance of your placement to verify processing times. Inability to meet the deadline for this pre-requisite will cause delays and even cancellation of your clinical placement.

Students who do NOT interact with patients

Students whose placement does not require them to interact with patients are required to obtain a Police Information Check (see process flowchart). St. Joseph's employees are exempt from this requirement.

The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development has streamlined the WSIB claims process for students completing unpaid work placements in funding eligible Ministry approved programs through Colleges and Universities.

Under the WSIB Claims process, Training Agencies are:

1. Required to have in each student file, a declaration signed by the student indicating that s/he understands that s/he has WSIB coverage while on unpaid work placements.
2. Required to provide a letter to Placement Employers indicating that:

• Placement Employers and Training Agencies are not required to complete and sign the online Postsecondary Student Unpaid Work Placement Workplace Insurance Claim Form for each student in order to secure WSIB coverage;
• All WSIB procedures must be followed in the event of an injury/disease; and
• Training Agencies will keep a signed original of the placement letter on file and ensure that Placement Employers have a copy.

3. Required to notify the Placement Employer whenever there are any changes to the work placement.

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