Health and Safety Standards
Your future career in the Health Sciences, Nursing and Community Studies fields requires you to meet specific health and safety standards before you can begin your first clinical/field placement. Why?
- To protect you, your placement agency co-workers and those individuals you will serve during placement;
- To meet regulations set out by Ontario law;
- To meet placement agency requirements before joining their organization.
How does this impact you?
Placements are mandatory. If you do not complete your pre-placement requirements, you cannot attend your placement. If you do not complete your clinical/field placement, you will not graduate from your program. For more information, talk to your Pre-Placement Coordinator.
Immunizations
Most students in a Health Sciences, Nursing and Human Services program need to provide a current Immunization/vaccination Record. If there is a Section "A": Mandatory Medical Requirements on your Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form, you must provide proof of immunization. Depending on your personal situation, this process can take up to three months to complete and will require some planning.
Here's What You Need To Do
- Step 1: Arrange to have a medical professional complete the Profession Practice Health Form (Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form) verifying all immunizations are current. Please ensure you have a copy of your immunization record and blood test results for your pre-placement clearance.
- Step 2: Know your due date. See the upper right corner of your health form as the date may differ for each program year.
- Step 3: Review the Checklist. See the last page of your health form as this will help you keep organized.
Police Vulnerable Sector Check
Most Health Sciences, Human Services and Nursing program students need to provide a Police Vulnerable Sector Check. This annual requirement is received from your local police department or Ontario Provincial Police detachment. Since processing times differ, we strongly recommend that you contact your local police service to determine what forms you need to complete and processing times.
There can be delays in processing PVSC reports. Since processing times differ, we strongly recommend that you contact your local police service to determine what forms you need to complete and how long it will take to process a PVSC request. Some police agencies can take up to 6 weeks to process PVSC requests.
- Expired - if your PVSC expires during the period of placement, you must make certain it is renewed one month prior to the date of expiration. Failure to do so will result in removal from the clinical/field placement of your program and progression to the following level will be denied.
- Current PVSC - if you already have a PVSC and it was completed less than a year ago, you can use the original report. As noted above, it cannot expire during the period of placement.
Note: Most agencies will not accept students with a criminal record. Students who are denied placement as a result of this screening may complete the academic components of the program. They will not, however, meet the requirements for graduation. Contact your Program Coordinator to discuss exceptions and concerns.
Agency/College Support Letter
Agency/College Support Letter from Fanshawe may be required by your local police agency in order to process a PVSC. If your local police agency accepts only original, signed documents, please contact the Pre-Placement Coordinator.
Click here to get a copy of Fanshawe's agency/college support letter (London Campus)
Click here to get a copy of Fanshawe's agency/college support letter (St. Thomas Campus)
Click here to get a copy of Fanshawe's agency/college support letter (Clinton - Huron/Bruce)
First Aid and CPR Training
Most students attending a Health Sciences, Nursing or Human Services program need Standard First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Level "C" or "HCP" training. Review the Checklist found on the last page of your Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form to see if it's a requirement for your placement. Make sure that you understand which level of CPR is required for your program.
If you already have CPR Training
Certification needs to be current and must meet the due date expectation provided on your Clinical/Field Pre-Placement Health Form. If certification expires during the placement phase of your program, you must recertify within one month from the time of expiration. Failure to do so will result in removal from the clinical/field component of your program and progression to the following level will be denied.
Where can you get trained
Training is offered via Fanshawe's Continuing Education and with other service providers:
- Fanshawe College Continuing Education (courses may be offered)
- Heart & Stroke Foundation
- St. John Ambulance
- Canadian Red Cross
If you take First Aid/CPR through another provider, please ensure that you register for the appropriate course level, and that the program follows the Canadian Heart and Stroke guidelines. Online CPR courses are not acceptable.
Placement Injury/Incident Reporting
Incident reporting is intended for unpaid placement students only. Find information on incident reporting and responsibilities of the student and employer.
Contact Us
Jill Bourque
Pre-Placement Coordinator
Faculty of Health, Community Studies and Public Safety
London Campus, Room D3018
Ashleigh Topping
Pre-Placement Coordinator
Faculty of Health, Community Studies and Public Safety
London Campus, Room D3018
Regional Campuses
Lisa Johnson - Woodstock
Pre-Placement Coordinator (EDS & ECE Program)
Sarandan Heuston - Woodstock
Pre-Placement Coordinator (PSW & Practical Nursing Program)
Jenni Helm - Huron Bruce
Field/Clinical Placement Liaison
If you would like to learn more about pre-placement requirements for Health Sciences, Community Studies or Nursing programs at regional campus locations, please contact your campus directly:
- Woodstock/Oxford Regional Campus
- St. Thomas/Elgin Regional Campus
- Simcoe/Norfolk Regional Campus: Synergy does not clear Simcoe Campus students for placement. Please ensure you obtain the correct health form and clearance instructions from staff at your campus.
- Huron/Bruce Regional Campus