Clinical and community placements can be at a variety of sites, usually on Vancouver Island.
Practice Placement Overview
General information regarding clinical and or community placements is provided for all students. Program specific information will be communicated directly to students at the time of practicums. If you have program specific questions please speak with your Program Leader (PL).
BC Student Practice Education
Student Practice Education (SPE) in British Columbia includes the learning activities that occur in health settings for students who are enrolled in a recognized academic institution who have a practicum as part of their program requirements. Information, resources and support materials related to student placements in healthcare in BC are accessible online.
BC Health Authority Placements
All students assigned placements at any BC health authority are required to complete a core suite of orientation modules. The Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO) curriculum, accessible on the Learning Hub of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) helps students prepare for their practicums, and understand the student placement process at PHSA and its programs. Program specific courses are required, in addition to SPECO curriculum.
Camosun students who are also Health Authority employees should identify themselves to their program lead and ensure they are in compliance with their employer’s unique requirements for practice placements.
Practice Education Orientation
Privacy and Confidentiality
Privacy is a fundamental value, perceived by many as essential for the protection and promotion of human dignity. Therefore, information that is disclosed by and about patients, clients, and others under care during your placement must be held confidential. Therefore, information that is disclosed by or accessed by you related to any individual directly/indirectly, associated during or outside of any placement locations must be kept confidential. This pertains to personal information in any format, including, but not limited to: paper, electronic, film, and/or verbal discourse, written or viewed, no matter where that information may be stored or used.
Failure to comply with this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of student participation in the HHS program.
Policy and Procedures
External partners have independent and separate policies and procedures that students are subject to during their external placements, including but not limited to: hand hygiene, professional attire / uniform, use of personal devices, photography, and smoking. Students may also be subject to professional codes of conduct, standards and scope of practice, ethical codes, provincial and federal regulations.
In light of the federal legalization of cannabis for recreational use, our clinical and community placement partners may have policies that restrict the use of cannabis, such as: Cannabis Legislation and policy changes at Island Health. Some regulative professions like Dental Hygiene have issued practice guidance PDF as a result of cannabis legalization.
Student Issues on Practicums
Students have a right to feel safe in all areas of their learning environment. If you as a student are experiencing lack of support or feelings of unease which could include lack of cultural safety, discrimination, racism, or bullying please contact both your Instructor and Program Leader, together.
Camosun's faculty, staff and administration are deeply committed to excellence in teaching and student success. Camosun has established a number of processes for bringing forward and dealing with any concerns about the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom and throughout the college experience.
The Student Complaint Process is for student complaints about teaching and learning, other than those involving grades and formal human rights complaints. At any point in the process, you may contact the Office of Student Support for guidance and support, or the Ombudsperson, an impartial, independent person whose major function is to provide confidential and informal assistance to students.
BC Student Practice Education Guidelines which inform placement processes, provides a thorough overview of Student Practice Issues, and the roles, responsibilities and expectations for: Post Secondary Institutions (PSI), PSI Educators, Students and Health Care Organizations (HCO) and HCO Supervisors. In addition, the Student Practice Activities, Limits, and Conditions outlines the limits and conditions surrounding Post-Secondary Institution (PSI) Student activities while within a Health Care Organization (HCO) practice education setting.
Student Injuries on Practicums
Student injuries on and off campus are to be treated by the college’s First Aid attendants or other medical personnel. While HHS faculty may be competent at performing first aid and other medical and counselling procedures, you must report injuries to your instructor(s) and seek care and treatment from designated college personnel or external providers. Failure to comply with these steps could result in you being ineligible for compensation for any expenses incurred as a result of the injury.
Practice Placement Requirements
Although your input is used for site assignments, there is no guarantee that you will receive your preferred placements. You are responsible for providing your own transportation and accommodations during your program and while on your placement(s). Posted clinical assignments are considered final.
Student Forms for Practice
A variety of student practice forms are required for both clincial and community placements. Program specific information will be communicated with new students at the start of their programs. Students are required to opt into a Camosun student Office 365 account to process forms.
Microsoft 365 Student Accounts
HSPnet
The School of Health and Humans Services utilizes the Health Sciences Placement Network, or HSPnet, for most of its programs. All students who have placements, where their program has been approved for use within HSPnet, need to sign a consent form. For Health Authority placements use of HSPnet is mandatory.
Immunization Requirements
For people who work in health-related fields immunizations protect clients, health care workers, students and Post Secondary Institution (PSI) educators from complications of communicable or infectious diseases. Specifically, influenza immunization is important regardless of whether students and PSI educators have direct or indirect contact with clients. All health care staff, including students and PSI educators should be protected against vaccine preventable diseases. Health care organization (HCO) immunization guidelines and policies are based on the Communicable Diseases and Immunization Guidelines from the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Canadian Public Health Agency.
Immunizations, flu and COVID vaccinations are highly recommended for all practice placements. Some practicum agencies may require you to show proof that immunizations are current, and if their guidelines are not met may prevent you or delay in your practice placement. You are responsible for maintaining your own personal record of all immunization and booster information.
TB Screening
All students in the Allied Health, Continuing Care, and Nursing programs are required to have baseline TB screening completed 6-months before first practice placement. TB screening is highly recommended for students in the Education Assistant and Community Support, Mental Health and Addictions, and Dental programs. TB screening will include a Mantoux test (can be done at most Travel Clinics) unless:
- You have had TB in the past or;
- You have had a reaction to a Mantoux test, i.e. the result is larger than 10 mm with induration or blistering over the site of injection.
If so, you will be asked to make an appointment with a physician to obtain a requisition for a chest X-ray with possible follow-up (may take 1-2 weeks).
If you are pregnant, or have had a chest x-ray in the last six (6) months, or are currently under investigation/treatment for TB, you will be exempt from a chest X-ray.
Note: Mantoux reactions may be suppressed during febrile illness, measles, HIV infection, live virus vaccination, Hodgkin’s Disease, active pulmonary forms of TB and during or after the use of corticosteroid medications. You may be required to postpone or forgo the Mantoux test. Pregnancy and/ or previous BCG vaccination are not contraindications to Mantoux testing.
COVID -19 vaccine and TB screening: Due to the theoretical risk that mRNA vaccines may temporarily affect cell-mediated immunity, resulting in false-negative TB test results, these tests should be administered and read before COVID-19 immunization or delayed for at least 4 weeks after complete immunization. COVID-19 immunization may take place at any time after all steps of tuberculin skin testing have been completed. In the event a student is unable to obtain a TB test prior to practicum due to COVID vaccine protocols, faculty will be required to complete a BCCDC risk assessment to determine if a chest x-ray is required.
Criminal Record Check
The Criminal Record Review Act requires that students registered in a post-secondary program where they may be working with children and/or vulnerable adults, must have a criminal record check done through the B.C. Government’s Criminal Record Review program. The Ministry of Justice is the authorized body under the Act to make the determination of risk. If you are found to be at risk by the Ministry, you will not be able to participate in a work integrated learning experience (e.g. clinical placements, practicums, etc.) and may therefore be unable to complete your program.
Camosun will provide you with information regarding the criminal record check process that must be followed. Instructions on the criminal record check process will be provided to students by email, prior to your practicum. You must be able to provide two pieces of current, government issued identification (one with photo). You are responsible for all associated costs. Any Criminal Record Checks done outside of the college will not be accepted and will result in additional cost to you.
Please note that this process must be completed prior to starting your first clinical or community placement.
HHS Name tags
Name tags are ordered in batches once a week and can take up to three weeks to arrive. Get your order in early!