Student Practice Education

Health students learning in a simulation centre

This page provides information to faculty and students involved in student placements at BC Children’s Hospital.

Priorities

A program's capacity to accept practicum requests is based on operational requirements and abilities. Due to our limited capacity, we give priority to local students first.

Our hospital accommodates thousands of students annually. We prioritize placements as follows:

schools in the greater Vancouver and surrounding area
schools throughout B.C.
schools throughout the rest of Canada
schools outside of Canada

Please see the Provincial Practice Education Guidelines of BC for more information (Section 1-1: Placement Process).

Affiliations

A signed Affiliation Agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities between the school and BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre is required. This agreement addresses the risks in the relationship for both organizations and their employees, patients, clients, residents and students.

To set up an agreement, your school should contact the Academic Practice Coordinator at studentplacement@cw.bc.ca three to six months prior to a placement start date.

Your school should provide the coordinator with:

a link to the school website
the program outline and learning objectives
contact information of the individual with signing authority

If your program is approved, we will send the provincially approved Affiliation Agreement to the school. We do not sign agreements that have been prepared by schools; we sign our provincially approved Affiliation Agreements only.

Review the terms of the Affiliation Agreement Template.

Find more information on the PHSA Student Practice Website and Provincial Practice Education Guidelines of BC (Section 1-1: Placement Process).

Coordination

Placements are coordinated through the Health Sciences Placement Network of BC (HSPnet).

Schools seek placements on behalf of students through HSPnet. We do not accept placement requests directly from students. Schools that are not HSPnet users, or schools based outside of British Columbia, should email us at studentplacement@cw.bc.ca.

For more information about provincial expectations, see the Practice Education Guidelines of BC.

Disciplines

Each discipline we support may have unique procedures relating to the placement process or orientation. Please choose your discipline to see specific information.

In order for a medical student to be eligible for placement at a hospital in British Columbia, students from other medical schools must contact the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine, as they organize all medical student placements in British Columbia.

To note: this section is being continually populated.

Nurse Practitioner student placement process

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Orientation

Orientation is divided into three sections. Please take the time to read through each section carefully, as well as complete and submit all required documents.

Every student and instructor placed at our hospital must complete the components outlined below.

All orientation requirements need to be completed and current before beginning your practicum. Proof of completion may be requested. Unfortunately, if any component applicable to you is not completed or current, you may be asked to pause your placement until all requirements have been met.

Part 1: Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO)

All students and faculty entering a lower mainland health authority for a practice education experience must complete the following five online courses before commencing placement.

Student Practice Education Core Orientation
- WHMIS
- Infection Control
- Waste Management
- Code Red

Part 2: PHSA Student Orientation - Mandatory

Read the PHSA Core Policies
Complete the Privacy and Security module
CST Cerner Training (will be emailed to the student)

Photo identification: school ID (photo preferred) must be worn on the left upper chest and be visible at all times while on placement.
Computer training: all students in a clinical placement will require access to CST Cerner, the electronic patient records system. A customized CST Cerner Learning Journey will be emailed to the student's school-issued email address by the CST Training team once the placement is confirmed.
Hand Hygiene Policy (PDF)
Communicable diseases outbreak: In the event of an outbreak, implementation of specific infection control protocols is necessary. During outbreaks, restrictions for students may be required in order to help contain and prevent the spread of infection as well as protect the health and safety of the student. Review the Practice Education Guidelines of BC for more information.
Dress code: Dress must reflect a professional appearance and maintain safe standards of care. All students and faculty are to be appropriately groomed: neat, clean and tidy at all times. Students must download and read the full policy (PDF), as well as adhere to this at all times.
Social networking (PDF).
Discipline-specific information: ensure you complete all applicable orientation requirements before starting your placement by reviewing the Discipline’s heading above.
Students: your instructor, preceptor and/or supervisor will orientate you to the site.
Guidelines: know our expectations of you by reviewing the provincially approved Practice Education Guidelines of BC.

Getting around: Visit our parking and transportation, as well as our get around the hospital pages for information on transit and bike racks, as well as security on campus.
Booking education rooms: Academic partners may book meeting rooms on-site within 7 days of the desired date. Please contact CWMeetingrooms@cw.bc.ca for further information. Fees may apply.
Education for non-staff: Classroom-based education and e-learning modules/courses are listed in the Learning Hub under Workshops and Courses.
Simulation Centre: The Simulation Centre, in the E6 wing in the Shaughnessy building, includes several rooms that closely resemble a typical emergency or acute care environment. High-fidelity, sophisticated, baby, child and adult computer-based, human-patient simulators are available, as well as other low and medium fidelity simulators and task trainers.
Food and amenities: Visit our on-site services page for more information.
Lockers and showers: Lockers for students are very limited and not available in all areas. Your practicum supervisor will provide you with further specifics. Students are strongly advised to not bring valuables with them on their practicum. Shower facilities are available on site. Speak to your practicum supervisor about the nearest location to your assigned work area.
Study and learning commons: the study and learning commons collection has resources for health professionals at BC Children’s and BC Women's Hospitals.

Faculty that are new to our hospital or returning after an absence greater than one year must be oriented before commencing a placement. This is to be done by another faculty member with previous experience on the appropriate site/unit. If this is not possible, please contact us at studentpractice@cw.bc.ca to arrange for site orientation at least 3 weeks before a placement is scheduled to begin.

Faculty Guidelines and Expectations

For pediatrics