Student Fieldwork Requirements

Student Personal Data Collection Notice

The University of Toronto (the University) protects student privacy. Student personal information is collected pursuant to section 2(14) of the University of Toronto Act, 1971. The University collects, uses and discloses student personal information as necessary for enrollment and participation at the University and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and within the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, including administering admission, registration, academic programs, evaluations, University-related student activities, activities of student societies, safety, financial assistance and awards, graduation and University advancement, reporting to government agencies for statistical purposes, providing mentoring, and providing student services, and facilitating compliance with related third party agreements.

Student personal information will only be used and disclosed to third parties as necessary for participation in the profession. This disclosure, which is required for participation in the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MScOT) Program, includes accrediting agencies, training sites, licensing bodies / colleges, professional practice registries, collaborative program partners, other universities and colleges for academic / program / integrity purposes. For example, personal information that students provide to the University directly or via our software providers (e.g. InPlace Software Inc. and Synergy Gateway), is used or disclosed to third parties (e.g. hospitals or other clinical placement sites) for the purposes of facilitating unpaid placements including ensuring that students are able to meet immunization and other health requirements.

Within the University, student personal information is shared only on a need-to-know basis, and at all times protected in accordance in with Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The Temerty Faculty of Medicine will inform students of future requirements as they emerge and become necessary in the profession.

If students have questions about the collection use and disclosure of their personal information, they are directed to contact Rhona Anderson, Director of Clinical Education.

Student Immunizations

First Year Students

Documented proof of current immunization against specific diseases must be provided at registration in the OS&OT program in order for the student to be permitted to carry out the fieldwork component of the curriculum. Health Forms for Year 1 students are submitted and reviewed through an Electronic Student Permit Check (ESPC) by Synergy Gateway through Verified – a documentation, collection, verification and reporting partner application. Accepted applicants are required to have the Health Form completed by their Health Care provider. Students will not be permitted on fieldwork placements if their Health Forms have not been completed and submitted to Verified by the stated deadline submission date.

Required Health Forms and guidelines for the completion of the forms are found here. All associated immunization and documentation fees are the responsibility of the student.

Students will receive log-in credentials at the start of Year 1, which will allow access to your Verified account through your University of Toronto email account. You will be required to create a new password upon logging in. Be sure to view the video user guides and student guidebook to learn how to use the Verified platform. Synergy Log-in

There are fees associated with the services of Verified. Please keep all receipts for income tax purposes. These costs can include those related to:

Documentation collection and ESPC verification
Completion of mandatory immunizations, lab tests etc.

It is important that you attend the appointment you have booked and come prepared with all the required documentation, as there are fees associated with follow-up appointments and late cancellations.

Second Year Students

Students are required to complete the Year 2 Health Form and submit it through Synergy Verified when commencing classes in September. A student will not be permitted on fieldwork if his/her Health Form has not been completed and submitted by the stated deadline date.

Required Health Forms and guidelines for the completion of the forms are found here. All associated immunization and documentation fees are the responsibility of the student.

It is the student’s responsibility to submit all required documentation by the due dates communicated. If completed Health Forms, CPR certification documentation and mask fit testing documentation have not been submitted by the due dates, students will not be allowed to participate in fieldwork courses. No fieldwork placement will be assigned for a student who has not submitted the required documentation.

Copies of Health Forms

Fieldwork facilities may require proof of immunization; therefore students must keep a copy of their completed health form for their own records and bring a copy with them to their clinical placements. Students will have access to any documentation submitted through their ESPC account with Verified, for the duration of their time in the MScOT program.

Health Forms

Communicable Diseases and Occupational Health

During the course of fieldwork placements, students may be required to take part in the care of clients with various infectious diseases. Students will be trained in infection control procedures prior to commencing fieldwork placement. The Faculty of Medicine guidelines provide further information about communicable diseases and clinical education. These are within the document: “Guidelines Regarding Infectious Diseases and Occupational Health for Applicants to and Learners of the Faculty of Medicine Academic Programs.”

FOM Infectious Diseases Guidelines

Infection Control Measures

Students are required to complete an online Infection Control Module as instructed prior to commencing fieldwork. Students are expected to follow appropriate infection control practices while on placement and to notify the placement facility Occupational Health Department following needle stick injuries and following contact with patients with communicable diseases. Students should be aware of and practice proper hand washing techniques. For resources and instructions, please see the following:

Some facilities may have a policy that requires all staff and students to either be vaccinated against influenza or wear a protective mask during influenza season in areas where patients are present and patient care is delivered. The fieldwork site coordinator will advise students if the facility has such a policy.

Mask Fit Testing

One of the key pieces of personal protective equipment to decrease the spread of infectious disease is a properly fit-tested mask. The Ministry of Health has developed directives for health care professionals to wear an approved respirator/mask when droplet protection is required. In order to protect the health and safety of health care students, the use of N95 respirators (masks) may be required if there is evidence of potential exposure to airborne infectious agents, chemicals, etc.

Please note, as part of a student’s clinical/fieldwork education criteria, mask fit testing and an education session is mandatory for all students. The Rehabilitation Sciences Sector typically arranges mask fit testing for all students. All students will receive a memorandum from the Administrative Assistant, Clinical Affairs, Rehabilitation Science Sector, in reference to the education session and mask fit testing. Students will be provided with principal documents regarding the policies and procedures for completing their education session and mask fit testing. In addition, students will receive information regarding the date, time and room number of the education session and the mask fit testing at 500 University Avenue or at the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex at UTM. No additional fees are required.

Important Notice: Failure to attend the scheduled date and time of the education session and mask fit testing will result in the student taking full responsibility for making alternative mask fit testing arrangements and paying the required mask fit testing fee at a private clinic. Students are required to bring their mask fit testing card with them to all placements so should ensure that they keep this card in a safe location. Students should contact the OS&OT Fieldwork Office if their mask fit testing card is lost.

Eating and Drinking in Clinical Areas

Students should be aware of organizational protocols and the assignment of any designated areas for safe eating and drinking. Students should not be consuming food or drinks in clinical areas, in compliance with Health and Safety legislation, and organizational infection control policies.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and First Aid

Students are required to obtain their CPR certification at the Health Care Provider (HCP) level (or equivalent) and provide a copy to Verified through their ESPC check. The course must include one and two person CPR on adults, children, and babies. The HCP level contains all required elements. Annual recertification is required as indicated on the certificate. It is strongly recommended that students take this course after August 1 and prior to September 3 each year to ensure adequate coverage is maintained annually throughout the two years of the MScOT programme. A copy of this certificate may also be required by individual fieldwork facilities, therefore students are advised to take a copy of the certificate with them on fieldwork placement. A student will not be permitted on fieldwork if a copy of a valid certificate in CPR has not been submitted through their ESPC check with evidence of annual renewal as indicated on the certification certificate.

Certification in First Aid is strongly recommended and may be required by individual fieldwork facilities. The student is responsible for the expense of these courses.

Appropriate CPR certification and First Aid courses are run by the following agencies:

The Canadian Red Cross
St. John Ambulance

Student Safety Training

A provincial regulation (Bill 18) requires health and safety awareness training for every worker and supervisor under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Under Bill 18, students completing an unpaid work term are now considered employees and need to complete Health and Safety Education Modules. Students in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy are required to complete 2 specific modules: Basic Health and Safety Awareness Program, and WHMIS training.

Instructions on how to access these modules are provided to students in Term 1 and are also available on the online Year 1 and Year 2 Fieldwork Quercus course sites. Students need to submit proof of completion of these modules before beginning placement. Students must keep a copy for their own records to show to fieldwork sites, if requested.

Another component of student safety is processes related to student injury while on placement. For information about procedures to follow if injured while on placement, please see section titled “Contracts and Insurance”.

Police Checks

Students are required to obtain a police check if the clinical placement facility to which they are assigned requires the check. There are two kinds of police checks; a Criminal Reference Check, and a Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS). There are fees associated with applications of both types of police checks. The fees vary based on the type of check performed and the police region. Students are responsible for all associated fees.

Results of any police record check are sent directly to the student’s home. The Department of OS&OT does not see or keep copies of the results. If police check is required by the site, then the student must show the police check results to their assigned placement facility on the first day of placement. Upon receipt of the results of the police check, the facility will make a decision regarding the student being able to participate in the placement.

Criminal Reference Check and Vulnerable Sector Screening

Fieldwork sites may require either one of the police checks that are outlined in the box below. Although the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OS&OT) does not require a police check for admission into the program, we strongly recommend that students obtain the Vulnerable Sector Screening each year (the highest level of police check), as students will then have satisfied all site requirements, including those requiring just the Criminal Reference Check.

More information about police checks and the different types available in Ontario can be found here.

If students do not have a recent (within the past 12 months) VSS, they will not be allowed to select fieldwork preferences that have this as a requirement. The Department of OS&OT does not keep a copy of the VSS therefore students must keep the original copy in a safe place so that it is available for them to take to fieldwork placements. Students may voluntarily upload a record of their police check through the ESPC check with Verified, for ease of reference during their participation in the program.

A VSS must be obtained from police services in the region where a student lives. Police checks can take anywhere from 2 to 12 weeks to process depending on the area in which the student lives and which check is requested. In some areas, expedited services (2-3 days) are available at an additional cost to students. University Fieldwork Instructors will advise students on the timing of applications for these checks so that students will be prepared in advance for fieldwork placements.

Toronto Police VSS application forms are available by contacting the OS&OT Fieldwork Office; ot.clined@utoronto.ca (for UTSG students) or ot.progadmin.utm@utoronto.ca (for UTM students).

Procedures for Obtaining the Vulnerable Sector Screening in Various Regions

Metro Toronto Residents

If the postal code of your residence begins with “M” you must obtain the Metropolitan Toronto Police “Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information” form. To obtain the form, St. George Campus students should contact the Fieldwork Administrative Assistant at ot.clined@utoronto.ca or at 416-978-8234. Mississauga Campus students should contact the Program and Fieldwork Administrator at ot.progadmin.utm@utoronto.ca or at 905-569-4334. It is important for you to read all attached information and follow the instructions carefully.

Once you have completed the form, you must submit it to the Toronto Polices Services Headquarters located at 40 College Street, Toronto. For more information please see the Metro Toronto Website.

York Region Residents

The University has been set up as an agency with the York Regional Police Services. If you are a York Region resident, you must go the York Region Police Services website and fill in the form. Under the agency field, enter “University of Toronto”. Once completed, print the form and take it to one of the two sites listed on their website. For more information please see the York Region Police Services website.

Halton-Peel Region Residents

The Department of OS&OT has been set up as an agency with the Halton-Peel Region Police Services. If you are living in Peel Region and need the Vulnerable Sector Screening performed, you must go to the Peel Regional Police Station, ask for the Vulnerable Sector Screening, stating that they are a student in OS&OT at the University of Toronto, pay the fee, fill in the form, produce photo ID, and then just await the results in the mail.

Please see the Peel Regional police services website.

Durham Region Residents

Currently no agency status is required, however, to qualify for the reduced fee, students must take a letter from the University of Toronto indicating the reason for the check (available upon request). Residents must make the application in person and information on how to apply can be found on the Durham Police Website.

Other Regions

If you live outside of these regions, please contact your local police department and ask about how you would obtain a Vulnerable Sector Screening.

If you have further questions or problems with obtaining a Police Check VSS, please contact the ST. George Campus Fieldwork Administrative Assistant at ot.clined@utoronto.ca or at 416-978-8234, or the Mississauga Campus Program and Fieldwork Administrator at ot.progadmin.utm@utoronto.ca or 905-569-4334.

Information on site requirements such as immunizations, police checks, etc. is collected and updated regularly by the Fieldwork Office. This information is made available to the students and it is expected that, prior to placement, students consult and thoroughly read the information related to their assigned placement site. Site requirements should be confirmed in the student’s introductory letter to the site.

Fieldwork Accommodations Process for Students with Disabilities

The University of Toronto Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy provides inclusive education for students with disabilities in support of the Joint Position Statement on Inclusive Occupational Therapy Education for Persons with Disabilities.

Students with disabilities must decide whether they require accommodations for fieldwork placements. Please note that fieldwork course accommodations are not the same as those for an academic course. If a student decides to pursue fieldwork course accommodations, these must be provided to the fieldwork course instructor three months prior to the beginning of the placement. Accommodations must come through the University of Toronto Accessibility Services office.

Students already registered with Accessibility Services must contact their Accessibility Counsellor to discuss fieldwork-specific accommodations. Students needing accommodations and not yet registered with Accessibility Services will need to register with Accessibility Services at their campus site. Please note that time from registration to first visit with Accessibility Services could be several weeks so students must plan accordingly. See the Student Handbook for further information at: https://ot.utoronto.ca/current/student-handbook/support-services/accessing-accommodations/

As noted above, fieldwork-specific accommodations must be provided to the fieldwork course instructor three months before the start of the course so that they can help inform the matching of students to fieldwork sites. In addition, students with fieldwork accommodations should meet with the fieldwork course instructor to discuss their accommodations prior to submitting placement preferences.