How to Prepare for a Placement
If you are currently not approved for a placement, click here.
What you need to know about COVID-19 as a learner at St. Joe’s
as a health professional, non-clinical learner, and high school co-op learner.
The health and safety of our workforce and patients is paramount as we continue to confront the challenges COVID has imposed. Vaccination is critical to protecting our patients and one another. We require all learners to get vaccinated.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health issued a directive mandating hospitals and home and community care service providers to have a COVID-19 vaccination program for employees, staff, contractors, students and volunteers. The Chief Medical Officer of Health was clear that this directive sets a minimum standard. Our vaccination program requires learners to provide proof of one of two things:
- ·Full vaccination against COVID-19; or
- ·A medical reason for not being vaccinated against COVID-19
All learners must complete an attestation form AND submit their vaccination receipts before the start of the placement.
Those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical or human rights reasons will be required to provide proof from their school’s Health Screening Office. This task is completed through our onboarding system, St. Joes NirvSystem. The VP Education Office will connect with those who have stated they have an exemption.
Our vaccination program considers the provincial directive noted above and includes mandating full vaccination for all new learners without the option for testing.
All learner medical documentation shared with OHS/VP Education Office is maintained in strict confidence. This information will only be reviewed by OHS and the VP Education Office, and will not be shared with your supervisor/manager or any other St. Joe’s employees.
If there are any questions, please contact VPEducationOffice@stjoes.ca.
For most non-nursing, health professional learners, your school ID will act as an ID badge while on placement at St. Joe’s. Please confirm with your placement supervisor. If you do require a St. Joe’s badge, please arrange an appointment with Security, via your placement supervisor to obtain one. When you arrive onsite, show the email confirming your security appointment at screening, and then to security to obtain your ID badge.
Aligned with the provincial reopening plan, St Joe’s is implementing an active self-screening approach for all Health Care Workers, including staff, physicians, learners, volunteers, and contracted staff.
Before active self-screening is implemented, all St Joe’s learners, including those working on-site and remotely, must complete a digital attestation, making them accountable to only be entering the building with a negative screen (i.e. symptom and exposure free) unless going to the HCW testing centre.
The screening tool and attestation is completed online in St. Joes NirvSystem.
If you do not complete the online screening tool, you must access the building using an entrance staffed by COVID Screeners.
Active self-screening is the process of answering the screening questions for each entry to a SJHH location without having to show clearance confirmation to the COVID screener.
If you feel unwell and do not pass the screening questions, notify your placement manager and school contact for further direction.
Learners are responsible for bringing a new medical mask with them when they report to work for every shift. Extra medical masks will be available at every unit/department/work area so learners can take a new one home with them so they have a fresh one the next time they arrive for their shift. Mask dispensers will also be available at the entrances/exits should new mask be required.
Learners are required to sanitize their hands and ensure they are wearing a medical mask before proceeding past the entrance. Cloth masks are not permitted. If you are without a mask, you will need to use a patient/visitor entrance and complete screening with the staff screeners.
If there are any questions, please contact VPEducationOffice@stjoes.ca.
Staff, Physician and Learner entrances at each campus (click here to view and download site maps)
If you do not have a St. Joes programable badge you must use a manned entrance.
Charlton Campus:
- Juravinski tower entrance, Fontbonne–manned entrance, use Health Care Worker only lane.
- Roof Deck, Tunnel/Parking and Luke Wing – programmable St. Joes Identification badge only access; unmanned entrance.
West 5th & King Campuses & Offsite Locations:
- manned entrance, use Health Care Worker only lane.
- Follow screening, hand hygiene, and use PPE as per protocols.
- Complete the doffing/donning of PPE module in St. Joes Nirvsystem as part of your onboarding.
- Complete the Hand Hygiene (2014) module in St. Joes Nirvsystem as part of your onboarding.
- Throughout your placement follow surveillance and infection control principles. We conduct active and passive screening for COVID-19, including surveillance for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, and healthcare workers through signage, virtual, and verbal screening at all entry points to our hospitals. IPAC principles are to be applied to all patients, all interactions, and at all times to reduce risk of transmission.
- Follow staff screening for COVID-19 and masking requirements.