Student Fieldwork Requirements

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 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 with Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

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

First Year Students 

Documented proof of current immunization against specific diseases must be provided at registration in the OS&OT program 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 during an Electronic Requirements Verification (ERV) 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 under Fieldwork Forms. 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 Verified account through your email account. Students 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. 

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 completion 

• Completion of mandatory immunizations, lab tests, etc. 

• ERV verification 

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 Verified when commencing classes in September. Required Health Forms and guidelines for the completion of the forms are found under Fieldwork Forms.  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. 

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.  

During fieldwork placements, students may be required to take part in the care of clients with infectious diseases. Students will be trained in infection control procedures through online modules and teaching at the fieldwork partner, as applicable. Temerty Faculty of Medicine guidelines provide further information about communicable diseases and clinical education.  

Infection Control Measures (including Mask Fit Testing) 

Students are required to complete an online Hand Hygiene Module as part of their pre-placement requirements. 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: 

• COTO Standards for Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) 

• Infection Prevention and Control: Public Health Ontario 

• Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network Hand Hygiene Module 

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 is mandatory for all students. The Rehabilitation Sciences Sector typically arranges mask fit testing for all students. All students will be contacted by a Rehabilitation Science Sector administrator to 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. Students should contact the OS&OT Fieldwork Administrative placement coordinator 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. 

Students are required to obtain their CPR certification at the Basic Rescuer C level and provide a copy to Verified through their ERV check. The course must include one and two person CPR on adults, children, and babies. Annual recertification is required.

It is strongly recommended that students take this course after August 1 and prior to September each year to ensure adequate coverage is maintained annually throughout the two years of the MScOT program. 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 ERV 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: 

• Canadian Red Cross 

• Heart and Stroke 

• Lifesaving Society 

• St. John Ambulance 

A provincial regulation requires health and safety awareness training for every worker and supervisor under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Under the OHSA, 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: WHMIS training and Workplace Violence and Harassment. 

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 includes processes related to student injury while on placement. For information about procedures to follow if injured while on placement, please see Contracts and Insurance. 

Students are required to obtain a police record check, and specifically a Vulnerable Sector Screen/Check (VSS). 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, however the VSS is a document that is required to be submitted through Verified, by Synergy, so that the Director of Clinical Education knows that it has been completed. 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 decide if the student is able to participate in the placement. 

Criminal Record Check and Vulnerable Sector Screening 

Fieldwork sites may require either a Criminal Record Check or a Vulnerable Sector Screen, however the VSS satisfies all site requirements, including those requiring the Criminal Record Check. 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. 

Procedures for Obtaining the Vulnerable Sector Screening in Various Regions 

Toronto, York Region, Peel, and Durham Residents 

All of these regions have online application processes. Some additionally have in-person applications, however currently all indicate that an online application is both preferred and faster. Our program is a recognized agency with all these services, however a lower fee may be applied if you have a letter from our program. If you are asked to submit a letter, please contact the Fieldwork Administrator.

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 Fieldwork Administrator (ot.fieldworkadmin@utoronto.ca). 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 students and it is expected that, prior to placement, students thoroughly read the information related to their assigned placement site. Students should confirm specific site requirements in their introductory letter to the site. 

Students must ensure that their placements provide a variety of experiences (i.e. with respect to practice setting, age group, diagnostic group, etc). Within the requirement of 1000 hours of fieldwork, students must complete a minimum of one placement in physical health (coded P) and one placement in psychosocial health (coded M). Alternatively, two combination placements of physical health and psychosocial health (coded B) will also meet these criteria. Further information about the coding system is found within the Placement Offers Coding Sheet. 

Completing the Introductory Fieldwork Experience placement counts towards the required 1000 hours; however, it does not count toward the criteria for the psychosocial health or physical health requirements.

To ensure a variety of placement types, students should independently track their fieldwork experiences on the Student Fieldwork Record within InPlace. 

Students must complete at least one LEAP placement during Year 2. LEAP stands for: 

• Leadership 

• Emerging/Enhancing 

• Advocacy 

• Program Planning and Evaluation 

Fieldwork learning opportunities in Fieldwork 3 will primarily consist of LEAP placements, however, students may also complete a LEAP placement during Fieldwork 2 or Fieldwork 4. See definitions below. 

Leadership and Unique Role-established placements

Students are placed in an organization where there is an established or newly established unique occupational therapy role and/or with an OT Professional Practice Leader. Role-established placements occur in ‘traditional’ fieldwork settings, international settings, private practice, and in OT associations/organizations. These placements provide learning opportunities for students to observe, demonstrate, and develop unique leadership and advocacy skills in addition to other core practice competencies. Preceptors are leaders within the profession, practice setting, or organization. 

Role-emerging placements

Students are placed in an organization where there is no established occupational therapy program or role. Students on these placements have two preceptors: an on-site non-OT professional and an off-site OT practitioner. Most role-emerging placements are developed by the university, but there is an opportunity for students to develop their own role-emerging placement in partnership with the OS&OT LEAP lead, if desired. 

Role-enhancing placements

Students are placed in an organization where there is an established occupational therapy program or role, but occupational therapy services could be enhanced to better serve clientele. Students on these placements have an on-site OT preceptor that is on staff at the organization. 

Program development placements

Students role within an organization involves a focus on a larger project to develop, pilot, and/or evaluate programming designed for their clientele. Students on these placements may have an OT preceptor that is on staff, or an offsite OT preceptor, depending on the structure of the organization and its staffing. 

LEAP placements allow students to continue with their development of the same professional competencies as required in all fieldwork learning experiences but with increased opportunities for the development of leadership and advocacy skills. 

Interprofessional education (IPE) for students occurs when individuals from at least two different roles or professions learn about, from and with each other to collaborate effectively as team members in working towards best outcomes. As part of the U of T IPE curriculum, MScOT students develop competencies for interprofessional collaboration through participation in specific learning activities in fieldwork settings. To fulfill their fieldwork education requirements, students must complete the following, over the span of all fieldwork placements: 

1. Core Fieldwork IPE activities

Students complete at minimum, either: 

1. One Structured IPE Placement 

2. OR Three Flexible IPE Learning Activities

Structured IPE Placement Option 

These placements can be completed during any fieldwork course, when offered and facilitated at specific fieldwork sites (as noted in placement descriptions or upon arrival at your fieldwork site.  

Structured IPE placements include these primary elements: 

• Students from different professions / roles come together in a student team while on placement 

• Students participate in a series of weekly patient-themed tutorials 

• Students prepare and share the delivery of a joint presentation or project at their fieldwork site

Flexible IPE Activities Option

Flexible IPE activities can be completed at almost any fieldwork site where there is team interaction. The activity descriptions and requirements are provided on the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare and Education (CACHE) website, under the heading Flexible Activities.  

The recommended schedule for completion is: 

• Fieldwork 1 or 2: Complete IPE Flexible activity #1 

• Fieldwork 3 and/or 4: Complete IPE Flexible activities #2 and #3 

Note: This is a recommended timeline for completion, but activities can be completed at any point during your fieldwork courses, depending on the context and opportunities available at each.  

Reflection papers are completed after each Flexible IPE Activity. They are reviewed and signed by the preceptor, and then submitted by the student on the assignment tab for the Fieldwork course on Quercus.

2. Interprofessional Competence Assessment (IPCA)

The IPCA is an assessment tool used to gather feedback from team members on the development of a student's collaborative competencies. Students collaborate with their preceptors to identify team members who can provide them with feedback. Team members can include those in clinical as well as non-clinical / administrative / support roles (e.g. project managers, equipment vendors, administrative assistants, etc.).  

The IPCA is completed during Fieldwork 3 OR 4, and can be completed during most placement contexts (including those that are non-traditional in nature) it is ideally completed during a client facing placement, as part of a team environment. 

 Other

Although not a mandatory IPE requirement, we encourage students and sites to consider opportunities related to interprofessional and collaborative learning through Student Leadership Experiences (SLEs). Some placement descriptions will highlight this type of learning opportunity, which satisfies students LEAP requirements through an interprofessional workplace-learning opportunity.