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Home » Nursing Practicum Coordination Office (NPCO)

Nursing Practicum Coordination Office (NPCO)

Get ready for a successful practicum experience!

This Nursing Practicum Coordination Office (NPCO) website provides you with all the information and links you need to prepare for your clinical or practicum experience.

Select your program from the tabs above, and then click on your year level and you will be linked to important forms, instructions and details pertaining to your practicum experience.

Get information about:

  • Completing your Clinical Preparedness Permit (CPP)
  • Using the Health Sciences Placement Network (HSPnet) to view your placement details
  • Activating your Passport York account and getting your School of Nursing Identification
  • Important policies and forms

You can also visit the NPCO (HNES 301E).

Phone: 416.736.5271
Fax: 416.650.8226
Email: npco@yorku.ca

FAQ

Clinical Preparedness Permit (CPP)

The Clinical Preparedness Permit (CPP) is used to track and identify the appropriate documents and certifications required to ensure the students, instructors and patients are safe in their clinical setting. The requirements are outlined by the Ministry of Health and all agencies affiliated with York University.

Each student must obtain the required documents and certifications, upload them to Synergy and book an appointment with Synergy in order to obtain a PASS.

All students are required to complete a CPP prior to their clinical placements. Each CPP must receive a “Pass” from Synergy prior to the deadlines below:

  • If you have a practicum course in the fall term, your CPP must receive a “Pass” by July 15th. 
  • If you have a practicum course in the winter term, your CPP must receive a “Pass” by November 15th.
  • If you have a practicum course in the summer term, your CPP must receive a “Pass” by March 15th.

Failure to obtain a “Pass” from Synergy by the deadlines noted above will jeopardize your clinical placement. You will not be placed in a clinical group and you will be involuntarily removed from the practicum course. Please visit the School of Nursing’s Policy page for more information.

Your CPP must be valid with no documents expiring while you are in your practicum course. All documents must be valid for the timeframes below:

  • If you have a practicum course in the fall term, each CPP document must be valid from September 1st-December 31st.
  • If you have a practicum course in the winter term, each CPP document must be valid from January 1st-April 30th.
  • If you have a practicum course in the summer term, each CPP document must be valid from May 1st-August 31st.

A Vulnerable Sector Screen (VSS) is required each year. Your VSS must be valid for the duration of the term when you have your practicum course.

Note: It may take at least 8 weeks to obtain your VSS – so please plan accordingly.

To apply for a VSS you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Apply to the police station in the region where you live

Most of the regions in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) offer VSS applications online.

Please visit the following websites to view specific instructions on how to apply for a VSS:

Prior to your first clinical placement (when you are submitting your first CPP to Synergy), you will require a 2-step TB test. This includes 2 TB skin tests within approximately 1 month of each other.

You will receive a 1-step TB test annually thereafter.

If your TB test is positive, you will need to get a chest x-ray. If your chest x-ray is negative, you will be required to upload your x-ray report to Synergy and obtain a chest x-ray every two years. If your chest x-ray is positive, please seek appropriate care and treatment from your Healthcare Provider and contact the NPCO for next steps.

If your titres for Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) comes back as not immune or indeterminate, you will need a MMR booster. No further bloodwork is required.

If your titres for Varicella comes back as not immune or indeterminate, you will need a Varicella booster. No further bloodwork is required.

If your titres for Hepatitis B comes back as not immune or indeterminate, you will need a primary series of the Hepatitis B boosters. You are required to obtain a minimum of 2 of the 3 boosters in order to receive a PASS from Synergy and continue in your placement course. You must also complete York’s waiver form. Once you complete the primary series of the Hepatitis B boosters (3 of 3), you are required to repeat your Hepatitis B titres. If this second titre still comes back as not immune or indeterminate, you will need a secondary series of the Hepatitis B boosters. You are required to obtain a minimum of 1 of the 3 boosters in order to receive a PASS from Synergy and continue in your placement course. You must also complete York’s waiver form.

NOTE: The turnaround time to receive serology/bloodwork results can be up to 2 weeks.

Basic Life Support (BLS) is to be completed annually & Mask Fit Test is to be completed every 2 years. Both certifications must be completed in-person.

Both certifications must include the company name, instructor’s name and/or signature, date of completion and your full name (first and last) in order to be accepted by Synergy.

Placements

Placements are assigned based on the address provided by the student on HSPnet, in addition to the ability for students to travel to the placement agency. Each student is responsible for ensuring their address on HSPnet is updated to reflect where the student will be living for the placement term. Additionally, students must indicate if they have access to a personal vehicle on HSPnet under Site Preferences.

Students are unable to switch or swap clinical placements – only under extenuating circumstances.

Students must arrange their own transportation to and from placements and can be expected to travel up to 90 minutes to their placements.  If you use public transit the travel time may vary depend on your address.

Please refer to the School of Nursing Dress Code policy [PDF].

Shoes should be white, with either a leather or leather-like make. There should not be any mesh or exposed areas of your foot. Shoes must be closed toed and closed heals.

We do not provide recommendations for brands however it is important that your stethoscope has both a bell and a diaphragm.

Stethescopes can be purchased on-line i.e. Amazon, at some Shoppers Home Health Care stores and other health care equipment stores.

Scrubs must be dark navy blue. It is recommended that students purchase two sets of scrubs and choose a size that has some ‘give’ as they may shrink when washed.

Wrist watches are no longer recommended for Infection Prevention & Control reasons. There are nursing watches that can be pinned to your scrubs available for purchase on-line.

Students cannot request specific hospitals/facilities. Only in IP are students able to indicate their area of interest.

You will be required to submit documentation from your religious leader to the NPCO indicating the required accommodation.

Please visit CPP and NPCO Forms and Policies.

HSPnet

The School of Nursing uses the Health Sciences Placement Network (HSPnet) in order to coordinate student clinical placements, manage placement requests and share contact information between students, instructors and preceptors. You will be sent an email (to your York email) from NPCO giving you detailed instructions on how to access HSPnet and view your clinical placements.

For more information, please visit the HSPnet webpage.

Once your placement is assigned, check HSPnet to ensure you have enabled communication with the placement site and your CCD. Additionally, check frequently prior to the beginning of your placement for orientation materials and mandatory modules that may have been uploaded by your placement site.

All placements will be released via HSPnet between the second and third week of August (Fall), December (Winter) and April (Summer).

Placements may be released in batches, however, in the event you do not have a placement by the end of each month listed above, please reach out to the NPCO.

Community

The type of placements for NURS4525 including but not limited to: shelters, community resource centres, mental health agencies, LTC-recreation department (not bedside care), schools, women centres, correctional facilities, etc. any place that serves vulnerable or marginalized populations. Most likely, you will be with other students and work as a small group at the agency. There will be 10-12 students in a CCD/tutorial group. You will follow the agency’s business hours, min. 6 hrs/day AM or PM. Please have the entire practicum days reserved.

A new non-traditional community placement model was introduced in September 2017; CORNER  (Community OutReach Nursing Resources). The goal of the CORNER model is to partner with schools, community organizations, corporations, and others interested in hosting our students to deliver health promotion topics.  Students are placed either in healthpromotion@York, where they work with a department on York’s campus (eg. Stong college, student success program, etc) or in Healthpromtion@agency, where students are placed in a designated location on York’s campus and are scheduled to facilitate community assessment and health promotion initiatives with their CCDs at agencies off campus; (eg. TDSB, York region schools, Catholic schools, and community run agencies). Your tutorial schedule will be unchanged; therefore you will continue to meet with your CCD in your weekly tutorial.

If you’re asked to send your resume (general resume is fine) to a potential placement, please send it promptly. (This may not apply to everyone). It’s a very common request since the community is becoming increasingly competitive with many schools (nursing, social work, Community Support Worker programs, etc.) looking for similar placements. Not following up on this could result on losing the placement. Some agencies will request an interview with the student. Request for interviews and/or resume will be communicated to students by the NPCO staff through HSPnet.

If asked for an interview, check out the placement website (try Google) to learn as much as possible about the organization before the interview. The purpose of the interview is to select the best candidate, so it’s important that you show professionalism and interest in doing your placement there. They will then decide who would be the best candidate for their programs. If you’re unsuccessful, the NPCO will look for an alternate placement for you.

Please note that York is affiliated with specific Community agencies. Not all agencies are able (must find a preceptor for you) or appropriate for this practicum (even though it may be very close to you geographically).

Integrated Practicum (IP)

IP stands for Integrated Practicum and is your final clinical course in the program. During IP, you work closely (1:1) with an assigned preceptor and are expected to follow their full-time schedule. Clinical Course Directors communicate with you and your preceptor on a regular basis but are not on site with you during your clinical placement hours.

Yes, however, in order for students to be considered for a specialty clinical area must have the following:

  • A minimum grade of B+ in all practicum courses AND
  • A cumulative GPA of a minimum B+

As always, the NPCO makes every effort to ensure students are given their top 3 choices. Requesting a specialty area, however, does not guarantee you a specialty placement.

A specialty clinical area includes:

  • Paediatrics
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
  • Labour & Delivery
  • Critical Care (Intensive Care Unit [ICU], Cardiac Intensive Care Unit [CICU], Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit [CVICU])
  • Emergency Medicine (ER)
  • Transplant

The NPCO will send out an online survey in October for IP in the summer and May for IP in the winter.

Unfortunately, no. The clinical agency is responsible for assigning preceptors.

General

Use your Passport York account to log in to the Resources for Students website.

Student Monthly TTC Metro passes as well as tokens are available at a discounted rate through York Federation of Students (YFS). 

Metrolinx/Presto does have a student travel rate. For students using the go please visit the GO Student Card Website for more information.