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Practice Placements in Nursing

Practice placements are an integral component of experiential learning within the curriculum of the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. Experiential learning occurs in all years and levels of the School’s programs, see Direct Entry 3.5yr BScN or CTF Program for more specific information regarding placement courses.

The Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing strives to offer a variety of placement opportunities for students, however experiences in specialty areas (e.g. obstetrics, pediatrics, mental health) are limited and not guaranteed for all students. Detailed placement information is available year-by-year on the curriculum web pages for our Direct Entry 3.5yr BScN Program and CTF programs. See below and consult the FAQ section for more information about practice placements.

Practice Partners & Settings

The practice settings accessed by nursing students in both BScN programs are located in the southwestern Ontario geographic area. This area offers rewarding learning opportunities in a variety of rural, community, and urban settings with diverse client populations across the life span. Placement opportunities within the southwestern Ontario geographic area may vary from term to term, depending on availability. Although students may not have the exact same placement experiences as their classmates, each practice setting will provide a unique opportunity for students to apply and develop their knowledge, skills, and judgment in a practice setting.

Map of SW LHIN

Ontario's health network is divided into 14 distinct regions.

Placements are arranged by the School of Nursing within London and the entire southwestern Ontario geographic area. Students can expect to receive at least one placement outside the city of London. Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from placements (e.g. vehicle, public transit, carpool, car share, etc.) and for any associated costs of travel and accommodation (if required).

Frequently Asked Questions

The Placement Office acts on behalf of students to work with all clinical partners to coordinate placements. Affiliation agreements with placement partners indicate that all requests come from the Placement Office. Students are not permitted to find clinical placements on their own due to detailed negotiation and legal processes involved with securing placements. Students should follow-up with the Placement Office if there is a placement that is of interest to them within the southwestern Ontario geographic area.
Preceptor assignment is decided by the designated contact at the placement site. The potential preceptor can express their interest to precept to the designated contact. All parties involved need to ensure that it is not a conflict of interest.
Clinical practice experiences are an integral component of nursing education. In the clinical placement experience, the learner role takes precedence. The Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing is committed to supporting students to have access to fair clinical learning experiences and mitigating risk associated with real or perceived conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest includes previous and/or current work/volunteering experience or employment of family or friends in the placements and any pre-established relationships that may exist that could influence students’ clinical placement experiences.
With the exception of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto (for Integrative Practicum only) and Bluewater Health in Sarnia, placements at the present time are within the southwestern Ontario geographic area. Please see the southwestern Ontario geographic area map.
The Placement Office acts on behalf of students to work with all clinical partners to coordinate placements. Placement assignment processes are communicated in advance of the upcoming academic year. Placements are assigned with the goal of providing a diverse placement experience.

Pre-Placement Requirements

Your choice of career path requires you to meet specific health and safety standards as outlined by Ontario law. The Ontario government and the organizations offering us placements have mandated specific medical and non-medical requirements that students must meet before beginning placement. These measures are in place to protect students, hospital staff, and patients/clients. The Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing is committed to meeting standards of practice in nursing by ensuring that students attain and maintain required certifications and immunization standards.

Students will be required to be compliant with the policy requirements of our placement partners in order to attend placements in those facilities. If students are not compliant with those policies, they will not be able to attend those placements and will fail to meet clinical graduation requirements. Students that fail to meet clinical graduation requirements will not be eligible to complete the program.

Detailed information will be circulated to students in advance of their placement start date.

Questions?

Prospective students: contact nurse@uwo.ca

Current students: Please review the information packages posted to the Nursing Placement Information SharePoint site for the appropriate contact information.