Collaborative Degree Nursing Program Placement FAQs

No, you cannot arrange your own placement. The CPO organizes all practice placements for the Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, and has pre-existing relationships and affiliation agreements with agencies and hospitals throughout Ontario. These are legally-binding agreements that are in place to ensure the safety and security of both parties involved. Agency partners will only host students in placements arranged by the CPO.

Students are not allowed to request a placement from where they work or volunteer. The CPO strives to provide students with practice experiences that are free from conflict of interest. This means that you should not be actively working or volunteering in a setting or capacity that may alter manager, educator, preceptor, client or family member expectations. Please remember, nursing practice placements are evaluative. You will be expected to report any potential conflict of interest to the CPO or site lead faculty for further assessment.

You will have the opportunity to rank your placement choices using the Student Site Selector in HSPnet. In addition, students in Year 3 and 4 will have the opportunity to complete a Placement Information Record (PIR) where you can indicate an area of interest for your placement, such as community health, gerontology or public health and provide other details.

The CPO collaborates with course leads and placement partners to ensure that you receive quality placements in various diverse settings to successfully meet course objectives and competencies. 

The Collaborative Nursing Program is a generalist program that ensures students meet entry-to-practice competencies prior to graduation. 

Students in Year 4 may have the opportunity to complete placements in specialty areas such as: critical care, intensive care, emergency, labour and delivery or pediatrics. However, these placements are few in number and follow a competitive process set by the placement agency. 

Nursing practice placement opportunities may involve working with diverse populations who experience barriers. Barriers may include, but are not limited to, literacy level, sexual orientation, culture geography, social factors, religious practices, education, economic circumstances, mental and physical abilities. The Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing is supportive and inclusive of all people who experience barriers.

You can pursue specialization and certification in specialized clinical areas after graduation at a community college.

No. The destination contact at your placement site will decide on your preceptor assignment. All parties are responsible to disclose any potential conflict of interest.

Depending on your year of study, placement decisions and student assignments are based on some or all of the following factors: 

• Curriculum requirements
• Placement availability
• Past practice experience
• Placement agency interviews
• Faculty consultations

It is important to ensure that you keep your address and contact information up to date in HSPnet  (external link, opens in new window) and myServiceHub.

The PIR form allows you to indicate your practice areas of interest, such as community health, gerontology, or public health, and provide other details important to help coordinate and negotiate a variety of nursing practice experiences that will meet the objectives of Year 3 and 4 nursing practice courses.

The information you provide in your PIR will assist placement coordinators with assigning your nursing practice placement. You will receive your PIR form by email in the winter semester for the following year of the program. You can also find PIR forms on the Collaborative Nursing Degree Program: Forms page.  You must be logged into your Toronto Metropolitan University account when completing the form.

Yes. If you have moved or no longer have access to a vehicle, please complete another PIR. Make sure to contact the placement coordinator for your year of study prior to submitting your updated PIR. This ensures that they are aware of the changes and can update their records.

Please note if the form is no longer available, contact your placement coordinator with the updated information.

The Student Site Selector (SSS) is a function in HSPnet (external link, opens in new window)  that allows you to view confirmed available placements and rank your choices. Your placement coordinator will share information on when and how to use the Student Site Selector.

You will receive placement information via HSPnet (external link, opens in new window) . We strive to confirm all placements, via HSPNet, within two weeks of your nursing practice course start date. Make sure to check HSPNet frequently for placement updates, it is your responsibility to do so.

You should consider travel time when ranking choices in Site Selector in HSPnet (external link, opens in new window) . In some cases, you should expect to spend up to 90 minutes commuting to your placement. Make sure to plan your route and travel accordingly to ensure you arrive on time for your assigned shifts.

No. Once you have been assigned a placement, you cannot switch your placement. You are responsible for reporting any professional conflict of interest or special accommodations prior to beginning your placement. We assign placements in a fair and equitable manner.

Placement partners do not permit students to enter practice if they miss their placement site orientation. If you miss your placement site orientation, you jeopardize your placement as well as your progress in the program. The CPO is not obligated to assign a new placement for students who have missed their practice placement orientation.

Students in Year 3 and Year 4 can apply for year-long placement programs. These are select opportunities to undertake year-long placements that  involve a variety of clinical settings. The application process begins in the spring, and involves faculty consultation and/or interviews with the placement agency. If you have been accepted into a year-long placement, you must remain in the placement for both terms.

The Year 3 Nursing Practice course (NSE 311 (opens in new window)  and NSE 321 (opens in new window) ) provides students with the opportunity to gain experience working with clients in a variety of community-oriented settings. These include:

• Community health centres
• Primary care offices
• Shelters
• Mental health agencies
• Harm reduction programs
• Out-patient clinics
• Long-term care homes
• Schools
• Non-profit organizations 

Using a theoretical approach that is relevant to the practice setting, you will collaborate with individual families, groups and communities to ensure creative, caring, flexible and culturally sensitive nursing practice. Community placements allow you to develop your skills in health promotion, community-based assessment, and program planning and evaluation. They also encourage you to use research findings critically to guide your practice and engage in self-reflection. You will work independently in nursing practice settings with agency personnel and a faculty advisor.

Many Year 3 placement partners require students to interview prior to starting placement.

There are very few placement opportunities available at SickKids, and they take place in Year 3 and Year 4 only. Typically, we send out application information via email to students in late February and early March. If you are interested in applying, you must have a minimum CGPA of 3.0 and complete an interview. We will also review some or all of the following criteria:

• Curriculum requirements
• Placement availability
• Past practice experience
• Faculty consultation

Applications received after the due date will not be accepted. The CPO will screen all applications and forward a shortlist to SickKids. SickKids will conduct a selection process from the shortlist applicants and make a final decision.

If you have an extenuating circumstance and self-identify as requiring an accommodation for your clinical placement, you must get in touch with the Academic Accommodation Support Office and meet with a student accomodation facilitator. It is very important to initiate this process well in advance of your placement assignment. Placement coordinators require accommodation information to negotiate your placement with our partners and to ensure they are securing a placement that meets your needs, ensures your safety and aligns to course objectives.

Please note this process should be started prior to the start of the new semester to avoid any delays in starting your clinical placement.

Contact the Academic Accommodation Support Office (opens in new window)  by:

Fall - May 15th

Winter - October 1st

To obtain a replacement clinical badge email the CPO (opens in new window) . The fee for a replacement badge is $20, payable to the OneCard office (opens in new window)  at the time of pickup.