Practice Placements in Nursing

Practice placements are an integral part of the curriculum in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing's Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. Placements occur in years 2, 3 and 4 of the Collaborative program and levels 3, 4 and 5 of the Compressed Time Frame (CTF) program. This timing allows students to gain knowledge, develop and practice skills in the lab and through simulated learning, prior to engaging with clients and patients.

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 Collaborative and CTF programs. See below and consult the FAQ section for more information about practice placements.

Map of SW LHIN

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

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 and skills in a practice setting.

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).

Practice Settings (not inclusive and subject to change)

  • Children's Treatment Centres
  • Community Support Services
  • Long-Term Care Facilities
  • Mental Health
  • Primary Care Clinics
  • Public Health Units
  • Teaching/Community Hospitals

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I find my own placement?

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.

Can I find my own preceptor?

Preceptor assignment is decided by the destination contact at the placement site. The potential preceptor can express their interest to precept to the destination contact. All parties involved need to ensure that it is not a conflict of interest.

What is a conflict of interest?

A conflict of interest exists if there is any form of pre-established relationship with the placement site that will interfere with carrying out professional/academic responsibilities (e.g. having family or friends working in the placement site, recent work/volunteering experience in the placement site or recent admission or treatment within the placement site).

Can I complete my placement outside the southwestern Ontario geographic area?

With the exception of the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, placements at the present time are within the southwestern Ontario geographic area. Please see the southwestern Ontario geographic area map on the Practice Placements main page.

Can I choose my own placement assignment?

All clinical placements are assigned to ensure students receive a diverse placement experience. The initial placement is randomly assigned and follow-up placements are assigned based on the following factors:

  • Initial placement (medicine, surgical)
  • Out-of town vs in-town placement
  • Large teaching hospital vs. community hospital experience

Pre-Placement Requirements

Nursing students are required to meet specific health and safety standards as outlined by Ontario law. The Government of Ontario and the organizations offering practice placements, mandate specific medical and non-medical requirements that must be met by students before beginning a practice placement. These measures are in place to protect students, co-workers and patients.

Students must also be aware that at this time most placement partners including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community clinics, have pre-placement policies for students that include mandatory vaccination requirements. 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.

The Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing is committed to meeting these standards of practice in nursing by ensuring that students attain and maintain required certifications and meet recommended immunization standards.

Students are not required to complete pre-placement requirements for Year 1 (Collaborative program) or Level 1 (CTF program). Detailed information will be circulated and presented to students approximately six months before agency placements begin. This information is also available to students by logging into the Nursing Placement Information SharePoint intranet site.