Learning

The Office of Student Affairs has developed a partnership between HHS and Nipissing University to support the RPN to BScN Blended Learning Program. This partnership allows RPNs at HHS the opportunity to study part-time towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree through a 5-year distance education program while continuing to practice as registered staff at HHS.

As a part of the application process, RPNs are required to submit a Letter of Support signed by their unit manager. Please use the copy provided here

If you are looking for information related to the RPN to BScN Blended Learning Program, please visit the website below. Nipissing University has provided an overview of the program and FAQs in this presentation.

Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) to BScN Blended Delivery The School of Nursing has formed a number of partnerships with Ontario health care agencies that allow current RPN’s the opportunity to study part-time towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. www.nipissingu.ca

This is an observational experiential education opportunity to assist individuals to make better informed decision about potential career choices. The length of this opportunity can vary between 1-3 days and will be determined by the Office of Student Affairs in collaboration with the hosting unit.

Career Exploration / Job Shadowing is strictly observational with no “hands on” and/or no “direct patient care” activities. As an observer, you must be partnered with a staff member at all times.

Requests to observe or shadow physicians will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

How to apply

An experiential education opportunity is required if it is part of an academic course of study.

If your placement is not related to a school program requirement, please contact studentaffairs@hhsc.ca to further discuss your request.

How to apply

High school students interested in unpaid co-op placements at HHS should contact their school co-op teacher directly. These placements are organized at the school board level in collaboration with HHS.

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit the Volunteering page.

Hamilton Health Sciences Dietetic Practicum

Hamilton Health Sciences is a community of 15,000 staff, physicians, researchers and volunteers that proudly serves southwestern Ontario residents. In partnership with Brescia School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Western University, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) Dietetic Practicum offers comprehensive nutrition care, food provision, population health promotion and practice-based project placements to dietetic practicum students in the Diploma in Dietetic Education and Practical Training (DDEPT) and Master of Science in Foods and Nutrition practicum-based (MScFN).

Dietetic practicum students at HHS are active participants in their learning journey and will have an opportunity to practice dietetic skills in a fast-paced, hands-on practical environment. Our program offers many interesting and challenging opportunities for professional and personal growth in a dynamic learning environment.

The HHS dietetic practicum has a strong focus in applying food and nutrition expertise. This is an ideal program for students who are clinically focused and whose career goals consist of working in a hospital-based, acute care setting, providing evidence-informed medical nutrition therapy focused on the management of acute illness and chronic disease in adults or pediatric populations. and in Registered Dietitians performing their role in collaboration with patients and families, and with members of the health care team.

Students in the HHS cohort are supported by the local Dietetic Education Coordinator. Placements may will take place across any of our multiple sites including: Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital, Juravinski Cancer Centre, McMaster Children’s Hospital, St. Peter’s Hospital and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Placements may also be completed with our learning partners in the Hamilton / Niagara/ Burlington/ Brantford region including Family Health Teams, long-term care settings and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Students with the HHS cohort should expect to travel within this region for placement. Placement hours are typically 8 hours per day, Monday thru Fridays with 1 week off in the fall and 2 weeks off over the December holidays. Students in the HHS cohort participate in all Brescia-Western related education activities.

Nutrition Care Placements

HHS provides specialized, advanced care to people from across the province and is committed to improving the quality of care for our patients through innovation and evidence-informed practices. HHS dietitians are respected members of many health care teams across the organization. They are recognized for their expertise in nutritional assessments and developing individualized nutrition care plans in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

HHS offers excellent adult and pediatric nutrition care learning experiences in our tertiary care facilities. Dietetic students placed with HHS will complete 22 weeks of in-person clinical placements providing

them the opportunity to work with diverse populations across the life cycle in a variety of practice settings. Once students are placed with HHS, those interested in pediatrics will have the opportunity to apply for pediatric-focused training. Students with a pediatric focus will have 12 nutrition care weeks dedicated to learning in this population, with the possibility of additional pediatric-related experience in practice-based projects, population health promotion and food provision. There is a separate application process for those students selecting a pediatric focus for their Nutrition Care placements.

Examples of pediatric placement opportunities include:

• Pediatric Surgical Care
• Pediatric Oncology
• Pediatric Intensive Care
• Neonatal Intensive Care
• Eating Disorders
• Children’s Exercise and Nutrition Clinic
• Pediatric Renal Care
• Metabolics
• Pediatric GI clinic
• Ketogenic clinic

Examples of adult nutrition care placements opportunities include:

• Outpatient Cancer Care
• Clinical Neuroscience
• Critical Care
• Medicine
• Stroke
• Rehabilitation
• Oncology
• Hematology
• Cardiac Surgery
• Cardiac Critical Care
• Cardiac Health and Rehabilitation
• Burn and Trauma Unit
• Surgical Care
• Palliative Care

Practice-based Project

Hamilton Health Sciences is a teaching hospital with significant research activities. DDEPT students will complete a 6-week research or practice-based project supported by dietitians at HHS, or may complete these weeks at an organization outside of HHS. This placement may be individual or in student pairs. Activities are project-based and may be in-person, virtual or both.

Food Provision Placement

Students will complete their 6-week food service management placement in student pairs at HHS. This placement provides opportunities for students to engage in departmental project work requiring critical thinking and analysis to address current issues. Food Services at HHS is managed by Compass One Health care. The Food Services leadership team oversee Patient Food Services placements, which offer experiences in:

• Food procurement, food handling and related audits
• Personnel management and scheduling
• Budget planning, project management
• CBORD systems to manage food service operations (i.e., purchasing/inventory, costing)
• CBORD systems diet office automation (i.e., diet/food compliance, menus, tray tickets)
• Legislated and mandatory staff training and practices

Population Health Promotion Placement

Students may complete a 6-week population health placement with the HHS SHINE Wellness team or at a local organization outside of HHS. This placement may be individual or student pairs. Activities are project-based and may be in-person, virtual or both.

Applications for practical training at HHS are coordinated through Brescia School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Western University.

Diploma in Dietetic Education and Practical Training (DDEPT) 

Masters of Science in Foods and Nutrition with practical training (MScFN) 

Electives for undergraduate medical students and residents are coordinated by McMaster University.

For more information about undergraduate medical electives, please view the website for the Undergrad MD Electives Office at McMaster University.

For more information for resident electives, please view the website for the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at McMaster University.

For information about credentialing, contact Medical Affairs.

Note: Hamilton Health Sciences does not accommodate observerships for undergraduate medical students.

HHS offers two Predoctoral Psychology Residency Programs accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). In these programs, residents are exposed to a range of patient populations and intervention approaches through their participation on interdisciplinary teams. This breadth and depth is an attractive attribute of the Predoctoral Residency Programs at Hamilton Health Sciences.

There are two Predoctoral Psychology Residency Programs at Hamilton Health Sciences, each with separate brochures

Pre-doctoral residency program in clinical child psychology brochure

Pre-doctoral residency program in clinical neuropsychology brochure

The Residency Programs at HHS are both accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA; until 2028 and 2029). Further information on accreditation can be obtained from the CPA Accreditation Office – 141 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 702, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J3, 1-888-472-0657, or online at: http://www.cpa.ca/accreditation/whatis/. Please see the brochure for more information.

Contacts:

GTA Psychology Practicum 

Regional Rehabilitation Centre (RRC) Physiotherapy Team selected to receive the “Contributions to the School” award from McMaster School of Rehabilitation Science.

The team at RRC have been dedicated to excellence in clinical supervision and have been a reliable source of providing placement opportunities for our students in every placement period, across all cohorts. In consideration of the global pandemic, a time of increased pressure and stress, this team has continued to demonstrate unwavering support of McMaster PT learners. They have demonstrated creativity and initiative in encouraging and working with team members to take on the role of clinical instructor in order to continue providing excellent and ample opportunities.

Hamilton Health Sciences is committed to engage, empower and enable our people to deliver on our mission. Orientation welcomes all new staff and introduces the values and culture of the organization, who we are and where we are going. This is coordinated through an orientation pathway, complemented with program, service and area specific orientation. Role specific along with interprofessional orientation experiences, strengthen contributions to the broader teamwork and interprofessional practice that is required to deliver on our mission.

Learn more about orientations offered at HHS.

Hamilton Health Sciences supports our care teams with the following workshop opportunities. Health professional colleagues with other organizations are welcome to contact us to learn more about attending our workshops.

Learn more about workshops offered at HHS.

The staff libraries at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) provide access to quality health information for hospital staff, associated physicians and residents, and learners.

Library staff are available to assist users in finding evidence based information to support patient care by:

• Conducting literature searches
• Retrieving books and research articles
• Providing individual or group teaching sessions on effective searching

All electronic resources, including books, journals and databases, can be found on the HHS Intranet through the library portal called the Clinical Reference Library. Print collections and study space can also be found at the Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital, McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC), and St. Peter’s Hospital sites.

Contact Information

• Hamilton General Hospital library: libraryg@hhsc.ca
• Juravinski Hospital library: libraryjh@hhsc.ca
• MUMC library: librarymumc@hhsc.ca
• St. Peter’s Hospital library: librarySPH@hhsc.ca