Every effort is made to match students to a desired choice and location, however, this is not always possible nor guaranteed. All placements will provide valuable learning experiences.

Before Field Placement Begins:

• It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with all aspects of the field placement process, including course outlines, field placement class schedule, policies, field placement requirements, and the evaluation package.
• Students are required to complete program specific consent forms. To access the forms, students need to visit the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Document Services Community in myConestoga and click on the Consent Forms tab. 
• Students must complete all pre-placement requirements before starting their field placement, including OHS1320 Safety and the Workplace and all Conestoga College WIL documentation.  
• A Police Check for Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS) is required for many of our programs if you are working with vulnerable people. An unclear criminal record may result in the inability to participate in WIL experiences which will jeopardize progress in the program. Acceptance of the VSS is at the discretion of the agency; some agencies may request students to provide a VSS completed within six months of WIL start date and thus an additional VSS may be required throughout your program. Students with criminal records are advised to meet with the Program Coordinator for academic counselling to determine program suitability. 
• Students who do not meet the due date set by WIL Document Services Department (Placement Services) may not be able to begin placement. You may need to wait for a different term to complete placement which may delay successful completion of the program.
• In the event there is a perceived conflict of interest, the placement should be discussed with the Field Placement Advisor in advance.

Students must follow the Code of Ethics from their chosen profession, including maintaining confidentiality and behaving in an ethical manner. Students who do not meet the minimum standard of acceptable and appropriate behavior and/or have breached the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy may be considered ineligible to take Field Placement courses.

• A field placement course is to be completed in full within the given semester. Absences could put course completion in jeopardy, resulting in the withdrawal (or removal) from the placement course with or without penalty.
• Students are expected to be at field placement during their scheduled placement hours unless the organization is closed. Failure to meet these standards may result in either students being asked to complete their placement hours at a different time or failure of the placement itself.
• Students are expected to work their entire shift as scheduled. The placement attendance log is to be completed daily.  Length of shifts and start and end times will vary from placement to placement. Depending on your program and work sector, students can be scheduled at any time throughout the day. The schedule will be developed in consultation with your supervisor to support organization needs.
• The maximum length of a placement day is 8 hours, breaks and lunch included.  Absences from placement must be reported to the placement site and the Field Placement Advisor.
• Students do not attend placement on statutory holidays or Student Success Week unless otherwise arranged and approved.
• Absenteeism from placement due to personal conflicts (e.g. work, family commitments or vacations plans) may result in having to withdraw from the placement course.
• Absences incurred due to exceptional circumstances (i.e. admittance to hospital, injury, death of a family member) must be reported to the Field Placement Advisor. In turn the Field Placement Advisor will review the situation with the program team and create a plan for placement completion if possible.
• Students who have not been able to complete all field placement required hours by the end of the semester due to exceptional circumstances, may be eligible for an Incomplete and able to complete the placement with an extension of time. This will be negotiated with their Field Placement Advisor in consultation with the Program Coordinator as well as the placement site before the end of the semester. If the Incomplete is approved, the student may be granted an extension to return to the placement and complete the outstanding requirements. Specifics about the terms of the incomplete will be outlined and communicated in writing.

• Professionalism refers to the competency and behaviors that you bring to the workplace. It is a big component of performance.  Professionalism includes (but is not limited to) behaviors such as showing up to work on time, speaking respectfully, dressing appropriately, not using cell phones unless appropriate, completing tasks, and asking clarifying questions for the work environment. Professionalism standards can differ depending on the profession, so students are expected to have read and understood their profession's Standards and Code of Ethics.  Students are expected to behave professionally at all times at field placement, including adhering to their profession's Code of Ethics and the policies and safety standards at their field placement site. Failure to comply with safety standards, the placement policies/procedures and/or professional conduct will be dealt with seriously and may result in removal from the placement, failure of the course or discontinuance from the program.
• When a student is having difficulty in their placement, it is imperative that the student initiate a discussion with their Placement Supervisor immediately.   Students are expected to use their problem-solving, communication and advocacy skills to reach out and discuss concerns including discussing with the Field Placement Advisor. If a student decides to resign from their Field Placement position, they will need to withdraw from the course.  Another placement may not be found.
• Submission of the field placement assignments are due according to assigned due dates, and follow the School of Community Services late policy (Day 1 lose 20%, Day 2 lose 40%, after Day 2 not accepted).   Documents required from the Placement Supervisor are also due as soon as Placement submits them to student, student must submit to faculty.  It is the student's responsibility to review the documentation with the Placement Supervisor in advance of due dates to ensure timely submission.
• No field placement documents will be accepted after the last day of the semester unless the student has made prior arrangements with their Field Placement Advisor. Failure to meet all placement requirements including completing and submitting documentation, may result in the course being failed.
• If a placement site ends a student's placement during the semester, the student will be required to meet with the Field Placement Advisor to discuss the situation.  The time of the semester in which the placement was discontinued, and the factors involving the discontinuation will be contributing factors in determining next steps. A plan will be created that may include a possible relocation to a new placement site or may result in a failure.  The student will not continue to communicate with or attend placement once the discontinuance of placement has been initiated by the Field Placement Site.

• Students must immediately report any concerns about the safety of the work environment and/or the safety of community members to their Field Placement Supervisor, Field Placement Advisor, Program Coordinator and WIL Officer.  
• Students must report any injury that happens at field placement immediately to their Field Placement Supervisor and Field Placement Advisor.