Personal Support Worker (PSW)

Onboarding

1. All students coming to UHN for clinical placement must register on the UMLearns registration website.
2. After registering and once placement information has been submitted in UMLearns, students will see the link to complete all of their required online orientation modules under the Network Log-In tab of their UMLearns profile.
3. Please note each profession may have additional profession specific learning requirements.

Upon Completion of Placement

1. Students are strongly encouraged to provide feedback about their placement at UHN so that we can continuously improve. Please share confidential feedback via TAHSN Learner Experience Survey.
2. Students who have a UHN photo ID badge should return the badge to Security.

UHN values the health and safety of all workers (including learners) and requires that they report accidents, exposures, injuries, and near misses to Health Services as soon as possible after the incident. Reporting these incidents provides opportunities to improve the performance of safety programs, the quality of the working environment and the safety of staff, patients and visitors, and to ensure compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

When an injury occurs in the workplace, the first priority is to ensure prompt medical treatment for the injured worker and to ensure that any risk to other persons from any device, equipment or physical condition of the workplace has been corrected.

During daytime hours, if a workplace injury or accident occurs, you MUST inform your supervisor and go to HealthServices or Emergency.

While learning at UHN, please visit the Health Services department page on the intranet for more details and locations.

Health Services Requirements

At UHN, we value our relationships with the academic partners as well as the learners. We strive to provide a rich and safe learning environment and part of that process is to ensure that all learners have proper immunization.

The Health and Safety requirements for all learners prior to placement hours at UHN requires that learners from all health disciplines have the following:

Immunization Requirements:

• Measles (Documentation of 2 doses of MMR vaccination OR Laboratory evidence of immunity)
• Mumps (Documentation of 2 doses of MMR vaccination OR Laboratory evidence of immunity)
• Rubella (Documentation of 2 doses of MMR vaccination OR Laboratory evidence of immunity)
• Tetanus / Diphtheria / Pertussis (Every 10 Yrs.)
• Influenza (every Winter/Fall) (recommended not mandatory)
• Hepatitis B - Proof of immunity
• Varicella - Varicella - Laboratory evidence of immunity OR documentation of 2 doses of Varicella vaccination
• TB: Mantoux (TB) Skin test status
• A 2-step TB skin test (TST) completed within 28 days of one another, at any time OR TWO separate 1-step TB skin tests (TST) if both completed within the last 12 months
• If any historical TST is positive, documentation of a CHEST X-RAY performed after the positive TST is required
• Vaccination requirements at UHN are based on scientific evidence and advancements, and may change at any time.

Mask Fit Requirements:

• Mask Fit: Date Tested (must be within 2 years) Mask Model/Size
• Students will be asked to provide Mask Fit information to the placement office, but no additional information regarding immunization will be collected as it is the academic partner's responsibility to ensure compliance

UHN encompasses teaching and learning at four hospitals- Princess Margaret, Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals, and the five campuses of Toronto Rehab - as well as full-time programs at the School of Applied Health Sciences and a range of options via the School of Continuing Education at the Michener Institute of Education at UHN. Learn more about the services, programs and amenities offered at each location.

Available resources to help you:

• Get to and around UHN
• In-hospital amenities
• Information about bike parking can be found on the Energy and Environment department home page on the UHN Intranet

UHN Shuttle Service
A free shuttle service runs between Toronto Western and Toronto General Hospitals Monday through Friday.

Please connect with your school to determine who the appropriate lead is at UHN. The clinical education leader at UHN can let you know who your supervisor/preceptor is and address further questions you may have.

UHN is committed to identifying, removing and preventing barriers to care, services, work and learning. For additional information about accessibility please visit accessibility at UHN.

Should you require accommodations, please contact your school prior to your placement at UHN.

We have many different health care professionals working and learning at UHN.

UHN is a leader in providing innovative interprofessional education (IPE) for students and staff to learn about, from and with each other. IPE learning opportunities occur through partnerships with students and staff across professions, enhancing our ability to provide excellent patient care through collaborative learning.

Visit Interprofessional Education for more information about interprofessional learning opportunities.

Any learner requiring assistance across UHN can find related resources on our Learner Assistance page.

UHN is committed to learner and educator wellness at both an individual and at an organizational level. Workplace wellness at UHN is a comprehensive approach to improving the health and well-being of employees, learners and the organization. A healthy organization translates into a more productive and resilient workforce. You can visit our Oasis Wellness Centre - Main Office at Toronto General Hospital - 1NU168.

Learner Leadership Advisory Committee (LLAC)

The Clinical Learner Leadership Advisory Committee (LLAC) provides a novel opportunity for learners to contribute their unique perspectives to educational and organizational planning and processes while strengthening their leadership skills in areas such as:

• Making specific recommendations to improve learners' experiences
• Participating in strategic planning and other design sessions
• Contributing to organization-wide events
• Participating in committees
• Adding perspectives in focus groups
• Participating in learner and UHN staff leadership initiatives across The Michener Institute of Education at UHN.

For further information or to request learner participation, please connect with Student Services.

You can also nominate those extraordinary teachers who have contributed to your success as a learner.

Celebrating Education Excellence (Toronto Rehab Specific Awards)

Annually, through our Education Excellence awards, outstanding teachers are recognized at Toronto Rehab. For more information and nomination forms please visit celebrating our staff page.

Centre for Interprofessional Education Awards

The Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education has established annual Awards of Merit for Excellence in Interprofessional Education. To learn more, please visit Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education.

Princess Margaret Specific Awards

The recognize Princess Margaret health care workers who go above and beyond every day in many ways; by giving education regarding patient cancer care, creating or supporting innovative treatments and programs; and displaying exemplary compassion, advocacy and patient care.

Wightman-Berris Academy Awards

UHN and Mount Sinai Hospital offer the Wightman-Berris Academy Awards that recognize the outstanding teachers and educators who have made significant contributions to health professional education on staff at the hospitals associated with the Wightman-Berris Academy.

The UHN Library Network is one of the largest in Canada and includes health sciences academic libraries across all five campuses (including the hospital-based libraries across UHN), providing expert information leadership across UHN and beyond.

• Hospital-based library
• Virtual library

Student Services Centre

The UHN Student Services Centre(located at the Toronto General Hospital) is a welcoming environment that provides a central location for students from all health care professions to access placement services, resources and support. Our staff are committed to ensuring students have a positive learning experience and are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to guide students to the rich learning opportunities available throughout the hospital network.

Our Services

The UHN Student Services Centre is available to support students with all things related to clinical placements. These services include, but are not limited to, registration, orientation, preceptor information, locker location, assistance with dealing with challenging situations, job search, seeking mentors/peer support and evaluations.

Workshops and In-Services

The UHN Student Services Centre is excited to offer a myriad of professional development workshops for students, staff and visitors. Workshops include resume writing, tips and tricks for successful interviewing, enhancing the student/preceptorship relationship, and career planning/coaching. In-services such as respiratory therapy, pain management, palliative care and many more are available based on demand every semester.

Location

The Student Services Centre is located on the ground floor of Toronto General Hospital beside the food court, along the north-south corridor connecting the Gerrard Street entrance and the MaRS building.
Regular Student Drop-In Hours: Open 8am – 4pm
Contact: studentcentre@uhn.ca

The Paul B. Helliwell Centre for Medical Education

The Paul B. Helliwell Centre for Medical Education is the home base for Wightman-Berris Academy students at Toronto General Hospital. The centre was made possible through a generous donation from the Paul B. Helliwell Foundation.

The Helliwell Centre includes:

• Large classrooms and smaller seminar rooms
• A computer lab available to medical students that includes access to internet and printing capabilities. The computers in the lab give students access to the UHN Intranet site
• A spacious student lounge, with additional computers, phones and a fully functional kitchenette
• Harvey Simulator

An observation corridor between examination rooms can be used to view the interactions through one-way glass windows and sets of headphones allow observers to listen to interactions.

Toronto General Hospital (Helliwell Centre)
200 Elizabeth Street, Eaton North, Ground Floor, Room 001 Contact: 416 340 4846

There are many spaces across the hospital network that can serve as learning spaces.

Toronto General Hospital (Helliwell Centre)

200 Elizabeth Street, Eaton North, Ground Floor, Room 001
Toronto, ON M5G 2C4
Phone: 416 340 4846
Email: medicaleducation@uhn.ca

 

 

Toronto Western Hospital Education Centre
399 Bathurst Street, 3rd Floor, West Wing
Toronto, ON M5T 2S6
Phone: 416 603 5924
Email: medicaleducation@uhn.ca

Rooms:

• Seminar rooms (six total)
• Equipped with conference tables and large monitors that can be used as projection screens
• Seminar Rooms can accommodate up to 10 to 12 people
• Seminar Rooms 1-3 and 5 & 6 have the ability to combine displays with retractable doors to create a larger learning monitors that can be linked to any computer and used as a large display screen. Additional audio-visual equipment can be acquired through the hospital's audio-visual department

• Student lounge with full kitchen
• Lactation Space
• Computer lab with multiple dual screen computer stations with printing and photocopying
• Full wireless service

Princess Margaret Education Centre
The Princess Margaret Education Centre is anticipated to open in early 2023. You will need to use the 620 University Avenue Elevators to get to the space, located on the 6th floor.

Student In-Service Workshops

Here at at UHN, we take great pride in equipping our learners with the knowledge and skills needed to provide the highest quality of health care while becoming best prepared for the patient needs of tomorrow. Each semester, the Student Services Centre hosts a variety of in-service workshops and seminars that focus on areas of professional and personal development. These sessions are only one hour long and are led by experts in a variety of fields. Workshops are open to all learners.

For current workshop offerings please contact the Student Centre.

Other - Site specific education opportunities

Please speak to your preceptor for education opportunities specific to your site and clinical program.

The Temerty Advanced Education & Simulation Centre (Temerty Centre)

The Temerty Centre proudly boasts the future of innovative surgical training. Officially opening it's doors in Spring 2022 it will become known as a hub of advanced surgical simulation-based education and training for surgeons and healthcare professionals. With the completion of Phase I, we offer a state-of-the-art high-fidelity OR simulation lab, a 10 bay self-directed skills lab and an innovation hub for research cultivation in the areas of robotics and artificial intelligence in surgery. In honouring our roots, we are an official testing centre for the Fundamentals in Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS), and continue to support remote training of international surgeons around the world. The Centre has dedicated telesimulation/telementoring rooms to support the important work that has been done and to plan for the future of telesimulation. Upon completion of Phase II in Spring 2024 an additional 10 mini-OR bays will be added to the roster allowing for larger wet-lab simulation courses. Please visit us at www.temertysimcentre.com to see the wide range of offerings and services our Centre has available.

Anesthesia Simulation Centre

Using simulation equipment from a patient donation, the Anesthesia Assistants at UHN developed the Anesthesia Simulation Centre. To assist healthcare professionals to maintain and enhance patient safety practices through ongoing learning, the Anesthesia Simulation Centre created the UHN Continuing Education Simulation Program (CESP). This simulation program is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Royal College accredited simulation programs are internationally recognized and must undergo a rigorous peer review process.

The Anesthesia Simulation Centre presents a creative venue for endless clinical situations from unit specific to interprofessional scenarios for both novice and experienced healthcare professionals. Participants can work individually or in teams to practice routine procedures, manage crisis situations, rehearse treatment protocols, and reflect on teamwork skills in a safe learning environment without any risk to real patients.

The Anesthesia Simulation Centre offers several simulation modalities including:

• Computerized high-fidelity adult human patient simulator
• Task trainers
• Role-playing
• Various bench-top 3D printed anatomical models

For each simulation session, the Simulation Program Coordinator works collaboratively with clinical educators from various disciplines to create unique scenarios that are tailored to the specific educational and training needs of the group. The scenarios provide formative and summative assessments with structured feedback for the participants. During the debriefing of the scenarios, in-depth discussions take place about ways to optimize current clinical practices.

By bringing the acquisition and implementation of knowledge, skills, and decision-making into clinical practice, in a safe environment, the Anesthesia Simulation Centre creates a continuous learning environment for healthcare professionals. This leads to increased patient safety, better interprofessional communication, and identification of learning gaps for improvement.

Centre for Learning, Innovation and Simulation - The Michener Institute of Education at UHN

The mandate for the Centre for Learning, Innovation and Simulation (CLIS) is to support the vision and strategic direction of Michener's academic programs. CLIS instructional designers, learning specialists and support staff work with stakeholders to develop curriculum and deliver best practice simulation methodology in order to maximize student learning. CLIS coordinates curriculum, faculty and organizational development activities. In concert with interprofessional collaboration and education initiatives (IPC and IPE) at Michener, CLIS provides expertise in competency-based, simulation-enhanced curriculum design and evaluation

UHN is Canada's leading research hospital network, so you may have the opportunity to engage in clinical or educational research. For more information about research at UHN, please explore these resources as well as the office of the research trainee (ORT) to ensure you have completed all necessary requirements to conduct research.

• UHN Research Institutes
• UHN Libraries
• CAP Research and Innovation for information on practice based research
• Office of Research Trainees
• Wilson Centre
• Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE)
• Institute for Health Care Education

Open communication and learning from each other is highly encouraged in the clinical teacher-learner partnership at UHN. Discuss with your clinical teacher how feedback (formal/informal) will occur throughout your clinical placement/internship.

For Clinical Teaching Resources please visit Resources for Teaching and Learning at UHN.

For an online modular program to help health care learners and clinical teachers (preceptors) prepare for clinical placements, please visit University of Western Ontario Preceptor Education Program (PEP).

The UHN International Centre for Education (UHN ICE) offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities such as observership-based personalized programs, online courses and in-person workshops.

Clinical Observerships

Through an observership/authorized guest visit, health care professionals and learners have an opportunity to learn by observing examinations and other procedures performed by our physicians, surgeons, nurses, and other staff in our hospitals.

For instructions on how to find a sponsor please visit request sponsor page.

UHN is a preferred place to work and learn. We focus on creating a workplace where people enjoy the challenge of their career, create and engage in best practices and are treated with respect. For information on a career at UHN, please visit: UHN Careers page.

While logged onto the intranet at UHN, you can also access our People and Culture Careers page.

Volunteer resources span four hospitals (across seven sites) and provide our patients, families, visitors and staff with assistance and services to help augment the efforts of caring and busy professional staff. Learn more about how to become a volunteer.

Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE)

Learners wishing to advance their learning skills may be interested in pursuing professional development programs available through this Centre. CACHE is a strategic partnership between the University of Toronto and the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network, with the University Health Network as lead hospital.

Michener Continuing Education

Whether you are looking for growth within your profession, an opportunity to build or refresh your skills, or new career possibilities, Continuing Education at The Michener Institute of Education at UHN is here to support your lifelong learning goals.

Continuing Education at The Michener Institute of Education at UHN offers a wide selection of courses and certificate programs that will enhance your professional qualifications.

Oncology and Palliative Care Education

de Souza Institute offers health care professionals online courses to enhance expertise to provide the best possible cancer and palliative care. Through de Souza Institute, health care professionals obtain the specialized skills to guide and help cancer patients throughout their journey (prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and palliation). de Souza Institute courses are offered primarily online.

Visit de Souza Institute offerings to learn more.

Conference Services

The Conference and Educational Technology Services (CETS) department is a one-stop-shop for all of your event and education needs.

For more information on developing your teaching skills, please visit Clinical Educators.

Interprofessional Facilitation

Interprofessional facilitators are always needed for various interprofessional sessions. To get involved in IPE facilitation, please contact us.

Facilitating Groups

Getting Started workshops are held throughout the year. Develop your skills in facilitating interprofessional small groups, attend a facilitation workshop in the fall of each year. Please check the Education Calendar for upcoming workshops or contact us at jill.krupa@uhn.ca for more information about facilitation workshops. Please note the Education Calendar is only available on the intranet.

UHN is a leader in providing innovative interprofessional education (IPE) for students and staff to learn about, from and with each other. IPE learning opportunities occur through partnerships with students and staff across professions, enhancing our ability to provide excellent patient care through collaborative learning.

Visit Interprofessional Education for more information about interprofessional learning opportunities.

UHN is the lead hospital in the strategic partnership between the University of Toronto, the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education and the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN). For more information about team-based learning, please visit the CACHE webpage.

Please join us Fall, Winter & Spring - IPE opportunities for staff and students occur throughout the year! Check your inbox for current clinical Interprofessional Education & Care (IPEC) event announcements.