Working with Dementia Clients Field Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the Field Guide for the Working with Dementia Clients – Multidiscipline graduate certificate program. The instructions below will walk you through the process of preparing for fieldwork.

We advise all students to bookmark this page so you always have access to the most current placement information.

Program Overview

The final requirement of the WDC part-time graduate certificate program is a 60-hour Clinical/Field Placement with Clients course. This course is designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that you have learned throughout the prerequisite courses.

As a field placement student, you are responsible for completing 60 experience hours on-site at your assigned field placement agency. Please note that your hours can include a 15-minute break each day but do not include your lunch period. Field placement hours can be completed all at once or in varying time periods throughout the term, your schedule must be agreed upon with your placement agency prior to the start of your placement. All placement hours must be completed by the final day of the term.

Placement Deadlines

In order to complete the placement option for this program, students must:

Completing the documentation and securing a placement location can be a complicated process and students should start the preparations early. It may take 8-12 weeks to complete all placement requirements. If your documentation is not complete and/or you are not cleared for placement by the program deadline, you will have to wait for the following term before you can register again. There are no exceptions. This can delay your progression in completing your program and may result in you incurring additional fees.

Placement Eligibility

In order to be eligible for field placements, students must meet the following requirements prior to the deadlines:

1. Academic Clearance: students must successfully complete all theory courses prior to the placement course start date. This will be confirmed by the academic area after the Intent to Complete Placement Form deadline.
2. WDC Intent to Complete Placement Form: this form must be submitted prior to the deadline to confirm your intent to register for field placement, and ensure you are added to the master tracking list. While this form is completed entirely online in just a few minutes, you must be prepared to upload a current version of your resume in order to complete the submission process.
3. ParaMed Clearance: the WDC program requires students to meet the following medical and non-medical requirements. Upon completion, these requirements must be confirmed through ParaMed, our partner organization. Please get started on the ParaMed Clearance process as early as possible to ensure you are able to meet your deadlines.
   1. Immunization Records
   2. Police Records Check for Service with the Vulnerable Sector (PRCSVS): if you live in an area with high demand for police checks, it may take up to 12 weeks to receive this document. If your local police station requires a letter from the college, please complete the online request form.
   3. Standard First Aid/CPR Level C: students must provide current certification from a Red Cross, St. John’s Ambulance, or equivalent First Aid course. This course must be completed in-person to be valid, online first aid certification will not be accepted.
4. Secure an appropriate placement agency: Secure an appropriate placement agency: Students will be connected with the course facilitator for assistance in securing a placement opportunity in their area. Please note: This connection will only be made once ParaMed clearance and course registration have been confirmed.
5. WDC Placement Confirmation Form: this form must be submitted prior to the first day of your placement. While this form is completed entirely online in just a few minutes, in order to successfully complete the form you must be prepared to submit your placement agency information and schedule, including start/end date, days of the week, and hours per day.

How to Secure a Placement

Getting Started
Students in the WDC program who choose to complete placement will be connected with the Placement Supervisor following the Intent to Complete Placement Form deadline. The Placement Supervisor will provide support in finding and securing placement locations. In order to get started, students should:

1. Update your resume
2. Determine your availability: be prepared to let the agency know exactly what your placement period will look like. Have your availability (working days and hours) as well as your preferred start and end dates defined before you contact agencies. Remember you should plan to finish at least a week prior to the end of the semester in case you need to make up placement hours due to extenuating circumstances (illness, weather, etc.).
3. Research agencies in your area that you may be interested in working with. Some of the best resources to identify potential agencies include:
   1. Google Search
   2. LinkedIn
   3. Reaching out to personal contacts in the field

Confirming Your Placement
After you receive confirmation from the placement agency, you will need to submit the WDC Placement Confirmation Form. This will need to include the agency information and your confirmed schedule.

Registration

Online registration is not available for part-time placement courses. Part-time students will be provided with the next steps to register after the placement deadline has passed if they have submitted the WDC Intent to Complete Placement Form and have successfully completed all theory courses.

Please note registration does not guarantee placement; part-time students must have Field Placement Officer permission to register for all placement and seminar courses. Students will be withdrawn if placement requirements are not met by the placement deadline.