Office Administration – Health Services Program — Field Placement: Employer Information
Niagara College’s Office Administration – Health Services program would like the opportunity to partner with you to provide our students with field placement experience in a medical setting. After three terms of administrative training, our students can work with your medical team to assist with your clerical needs while gaining hands-on specialized training in the field. Students would abide by the rules of your work environment and have fulfilled all the necessary health requirements to work in a medical environment. There would be no financial cost incurred by your organization.
The student field placement is one day a week during Term 4 (January to April 14 weeks total).
What are our students studying?
The students in the Office Administration – Health Services diploma program at Niagara College receive training in general office procedures in term one. In their second term, the curriculum branches out to specialize in the management of a health services office. The curriculum covers the importance of the health services office professional role in Canadian healthcare, as the first point of contact for patients/clients to the office and contributing to the overall operations. In the program, students utilize an electronic clinical management system to simulate hands-on-training with registration, scheduling appointments, records management, and safeguard the personal health information. Applying that in-class training in a workplace adds a dimension to the learning environment that is critical in the development of a valuable employee for industry. To that end, in the student’s fourth term they are expected to complete a 100-hour (Tuesdays) field placement in a health-care setting.
The main objectives of the field placement are:
- To give the students an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom in an office environment (i.e. community or hospital setting)
- Provide the student an opportunity to learn how the organization functions
- Allow the student to explore career choices and to allow the employers to assess potential new hires
About the Field Placement
After completing the first three terms, the students will start their field placement experience with you. Every student is unique, so the work you assign them to do will be at your discretion and will take into consideration the student’s individual strengths and skills, however, given their curriculum to date, you can expect that students will be able to do the following:
- Able to handle front reception tasks
- Telephone skills and scheduling appointments
- Medical Billing
- Health Information Management
- Understanding and applying Privacy legislation, PHIPA
- Physician orders
- Maintain inventory of medical and office supplies
- Organize meetings and conferences
- Administer referrals
- Initiate quality improvement in a medical office environment
- Special projects that might include their skills and knowledge of Word, Excel, Access and/or PowerPoint
During the Fall term (term 3) and the Winter term, (term 4), the students will be covering the remainder of the curriculum.
Every student is unique so the work you assign them to do will be at your discretion and will take into consideration the student’s individual strengths and skills however, given their curriculum to date, you can expect that students will be able to perform the following:
- Scheduling appointments
- Registering patients and managing electronic health records
- OHIP billing
- Medical transcription
- Answering the telephone
- Maintaining inventory of medical and office supplies
- Organizing meetings and conferences
- Administering referrals
- Initiating quality improvement in a medical office environment
- Special projects that might include their skills and knowledge of Word, Excel, Access and/or PowerPoint
Frequently Asked Questions
- My workplace requires all staff to be immunized. Will the students be properly immunized?
- Students will have completed immunizations in the fall of Term 3, see Communicable Disease Surveillance Form for more details. This precaution is a requirement for placements in a hospital environment and compliance with Public Hospitals Act.
Prior to starting the students will have satisfied the following:
- Proof of immunity to varicella, measles, mumps, rubella (2 doses)
- Hepatitis B
- Pertussis
- Tetanus Diphtheria
- Documentation of a 2 step TB test is required
Students will also have undergone an N95 Mask Fitting and Criminal Record Check with a Vulnerable Sector Screening.
- What is my financial responsibility for students’ safety? Will my insurance have to cover them as my employee?
- Students are covered for any injury at your workplace through the College’s student coverage program. On the first day of field placement, the student will deliver to the employer the “WSIB Employer Declaration” for the employer to complete the applicable sections, including a signature. A copy of the form will be returned to the Placement Officer and retained in the student’s file. Should an accident occur while the student is on practicum, refer to the document reporting WSIB incident.
- How much will this cost me? What level of remuneration is expected of me?
- A field placement, unlike a co-op placement, is not a paid experience. Students rely on the mentorship of their field placement employer to give them opportunities to put their skills and teaching into practice. Your mentorship is the ‘remuneration’ expected.
- How many hours a week will the student work?
- Students will require a total of 100 field placement hours to be completed before graduation. These hours can be completed over 14 weeks. The students’ schedule will allow them to work a minimum of one full day per week.
- Please note: students may not exceed 100 hours as they will not be covered under WSIB for any hours in excess of the program requirement.
Fall will be used to prepare the students and match them with the participating employers. Students must complete 100 hours as a requirement of the program, so missing any field placement days may put the student at risk of receiving an incomplete for this portion of the program thereby risking completion.
In the event of absence or illness, students must report their absence to the employer and the Placement Officer.
- Students, as my employees, are bound by a strict code of confidentiality. Do they realize this imperative?
- Students are expected to respect the privacy of patients/clients in all instances and maintain confidentiality with all information that they are privileged to collect and use during their field placement. Any breach of confidentiality will be reviewed and may result in a student’s dismissal from their field placement experience.
- This workplace requires a dress code for all employees. Will this be a problem?
- Students are responsible for following guidelines of acceptable conduct and attire while on field placement. The student must have a neat appearance and good personal hygiene. Business casual attire is acceptable for administrative professions in a field placement setting. Please confirm with the student on their first day what the expected dress code is for your environment.
- Is there an agreement that I am required to sign?
- Yes, there is a Student and Employer Placement Agreement. Agreements provide clarification for both the employer and the student. Students will provide the employer with any necessary paperwork to complete on their first day of placement.