Health and Public Safety Practicum Requirements

Most programs at the SAIT School of Health and Public Safety require healthcare students to provide an updated immunization status, according to AHS standards and the standards of SAIT practicum partners. Please note that practicum placements may be refused to students who are not compliant with this standard.

Refer to the AHS list of immunizations recommended for students to learn more.

Steps to complete your immunizations

1. Prepare your documents

• Collect all previous immunization records. Consider all the immunizations you have had from birth to adulthood. You may consult with your family/parents, physician or public health unit to gain this evidence.
• Complete the SAIT health services medical history and vaccination consent form.

To obtain your immunization records, please contact your local public / Community Health Centre near you: Community Health Centres | Alberta Health Services

Immunization records are available electronically for those age 14 years and older by registering for MyHealth Records.

If you are under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian will be required to request this information on your behalf.

2. Book a consultation appointment with the SAIT Health Clinic

Once you are admitted and registered into your program, the work-integrated learning administrator will send you an email with details and deadlines regarding practicum requirements. This email will include the date to call SAIT's Health Clinic to schedule your immunization consultation appointment. 

SAIT Health Clinic phone number: 403.284.8666 (no voicemail can be left)
Clinic hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 4 pm

• If you have any questions about your program's immunizations, please ask the nurse during your appointment or call the clinic.
• If you need to reschedule your consultation or immunization appointment, call SAIT Health Clinic at 403-284-8666 as soon as possible.
• Note: a $25 no-show fee will be applied if you miss your consultation or immunization appointment or do not cancel within 48 hours prior to your appointment.

Once your appointment date is booked:

• Submit your previous immunization records and your completed SAIT health services medical history and vaccination consent form as a PDF document at least 1 week prior to your appointment date; otherwise, your consultation appointment will be cancelled and a No Show Fee will be charged.
• Send your documents to this email address: health.services@sait.ca.
• Read the information on what to expect during your consultation appointment.

3. Prepare for the immunization process

Prior to your first consultation appointment a nurse at the SAIT Health Clinic will review your immunization record and medical history. During your appointment, the nurse will:

• Identify if you require additional vaccines, review your options and develop an immunization plan for you to ensure that the appropriate protocols are followed for your programs' practicum requirements.
• Schedule your immunization appointments at SAIT's Health Clinic. 

What to expect as part of an immunization plan

• Blood work or x-rays: if blood work or x-rays are required before immunizations can be administered, SAIT health clinic will provide you with a requisition document. You are responsible for booking lab appointments and completing requisite blood work as soon as possible.
  
  • Lab work is covered under provincial health care programs, so even if you have out-of-province health care, you may go to the lab for no charge and get your levels tested. You must take your hard copy provincial health care card with you.
  • The results of the lab work will be sent back to SAIT Health Clinic directly.
• Boosters: after lab results are received, SAIT's Health Clinic will book immunization appointments in alignment with program requirements. Depending on your antibody levels, booster doses of some vaccines may not be needed.
• If you are residing outside of Calgary health zone (beyond city limits – please see: Calgary zone map and brochure, the immunization process may be started at a more convenient location, following the consultation appointment with SAIT Health Clinic. Once your classes start, SAIT's health clinic will take over and administer any incomplete required immunizations.

4. Obtain an immunization clearance letter from the SAIT Health Clinic

• Once SAIT health clinic determines that you have met the immunization requirements for your Program, they will provide you with an immunization clearance letter.
• You will need to get this letter verified as part of your pre-practicum requirements.

5. Plan for fees and payment

SAIT Health Clinic fees

• An initial $85 fee applies to review the vaccines and medical history during your consultation appointment.
• There is an immunization fee of $30 per appointment.
• An additional immunization fee of $5 per vaccine for any vaccine administered the same day. If multiple appointments are required to complete the immunization protocol, the same fees apply for each appointment.

Note: If you live in the Calgary health zone, to limit costs, use the SAIT Health Clinic as the cost of the vaccine is not charged to students; only administration fees will be charged. If vaccines are administered at a pharmacy or travel clinic, the cost will be significantly higher as you will be paying the cost of the vaccine, in addition to administration fees.

If you live outside of the Calgary zone, please discuss options with the nurse when you book your consultation appointment. 

Payments

Payment may be made to the SAIT Health Clinic using one of the following methods:

• Debit, Visa or MasterCard credit cards, pre-loaded Visa, or MasterCard gift credit card with enough funds to cover the appointment costs and any associated activation fees. Some banking institutions or most retailers (grocery stores, drug stores) offer bank-issued, re-loadable cards. There is an activation fee associated with pre-loading a temporary Visa or MasterCard, depending on the type of card.

If the costs associated with your required immunizations are a financial burden, please contact SAIT accessibility services or your academic chair of your program to discuss further.

The healthcare field has a strong focus on health, wellness and fitness to practice due to the demanding nature of the work and occupational health and safety requirements.

If you have a physical, emotional medical condition or disability that might impact you in a practicum or clinical setting, it is strongly advised to discuss your concern with accessibility services as soon as possible once you have been accepted and prior to confirming a seat into the program.

1. Read the health and wellness guidance document.
2. Contact your academic chair and/or SAIT accessibility services if you have a concern that might impact your ability to complete the program.

Current Heart and Stroke Foundation BLS provider CPR must be valid for the duration of your practicum. To find a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada BLS Provider course in your area contact 1.877.473.0333 or find a course on www.heartandstroke.ca.

Please note, with the exception of the Dental Assisting program, only the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada BLS Provider CPR certification will be accepted.

Dental Assisting: For this program only, Heart & Stroke is preferred, but any Healthcare Provider CPR (Level C) will also be accepted, provided it contains the following:

• One and two-person rescuer chest compressions for adults, children and infants
• One and two-person rescuer adult, child, and infant bag valve mask technique and rescue breathing
• Relief of choking in adults, children and infants
• Use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)

Fit testing is arranged for students to complete at the SAIT campus with program staff prior to practicum, as per Alberta’s occupational health and safety code 2009. Testing is done to determine which make and model of an N95 respiratory mask should be used by an individual.

What the N95 mask fit test will determine:

• Is the seal tight enough so that the person is breathing only air which has been filtered?
• Does the mask fit well for the face shape?
• Does any facial hair interfere with the seal?
• Have there been any significant changes to face shape in the past two years which may require another fit test to be done? (e.g. weight gain/loss, the growth of facial hair, dental surgery, or facial scarring).

Failure to complete an N95 mask fit test may result in a restricted practicum and/or limited employment.

According to the Protection for Persons in Care Act, our practicum sites require Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) students to provide proof of a clear criminal record, that is valid for the entire length of their program.

Depending on your program, you will need to apply for a Police Information Check (PIC), or a Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Search (PIC with VSS). Students in the Health Care Leadership Program do not need to obtain a Police Information Check.

1. Read the PIC information sheet for detailed information on the requirements for a Police Information Check for your Program.
2. Apply for a PIC at your place of residence. You can apply in-person at any local police station/RCMP detachment or online if this service is available. Calgary residents can apply online with Calgary police services.
3. You are going to receive an “Unpaid practicum letter” and detailed instructions on the application process from the WIL Administrator in the Practicum Readiness Requirements email 3 months before the deadline to be ready for Practicum.

Your Police Information Check must be dated as outlined in your Practicum Readiness Package. Failure to complete this process may lead to ineligibility for practicums.

Verifying your Practicum Readiness Documentation with Synergy Gateway.

Synergy Gateway is the online platform our students use to get their Practicum Readiness Documents verified. The process is called Electronic Record Verification (ERV.) Synergy Gateway is available through a secure username and password.

Login instructions will be emailed to your SAIT email account prior to the start of your program. Once you receive your login information, make sure to create a student profile.

Preparing for your ERV:

1. Confirm that you have received your login information from Synergy. If you cannot locate this information, please contact Synergy, and open a Helpdesk ticket.
2. Collect all required Practicum Readiness Documents by the given deadline, listed in the “Program and Practicum Readiness Package” email communication. You will receive this email three months before the start of your program.
   • If you are unable to locate this email by the start of your program, please reach out to: practicum@sait.ca. Start the process early, as some requirements may take extended time (Immunization requirements, Police Information Check).
3. Upload your Practicum Readiness Documents into your Synergy Account. Check the “Important Forms” and “Video Library” sections on the left side of the Dashboard, for information on how to upload your documents.
   • Visit the Verified | Knowledge Base if you need further guidance.
4. Book an ERV appointment by using the Scheduler tab and get your Practicum Readiness Documents verified before the given deadline. Verifying your documents is an online process that you do not need to attend. Synergy will notify you about your ERV's result in two business days.
5. You will need to pay a fee to get your documents verified. To avoid paying additional appointment fees, ensure all your Practicum Readiness Documents have been uploaded prior to your ERV appointment.

Electronic Records Verification (ERV) Service Fee	Initial Appointment	Follow up appointment
Personal Information: Certifications, Declarations, Consents, and other non-PHI requirements	$27.50	$10
Personal Information: PHI, including Immunization and Vaccination requirements, and other Personal information (PI)	$51	$10

Students must renew their expired certifications to continue to be eligible for practicum placement. Upon renewal, certificates must be validated with Synergy with a follow-up appointment.