Public Health Post-Secondary Student Placements

Public Health Services accepts a limited number of students for unpaid placements or practicums required in order to graduate from their program.

Student placements are offered throughout the year in disciplines including but not limited to:

To be eligible for an unpaid student placement, you must be enrolled in a post-secondary school or academic program which requires you to complete an unpaid placement or practicum in order to graduate.

If you are not enrolled in a post-secondary school or academic program, your request will be declined.

Although students are accepted throughout the year, it is recommended you submit your requests for placements as follows:

To view deadlines for the submission of your expression of interest, please view available placement opportunities listed for each discipline listed below.

Public Health Services will consider requests from either educational institutions or students.

Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae (CV). Both cover letter and CV must be saved as one document in PDF format. Due to the high volume of requests and interest, candidates must identify which project they are most interested in.

All submissions must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the deadlines listed for the placement opportunities available. To view deadlines for the submission of your expression of interest, please view available placement opportunities listed for each discipline listed above.

Submissions received after this time will not be considered. A link to submit cover letter and CV is provided for each project listed under current project listing.

*A current affiliation agreement with your educational institution must be in place before accepting your request.

Steps to apply for an unpaid student placement opportunity with Hamilton PHS are as follows:

1. Application
Complete and submit your cover letter and CV as outlined above.

2. Screening
Applications are accepted based on:

fit of requested placement
number of received unpaid student placement requests
availability of preceptors
program needs

3. Interview
For some unpaid placements, we will interview interested candidates to determine if the student has the knowledge, skills and abilities to complete the placement successfully.

4. Acceptance or decline of request
Public Health Services will confirm or decline the unpaid student placement request with the educational institution or student, usually within 5 business days.

Public Health Services does its best to match areas of interest to available placements. As this is not always possible, you may be placed in alternate programs that may be outside your areas of interest.

5. Confirmation letter
A couple of weeks prior to the start of a confirmed unpaid student placement, you will receive a confirmation email including the start and end date of your placement, assigned preceptor and/or manager and orientation dates.

During your time at Public Health Services, you will:

be assigned to a supervisor/preceptor and/or manager in one of our program areas
receive mandatory orientation and training to ensure you are prepared to complete your work in a safe and efficient manner
be provided with work projects and learning activities appropriate for your level of knowledge and experience
work in collaboration with your preceptor and/or manager to define your learning goals and assess your progress as per your academic requirements

Review the available

Student Placement Disciplines

Masters of Public Health Students

Nursing Students

Other Students

Family Therapy

Masters of Public Health placements are available to students who have a required placement through enrolment in the Master of Public Health program. At this time, we do not provide paid practicums for MPH students.

A current affiliation agreement with your school must be in place before we consider a placement at Public Health Services.

How to apply for a placement

Interested MPH candidates must submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae (CV). Both cover letter and CV must be saved as one document in PDF format. Due to the high volume of requests and interest, candidates must identify which project they are most interested in.

Current project listing

There are currently no opportunities

Placement requirements

You may be required to participate in an interview.
You are required to have access to a vehicle. Travel across the city of Hamilton may be required. Mileage will not be reimbursed.
You must pay for your own parking.
Work hours are Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. Some weekend and evening hours may be required depending on program needs.
Depending on the MPH project assignment, some learning opportunities with Hamilton PHS may consist of spending most of your time in the community while others will require strictly working in an office environment. Students must have a vehicle and a valid drivers’ licence to conduct PHS program delivery.
Learning opportunities depend on your interests, program projects available and program capacity to accommodate the request.
All students are expected to attend the Student Orientation provided at the beginning of the Term. Information about the Student Orientation will be provided to successful candidates ahead of time.

Nursing student placements are available to 4th year nursing students who are required to complete a professional practice placement to graduate from the Bachelor or Masters degrees from an accredited nursing program.

A current affiliation agreement with your school must be in place before we consider a placement at Public Health Services.

How to apply for a placement

To apply for a Public Health placement, please submit an application letter and resume to the PHN Education Co-ordinator by the application deadline. Your letter should be no more than 2 pages in length in 12 pt. font. You must apply from your school email address.

Important: Do not include your phone number or residential address in your cover letter or resume.

Please answer the following;

Which school and stream are you applying from? (be specific, for example McMaster Basic Stream; Mohawk RPN to BScN; McMaster Accelerated)
How do your knowledge, skills, and previous experience apply to this placement?
How will a placement with Public Health align with the Level IV clinical course objectives and your career goals?
Based on your knowledge of Public Health and the available placements, which program or population are you interested in working with? Are you willing to participate in any of the listed placements? (Please note we will do our best to meet your preference, but it may not be possible to accommodate all requests).
This placement may require you to participate virtually. Do you have a suitable and private environment where you can work, and do you anticipate any challenges with working virtually?
What is your method of transportation for the placement? Travel may be a requirement for any Public Health placement, and some will require access to a vehicle. You can still apply for a placement if you do not have access to a vehicle. If your preferred placement does not require a vehicle, you may still need to travel for purposes such as an off-site meeting or a community program location. It is your responsibility to secure transportation as required.

Submit applications to [email protected]

Please review the FAQ before applying to ensure you meet the requirements of this placement opportunity.

Deadline to apply: June 27, 2025 at 4:30 pm. Late applications will not be considered.

Available Placements

The Healthy and Safe Communities Department aims to improve and protect the health and well-being of the population of Hamilton and reduce health inequities.

Program Overview

PHNs in the Healthy Families School Program promote health and well-being in schools by working together with members of the school community (such as school staff and students). PHNs address a variety of health topic areas such as mental health and well-being, nutrition, and physical activity.

Learning Opportunities

Learn how to promote health in a school community using the Foundations for a Healthy School on priority health topic areas.
Assist in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating school health action plans through work with students, staff, and community partners. Opportunities may include meetings with groups such as student groups, School Councils or with community organizations.
Attend meetings with PHN preceptor(s) with both internal and external partners.

Placement Requirements

Students must have access to a vehicle for this placement.
Parking fees and mileage will not be reimbursed.
Hours of this clinical placement are Monday – Friday and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Location of Placement

School Program staff work within a hybrid model (i.e. school sites, and home office as primary work locations)

School Program has office space available at:

Robert Thompson Building (RTB)
110 King Street West, 4^th Floor
Hamilton, ON
L8P 4V3

Healthy and Safe Communities Department aims to improve and protect the health and well-being of the population of Hamilton and reduce health inequities.

Program Overview

The goal of Ontario’s Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) program is to help children get a healthy start in life. The program focus is prevention and early intervention to improve the well-being and long- term health and development of expectant parents, young children, and their families. The Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) Program offered under the HBHC umbrella is a targeted pregnancy and infancy home visiting program provided by nurses to young, low income, first-time parents starting during pregnancy and continuing until baby is two years of age.

Learning Opportunities

HBHC
- Conduct home visits for prenatal, postpartum and families with children up to school entry (in-depth family assessments, blended home visiting, HBHC hospital screening) face to face in client’s home, at community locations and virtually.
- Interprofessional teamwork with Family Home Visitors within Healthy Babies/Healthy Children (HBHC).
- Provide telephone nursing practice (‘with risk’ phone calls).
- Complete ISCIS and OSCAR electronic documentation.
- Enact the Hospital Liaison nursing role.
- Observational activities to support learning plan goals within the Healthy Families Division and Healthy and Safe Communities Department are also available.
NFP
- Intensive, nurse-only home visiting initiated during pregnancy before 28 weeks gestation and continuing until baby turns 2 years of age
- Hamilton Public Health Services adheres to all elements of the NFP Program (staff training and supervision, staffing ratios, schedule of visits, use of standard curriculum and visit to visit guidelines).
- Visits occur mostly in clients’ home, but may be conducted in safe community locations, by phone or virtual technology.
- Documentation is completed in ISCIS and OSCAR electronic records
- Observational activities to support learning plan goals within the HFD and H&SC Department are available.

Placement Requirements

Students must have a valid Vulnerable Sector Check for this placement.
Students will work primarily in the community conducting home visits (or in hospital setting for HBHC), and they will also meet with their preceptor virtually and in the office as negotiated with their preceptor.
Students must have access to a vehicle as home visit locations and hospital screening can occur across the City of Hamilton and are not always easily accessible by the HSR (bus).
Parking fees and mileage will not be reimbursed.
Hours of this clinical placement may be outside of Monday to Friday and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm depending on program needs.

Location of Placement

Robert Thompson Building (RTB)
110 King Street West, 2^ndFloor
Hamilton, ON
L8P 4V3

The Health Promotion program supports the Healthy Families Division to complete continuous quality improvement and health promotion projects related to priority populations and strategic priorities.

Learning Opportunities

Collect and analyze relevant data to monitor trends over time, emerging trends, priorities, and health inequities related to family health
Collect, appraise, synthesize and apply evidence to inform program planning and evaluation
Work collaboratively with Healthy Families Division service-delivery programs on program planning, evaluation and continuous quality improvement projects
Consult and collaborate with community partners on health promotion initiatives
Attend and facilitate meetings with internal partners and community organizations
Develop communication plans and materials (e.g., posters, postcards) for specific audiences including families and internal and external partners
Use project management tools to contribute to project planning and implementation
Provide presentations on health promotion initiatives to internal and external partners

Placement Requirements

Students may be required to attend community locations for meetings as part of this placement; access to a vehicle is not a requirement, but travel to locations within the City of Hamilton should be expected.
Parking fees and mileage will not be reimbursed.
Hours of this clinical placement may be outside of Monday to Friday and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm depending on program needs.

Location of Placement

Robert Thompson Building
110 King Street West, 4^th Floor
Hamilton, ON
L8P 4V3

The Healthy and Safe Communities Department aims to improve and protect the health and well-being of the population of Hamilton and reduce health inequities.

Learning Opportunities

Students will work with a preceptor in one of the following focus areas. Highlights of placement experiences are noted below.

Reproductive Health and Breastfeeding:
- Co-facilitate virtual prenatal class regarding breastfeeding to a group of pregnant individuals.
- Work collaboratively with Public Health Dietitians to deliver weekly interactive prenatal education sessions.
- Provide consultation to other public health professionals and community partners related to reproductive health.
- Provide on call-and telephone support to clients and professionals and apply best practice guidelines at breastfeeding calls/OTN/home visits
- Engage in social media – Facebook page www.facebook.com/healthyfamilieshamilton
- Support public health priorities (health equity, healthy weights, mental health and addictions)
- Synthesize and apply knowledge from evidence when contributing to planning and evaluating initiatives and contribute to workgroups through project planning
Healthy Growth and Development:
- Participate in key message resource development (i.e. developing key messages using current evidence for integration into practice and curriculums regarding perinatal mood disorder, infant and early years mental health, child safety, nutrition).
- Develop engaging content for the Healthy Families Facebook page: www.facebook.com/healthyfamilieshamilton
- Provide presentations and consultations to internal and external community organizations/ agencies within the community
- Co-facilitate parenting groups such as Parenting with Love

Pre-Placement Requirements

Students must have access to a vehicle for this placement.
Parking fees and mileage will not be reimbursed.
Hours of this clinical placement may be outside of Monday to Friday and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm depending on program needs.

Location of Placement

Robert Thompson Building (RTB)
110 King Street West, 2^nd Floor
Hamilton, ON
L8P 4V3

Healthy and Safe Communities Department aims to improve and protect the health and well-being of the population of Hamilton and reduce health inequities.

Learning Opportunities

Learn the role of the Mental Health & Street Outreach Program PHN.
Conduct home/community visits to program clients living with a diagnosed serious persistent mental health issue under the care of a family doctor and/or psychiatrist and living in stable housing.
Learn how to promote achievement of optimal health and well-being using a recovery focused model.
Collaborate with clients to increase their independence and participation in community life.
Learn about the range of community resources available to provide support to program clients.
Understand the significance of application of the Ontario Common Assessment of Needs (OCAN)
Understand the electronic OSCAR documentation system.
Learn about IntAc referral system.
Participate in various meetings and interact with community partners.
Learn about the role of Street Outreach Workers and accompany them on street rounds.

Pre-Placement Requirements

To be considered for this placement, it is preferred that students have completed a prior mental health clinical practicum or related experience. Students should have a keen interest in mental health nursing.
Access to a vehicle is an asset but is not strictly required. Travel to community locations is required and transit may be used if it does not create barriers to engaging in learning activities.
Parking fees and mileage will not be reimbursed.
Hours of this clinical placement may be outside of Monday to Friday and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm depending on program needs.

Location of Placement

Robert Thompson Building (RTB)
110 King Street W., 2^ndFloor
Hamilton, ON
L8P 4V3

The Healthy and Safe Communities Department in Public Health Services aims to improve and protect the health and well-being of the population of Hamilton and reduce health inequities.

Learning Opportunities

Perform STI testing and treatment, pregnancy prevention and counselling, vaccine administration and provision of harm reduction supplies and Naloxone, in the sexual health clinics.
Learn how to conduct case management for reportable sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Facilitate community presentations and outreach work as opportunities arise.
Provide support on the Sexual Health Phoneline to answer calls from individuals seeking information about sexual health.
Refer clients to community agencies as appropriate.
Work on program development such as literature reviews and other projects to enhance the sexual health program.
It is recommended students review the Canadian STI guidelines before starting their placement. Students must be comfortable working with clients of all age groups and lifestyles.

Placement Requirements

Access to a vehicle is an asset but is not strictly required. Travel to community locations is required and transit may be used if it does not create barriers to engaging in learning activities.
Parking fees and mileage will not be reimbursed.
Hours of this clinical placement may be outside of Monday to Friday and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm depending on program needs.

Location of Placement

David Braley Health Sciences Centre (DBHSC)
100 Main Street W., 4^thFloor
Hamilton, ON
L8P 1H6

Frequently Asked Questions

While most of our placements do require travel to different locations within the City of Hamilton due to the nature of our service delivery, we strive to offer student opportunities where using public transportation, cycling and walking are options. Please indicate how you will get to placement locations in your application. Placements that require a vehicle, will indicate this in their description.

No. You must have access to personal transportation to complete placements that indicate a vehicle is required. These placements require nurses to travel anywhere in the City of Hamilton for service delivery and sometimes on short notice. Additionally, it is not uncommon for schedules to change and nurses must be flexible in re-arranging their day to accommodate service needs.

Most days will fall between 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, however, each program has their own unique service delivery needs so alternate hours, evening, and weekend work may be required. Because your shifts will be 8 hours, you will need to attend more shifts than you would at an acute care setting. For example, 24 hours of clinical service would be two (2) 12 hour shifts at a hospital but would be three (3) 8 hour shifts in public health. This is an important consideration for scheduling around your other courses.

You may work from a variety of locations, including public health offices, community locations, clinics, or home (in a suitable, private area only).

At the start of the term, your public health nurse preceptor will introduce you to your placement setting and program. There will be a couple weeks of learning and getting orientated, but you will begin to take on the responsibilities of the nurse as your placements progresses, and your preceptor will be your support each step of the way. Much like other placements, you will be expected to enact the role of the Public Health Nurse by the end of the term under the guidance of your preceptor.

You can review the current opportunities that are available for students are listed under "Available Placements" on this page. These opportunities will vary from term to term. Each placement profile will describe the placement requirements and some of the responsibilities of the PHNs in that program that you may be involved with. You are asked for your placement preferences in the application you submit; however, please note that not all requests can be accommodated.

The process includes an application letter and resume which are to be submitted to the PHN Education Coordinator. You will receive confirmation via email that your application has been received. Once it is reviewed, you will be notified about whether you have been successful in obtaining a public health placement.

There will be some introductory e-modules to complete prior to your start in public health that will be sent you when you are notified that you have been selected for the placement. This content will introduce you to the important aspects of public health and help prepare you for this placement. There will also be a mandatory orientation at the start of the term.

Please feel free to contact us with your questions! Our PHN Education Coordinator is here to help. Email: [email protected]

Other student placements may be available to students who have a required placement through enrolment in a post-secondary program.

A current affiliation agreement with your school must be in place before we consider a placement at Public Health Services.

How to apply for a placement

Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae (CV). Both cover letter and CV must be saved as one document in PDF format. The cover letter must describe in 200 words or less the following: a) reasons why the candidate is seeking a public health experience and b) what does the candidate hope to learn about public health.

All submissions must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the following dates:

Winter Term - October 15
Spring/Summer Term - January 15
Fall Term - June 15

Submissions received after this time will not be considered.

There are currently no placement opportunities available.

Placement requirements

You may be required to participate in an interview
You are required to have access to a vehicle. Travel across the city of Hamilton may be required. Mileage will not be reimbursed
You must pay for your own parking
Work hours are Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm
Learning opportunities with Public Health Services vary; some are office-based, some are community-based and some are a combination of both
All students are expected to attend the Student Orientation provided at the beginning of the Term. Information about the Student Orientation will be provided to successful candidates ahead of time

The Family Therapy training program is for people who are working toward a:

Clinical membership with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists or AAMFT
Master’s of Social Work
Other Master's Level counseling programs requiring a field placement or clinical experience.

Participants come from different backgrounds, educational and clinical experience. We encourage you to join if you have:

Some direct clinical experience
Some knowledge of family and child development
A willingness to see clients on your own

Students of all Master’s level degree programs need to apply to through their university placement course.

You will gain clinical experience and training through direct client contact, a thorough orientation, bi-weekly discussions of assigned readings and weekly supervision by trained Couple and Family Therapists; Master’s of Social Work and Approved Supervisors with the AAMFT.

Every week, you will have dyadic or group supervision and training, case presentations, discussion of assigned readings related to family and post-modern approaches to therapy, exploration of how theory informs practice and how practice informs our clinical models.

As part of the training program, you will also have the opportunity to participate in Quick Access Services (walk-in/single session), multi-theoretical meetings and all staff meetings and in-services meetings.

Date modified

June 17, 2025