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.

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 objectives?
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: March 6, 2025 at 4:30 pm. Late applications will not be considered.

Available Placements

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

Placement Overview

Harm Reduction is a respectful and non-judgemental approach using practical strategies to meet people “where they are at” with the goal of reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use. The Harm Reduction team works in clinics, on the Needle Syringe Van, and in community agencies.

Learning Opportunities

Provide health care services on a drop-in basis at various sites
Provide these services:
- Needle syringe and harm reduction programming
- Vaccination
- Pregnancy testing
- Anonymous and rapid HIV testing
- Testing, treatment for sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (STBBIs), and case management of reportable infections
- Collaboration with community agencies working with people who are houseless and underhoused
- Naloxone overdose kit distribution and education on overdose prevention and harm reduction services

Placement Requirements

Students must have access to a vehicle for this placement and may be required to travel to different community locations for service delivery
Parking fees and mileage will not be reimbursed
Hours of this clinical placement may be outside of Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm depending on program needs

Location of Placement

David Braley Health Sciences Centre (DBHSC)
100 Main Street W., 4th Floor
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

February 20, 2025