High School Co-op Placements
Thank you for your interest in completing a high school co-op placement at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. Use this page to help you with your placement choice along with information about the steps to complete in your application process.
High School Co-op Placements - Summer 2025
Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is not offering co-op student placements for the 2025 summer semester. Please see below for information on our upcoming fall placement opportunities.
High School Co-op Placements - Winter 2025
The application process for the 2025 Winter semester co-op program is now open.
Dates
Application Deadline: Feb. 11, 2025
Interviews: Feb. 14, 2025
Placement Offers: Feb. 18, 2025
Hospital Orientation: Feb. 21, 2025
Placement Start date: Feb. 24, 2025
Available Placements
View the list of available placements below.
Patient Assistant (Rehabilitation & Complex Medical Care)
Name of placement area/unit
Patient Assistant
Located
Emara Building & Tayfour Tower
Unit names
Unit Managers
2 South, Complex Medical Care, Respiratory & Long Term Mechanical Ventilation, Francine Stadler
3 North Complex Medical Care, Amanda Guthrie
Rehab 3, Inpatient Rehabilitation, Blair Marshall
Description of placement/Specific Accountabilities
- Reports to main desk upon arrival.
- Introduces her/himself to the patients and families. Informs families of facilities available for their convenience,(e.g. cafeteria, washrooms, smoking areas, telephone and chapel).
- Personal patient contact: reads, writes letters, engages in recreational activity (e.g. playing cards,
- chess, etc.), delivers mail and flowers, holds hands, converses with patient, assists with grooming, and telephones family members.
- Promotes goodwill by communicating with patient, family members and staff, and performs errands for the Nursing Unit when directed.
- Anyone talented in crafts can make favours for special occasions or decorations for the unit.
- Does not attempt to lift patients for any reason or perform any nursing duties (e.g. bathing patients, medications, dressing patients, etc.).
- Does neither discuss patient’s medical condition, nor make any medical comments. Does not offer advice or criticism.
Duties
Patient Related Activities
- Answer call bells; directs all inquiries to staff
- Make unoccupied beds, and assist with making occupied beds
- Assist patients with personal hygiene such as combing hair, cleaning teeth, shaving
- Take patient’s height & weight
- Distribute warm wash cloths to patients before a meal so that they can wash their hands prior to eating.
- Set up food, and feed patients only when approved by a nurse
- Distribute drinking water and bedside bags as directed by staff
- Record food and liquid intake, as directed by staff
- Assist with transferring or discharging patients
- Check patient armbands and allergy bands
- Assist with identifying patients at risk for falls or acting out behaviours by making sure that signs are posted on chart holders, and that kardex and chart spine has the appropriate stickers on them
- Find wheelchairs and stretchers as required
- Assist with transporting patients to diagnostic departments as directed by staff
- Assist nurses to position patients in bed
- Assist with application of assistive devices, i.e., put patient’s glasses on; make sure glasses are clean
- Assist with ambulating patients under the direction of the nurse
- Visit with patients; listen to them and communicate with them. Provide recreational activities as appropriate to help them fill their time, such as playing cards, listening to music; Some patients could be taken for an outing to the lobby in a wheelchair, for a
- change of scenery
Students should not enter isolation or radiation rooms
Clerical Activities
- Direct visitors as requested. If patients are asking directions, take them there, rather than just tell them where to go
- Pick up/deliver/return supplies and equipment as directed
- Pick up dietary trays and supplies from the kitchen
- Deliver laboratory specimens to appropriate lab areas, as directed by staff
- Photocopy requested materials as directed by staff
- Addressograph patient chart forms as directed by staff
- Clean binders as required
- Place staff mail in mailboxes
- Assist with preparation and distribution of staff newsletter and flyers for upcoming events
General Assistance
- Fill linen carts, as directed by staff
- Put full linen bags down the linen chute and replace linen bag on the holder
- Help to decorate for special occasions
- Check patient room for supplies and restock (i.e., gloves, tissues). Collect excess stock from rooms
- Water plants and flowers for patients
- Assist with unit audits as directed by manager
- Retrieve wheelchairs and return to designated departments
- Retrieve IV pumps & return to designated departments
- Ensure that any IV pumps or blood pressure equipment that is not in use is plugged in for charging.
Inpatient Physio & Occupational Therapy
Name of placement area/unit
Various Allied Health Units: Complex Medical Care Emara 2nd & 3rd floor, Rehab 1, Rehab 3, Rehab 4
Located
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, 1453 Prince Road,
Emara building, Tayfour Tower
Contact Person (Title)
Allied Health Manager
Team members
TBD
Description of placement
A successful student will be involved in transporting clients to and from Therapy Gyms on an Inpatient CMC/Rehabilitation unit. As their knowledge grows they may be performing some of the therapeutic activities with the patients at the discretion of the Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist. They will interact with patients experiencing impaired functional mobility related to conditions such as frailty, hip replacement, stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and other diagnoses. The student should be comfortable talking to both patients and staff. They should be comfortable setting up or cleaning equipment as needed. Students will also be educated in the current infection control procedures on an Inpatient unit. Students whom are interested in pursuing a career in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Medicine, or Kinesiology would benefit most from this placement.
Duties and other information
- Assisting with transporting patients to therapy gym
- Assisting with exercise set up as directed
- Assisting with delivery of appropriate activities within patient’s treatment plan as directed by Therapist
- Supportive interactions with patients
- Other duties on unit such as empty linen bags, restock PPE gowns etc.
- Setting up and cleaning equipment
- Assist with organization of equipment and department resources
- Fluent in English
- Demonstrate initiative
- Able to follow direction and ask questions
- Supportive role and only to complete those items as directed
- Ability to demonstrate empathy and develop rapport with patients
Youth Engagement, Regional Children’s Centre
Name of placement area/unit
Regional Children’s Centre, Community Practice, Kids in Partnership (KiP)
Located
Regional Children’s Centre, Huot Building
Contact Person (Title)
Tammy Drazilov, Coordinator, Community Practice
Description of placement
Regional Children’s Centre (RCC), Marketing Student Co-op Placement. This position will report to the Community Practice Coordinator, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), and Regional Children's Centre (RCC). Focus on supporting the YiP Youth in Partnership committee. The YiP Co-op Student will participate in program development, delivery and evaluation, bringing youth perspective and voice to strengthen youth engagement across lead agencies initiatives. Note: This placement does not provide any interaction or contact with children.
Duties
Responsibilities
- Maintain and foster confidentiality in all aspects of written and verbal communication.
- Perform administrative functions and event planning activities.
- Bring a youth perspective and voice to the development delivery and evaluation of the youth engagement project for the YiP committee and HDGH-RCC.
- Provide knowledge and support to integrate youth engagement practice in an efficient, effective and inclusive manner.
- Respond promptly and appropriately to phone and email inquiries.
- May attend local community meetings and events (with parental permission) with Community of Practice Coordinator.
- Perform other related duties as assigned by Community Practice Coordinator.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Must be very organized, mature, and independent.
- Must be an excellent listener, advocate and support other youth.
- Ability to promote a positive relationship with other youth, community partners and staff.
- Excellent organizational and communication (verbal, written and proofreading) skills.
- Excellent computer skills using various programs such as word, outlook, publisher, excel, etc.
- Self directed with demonstrated coordinating, multi tasking, repetitive task completion and prioritizing abilities.
- Well developed judgment and decision making skills.
Ideal for students interested in social science or promoting youth mental wellness
Positive Parenting Program, Regional Children’s Centre
Name of placement area/unit:
Regional Children’s Centre (RCC), Community Practice
Triple P (Positive Parenting Program)
Located
Regional Children’s Centre, HUOT building
Contact Person (Title):
Tammy Drazilov, Coordinator, Community Practice
Description of placement:
Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) Student Co-op Placement This position will report to the Community Practice Coordinator, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), and Regional Children's Centre (RCC). The purpose of the program is to ensure Triple P seminars and groups, are being provided to families with children birth to twelve and with teens, across Windsor and Essex County in a coordinated way. The Triple P student on co-op placement will assist in program development, delivery and evaluation. Note: This placement does not provide any interaction or contact with children.
Duties:
Responsibilities
- Maintain and foster confidentiality in all aspects of written and verbal communication.
- Perform administrative functions, monitoring schedules, contacting parents, recording meeting minutes, booking program venues and event planning activities.
- Cooperatively work with a variety of community partners, volunteers and community trained staff to develop, implement and monitor community programs.
- Respond promptly and appropriately to phone and email inquiries regarding parent registration.
- May attend local community meetings and events (with parental permission) with Community of Practice Coordinator.
- Perform other related duties as assigned by Community Practice Coordinator.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Must be very organized, mature, and independent.
- Ability to promote a positive relationship with families, community partners, staff and clientele.
- Excellent organizational and communication (verbal, written and proofreading) skills.
- Basic computer skills using various programs such as word, outlook, publisher, excel, etc.
- Self directed with demonstrated coordinating, multi tasking, repetitive task completion and prioritizing abilities.
- Well developed judgment and decision making skills.
Ideal for Business, Marketing, or English major students. No children interaction whatsoever in this position
Getting Started
- Review the list of available placements along with their service descriptions.
- Choose a first and second option. Be prepared to explain why you chose them.
- Submit the HDGH co-op Application Form
Application
- After submitting the application, you will receive an email with VICNET portal access instructions. You will use the VICNET portal in later steps to upload your required documents.
- All applicants must submit an HDGH Health Clearance. This process can take 2-4 weeks and multiple appointments with a medical professional. Work with your parent or guardian to get this completed before the application deadline
- Ask your co-op teacher to assist you in getting the following documents: Student Credit Counselling Summary and Student Attendance Record
VICNET Portal
- Upload 3 documents to your VICNET profile:
- HDGH Health Clearance Form
- Student Credit Counseling Summary
- Student Attendance record
- *Option: resume and cover letter.
- If you are 18 years of age or older, contact Advisor, Academic & Volunteer Placement to request a form to obtain a vulnerable sector police clearance.
Interviews
- Complete the above steps to be considered for an interview.
- Interview time options will be sent directly to the student via email.
- Due to the high volume of applications for our hospital co-op placements, only selected candidates will be invited to interview.
- Pay attention to the relevant dates concerning application deadline, interviews, etc.
Contact
Peggy O’Kane
Advisor, Academic & Volunteer Placements
Phone: 519.257.5111 ext. 73935
Cell: 226.347.7739
Peggy.Okane@hdgh.org