PPL Field Placements

Students that are required to upload placement paperwork will find the list of required documents in the DC Connect module associated with their program.  Students will gain access to the module only after they have requested activation for the current term.  See the "7 Steps Toward Placement - Step 1 - Paperwork Module Activation" above.

NOTE: Business placements do not require an EIF unless attending placement in an agency where the student is in contact with vulnerable persons, or where the agency requests it.

COVID-19 VACCINATION MANDATE

• • • The newest version of the Entry Immunization Form (EIF) includes the COVID-19 vaccine requirement update. 
    • If you have an EIF that does not include this update, you must include your COVID-19 Vaccination Status Passport when you upload your EIF to Verified by Synergy Gateway.
    • COVID-19 Vaccination Passport documents can be downloaded from this website: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/proof-covid-19-vaccination
    • Students are required to be double vaccinated in order to attend placement agencies in person. 
    • Students that are not vaccinated should consider remote or alternative option placements, where their program allows for it.
    • If you are not able to meet the vaccination mandate for your agency (or potential agency - ie: daycare centre), please contact pplplacements@durhamcollege.ca to discuss other potential placement alternative options, including the possibility of deferring your placement. Please do this BEFORE booking your Synergy ERV appointment. Once your Synergy appointment is booked, Synergy's non-refundable fees are applicable, regardless if you attend placement or not.

ENTRY IMMUNIZATION FORM (eif)

The completion of the Entry Immunization form (EIF) ensures that you have taken the necessary precautions to avoid contracting or spreading disease or illness. 
The EIF can take a significant amount of time to complete so it is strongly advised that you make an appointment with your family doctor or the Durham College Health Centre (on campus) to get these forms filled out as soon as possible.

You MUST have an approved EIF before you can attend placement, and it must remain valid for the duration of your placement.

Print the Entry Immunization Form and bring it with you to your doctor’s appointment.  The doctor will need to fill out the forms completely.

Please note: The Health Care Provider information page included in the form explains each immunization that is required. Please bring this with you to your doctor’s appointment.

If you have completed this form in the recent past, you may be able to use the same form providing all of the immunizations are still up to date.

If you do not have a family doctor, you can make an appointment with the Campus Health Centre.
Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre – Room G1030
T: 905.721.3037
F: 905.721.3133
E: healthcare@dc-wp.lndo.site

Hours of Operation Mon. to Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Students must have a current Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening submitted by the due date in order to attend placement.

Students will be required to keep an original CRC to show their agency host.

The Criminal Reference Check must be valid within 6 months of your placement, and remain valid for the duration of your placement. (Note: Depending on where you are placed, your placement host may require a CRC newer than Durham College’s requirement. – example: Regional Daycare centres often require the CRC is no more than 1 month old).

NOTE:  As of Fall 2024, SSW and Library Technician placements CRC/VSS validity dates have increased from 6 months to 1 year.  All other placements remain at 6 months.

CRIMINAL REFERENCE CHECK REQUESTS

PLEASE NOTE:  Criminal Reference Checks are taking between 6-8 weeks to process in many areas, including Durham Region.
Students MUST order their CRC/VSS early, in order to avoid being declined placement eligibility.

• Durham Region & Outside Durham (except Toronto Police Services)
  To request a Criminal Record Check and/or a Vulnerable Sector Screen a student may be required to provide a letter from the College on letterhead, with a staff signature stating the reason the check(s) are required.
  Click here to access the letter: Criminal Reference Check Request Letter.
• Toronto Police Services: If you are from the Toronto area, please email pplplacements@durhamcollege.ca requesting your CRC/VSS. Students will be sent a unique code to request their CRC/VSS on the TPS website.
  • • For more information on the TPS process, please visit their website – Toronto Police Services/Background Checks/Vulnerable Sector Screening.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

•  TERM DUE DATES ARE FOUND ON THE PPL FIELD PLACEMENT WEBSITE -  durhamcollege.ca/ppl/fieldplacement
• Read all placement requirements carefully. These are time sensitive items.
• Always keep your original documents.
• Make a copy of your approved Verified by Synergy Gateway ERV Permit after each update and store in a safe and secure place. This is your personal information and as such is considered confidential.
• There are costs associated with permit checking, immunizations, lab tests and certifications. Be sure to keep all of your receipts for income tax purposes.

PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Placement requirements are specific health and non-health related documents necessary for placement(s) to ensure it is safe for students to work in their setting. Specific requirements are broken down by a student’s school and program or course. Health record checks are also necessary and are often a requirement as per the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario. Health record checks can include immunization history, vaccinations, and blood work.  ​Ensuring you meet your placement requirements is mandatory for you to proceed in your chosen program.

VERIFIED BY SYNERGY GATEWAY

Verified by Synergy Gateway is a leading provider of healthcare and compliance solutions for colleges across Canada. Durham College has partnered with Verified by Synergy Gateway to provide our students with services to assist them in the successful completion of their program’s clinical placement requirements. 

Verified by Synergy Gateway is a proprietary platform that is used by students across Ontario for the purpose of digitally collecting placement requirements documentation for verification. 

This process of digitally uploading your documentation requirements and having them validated using Verified by Synergy Gateway is known as ‘Electronic Requirement Verification’ or ‘ERV​’.​  

With the introduction of ERV, Verified by Synergy Gateway has eliminated the need for you to attend an in-person appointment and allows you to submit all of your placement requirements documentation from the comfort of your home.

ACCESS TO VERIFIED

Verified by Synergy Gateway is available through a secure username and password.
Login instructions are emailed to your school email account (DC Mail) after the PPL Placement Officer has conducted your prerequisite and GPA audit and sent your information to Synergy Gateway for processing.

This is expected to take up to 48 hours from the time your PPL activation request is received by Synergy Gateway.

Use this link to access Verified: https://verified.sgappserver.com/s_Login.jsp         

BEFORE YOU BOOK YOUR MANDATORY ERV APPOINTMENT

• Confirm that you have received login credentials for Verified by Synergy Gateway. Please note – you will only receive log in information once you have followed the activation instructions on the PPL field placement website.  (Activation can take up to 48 hours from the time of your request to be processed).
• Your Verified by Synergy Gateway login information will be emailed to your DC email address.
  If you cannot locate this information in your general inbox, then please check your junk/spam folder.
  If you still are unable to locate your login credentials, please open a Help Desk ticket by visiting:  ​synergyhelps.com
• Review your program’s specific placement requirements along with due dates detailed on the Centre for Professional and Part-Time Learning’s Field Placement website.  You may also review requirements by logging into your Verified Account and selecting “Important Forms” and then selecting your program’s submission requirements chart.  In this section, you will also find user guides and any required forms in order to be successful in completing this process.
• Make sure you have reviewed what your clinical placement requirements are and have planned out when and how you will be completing them. It is important to remember that some requirements may take an extended time to complete.
• Once you have ensured that all requirements have been uploaded to your profile, you may book your ERV Appointment on the Verified by Synergy Gateway This notifies Verified by Synergy Gateway that your profile is ready for verification. 
• To avoid paying additional appointment fees, ensure all of your documentation has been uploaded PRIOR to booking your ERV appointment.
• You do NOT need to attend your ERV appointment in person or online – Synergy will send you an email status 24 – 48 hours after your ERV appointment date and time with a status update. Make sure you plan accordingly as it does take time to validate your documents.
• Know when your due dates for verification are so that you can book your ERV appointment accordingly.

SYNERGY GATEWAY FEES

• Verified is a paid service.  Any time students are updating documents there are fees associated.
• To avoid booking and paying for multiple appointments throughout the year we strongly suggest you gather all of your requirements at one time so that they might be valid for multiple placements if possible.
• You can update expiring Criminal Reference Check (CRC) with Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS) documents free of charge after your initial appointment throughout that calendar year. The free update will be honored if you update these documents to the Verified platform by the date indicated by Synergy Gateway at the time of your documentation approval. 
• Once you have uploaded your new Criminal Reference Check with Vulnerable Sector Screen, you need to place a helpdesk ticket to have it processed. You do not need to book and ERV appointment unless you are updating other documents as well.

 *fees are non-refundable and are subject to change. Current fees are updated regularly on the synergy platform.

DOCUMENTATION SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that their documents are valid throughout all of your placements.
• You will be notified of any upcoming expiration of documents on your profile page for Verified by Synergy Gateway. You will also receive notifications via email to your DC Mail account.
• Multiple appointments at full-service fees will be required to update any expiring documentation with the exception of the Criminal Reference Check/VSS (one free update per calendar year).
• If you have more than one document expiring at any given time, we suggest you update them all together in one additional appointment to avoid further charges. Expired documents will negatively impact your clinical placement.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FOR PPL STUDENTS

Field Placement Application

Each PPL student will also be required to submit a Program-Specific Field Placement Application to the PPL Field Placement Officer via DC Connect.  The application will be available once the student has completed the activation process on the PPL website.

Online Training Modules

The following Online Training Modules must be completed within DC Connect. You will have access to them when you have completed the activation process found on the PPL website. (Certificates of completion must be printed and uploaded to your profile on Verified by Synergy Gateway as part of your clearance requirements).

• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information (WHMIS) Module Completion Certificate
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities (AODA) Module Completion Certificate
• Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention Module Completion Certificate
• Worker Health and Safety Awareness in 4 Steps Module Completion Certificate
• Diversity Module Completion Certificate

If you have completed these documents previously, you are not required to re-take the training modules, you may simply upload the certificates to the Verified by Synergy Gateway platform.

ERV & DOCUMENTATION CHECKLIST PACKAGES BY PROGRAM

• Child Development Practitioner Field Placements
• Early Childhood Education – Field placements 1, 2 & 3 & Observing the Young Child
• Early Childhood Education Resource Consulting – Field Placements 1 & 2
• Educational Support – Field Placements 1, 2 & 3
• Library Technician Field Placements 1 & 2
• Mental Health Nursing Practicum (RN & RPN)
• Palliative Care Field Placement
• Perinatal Obstetrics Practicum (RN & RPN)
• Retirement Communities Field Placement
• Social Services Worker – Field Placements 1, 2 & 3
• Victimology Field Placement (Community Partnerships II)