Student Placement FAQs

Q.  I’m a student interested in completing my clinical rotation at Halifax Health.  What do I need to do to start the process?

A.  Your very first step will be to make sure your school has an active Educational Affiliation Agreement with Halifax Health. The Educational Affiliation Agreement is a legally-binding contract that allows us to host students from your program.

Q.  How do I know if my school has an Affiliation Agreement with Halifax Health?

A.  The list of affiliated schools is located on our website.

1. First, go to halifaxhealth.org and click on the link for “Careers.” From there, you can scroll down until you see the link to the “Student Clinical Placements, Rotations, and Non-paid Internships” site. Or you can go directly to the student website using the following web address:  halifaxhealth.org/about-us/human-resources/student-clinical-placements-rotations-and-non-paid-internships
2. Scroll down until you see a button entitled “Partner Schools.”
3. Check the list to determine if your college/university has an Affiliation Agreement with Halifax Health for your area of study.
   1. Just because your college/university is on the list, does not necessarily mean your program is. Please ensure that both your school AND your program have a contract in place.
   2. If your college/university is not on the list, the Office of Student Placement will be unable to consider your request until your school completes the Affiliation Agreement process.
      1. The process typically takes 2-3 months for approval
      2. Affiliation Agreements are approved based on a number of criteria – including how many students the school will place at Halifax Health – and approval is NOT guaranteed
      3. The Affiliation Agreement is NON-NEGOTIABLE. Schools will not be able to adapt the verbiage in any way.

Q.  I have verified that my college/university is on the Affiliation Agreement List, what now?

A.  You can now complete the online Placement Application.

Q.  After submitting my application, what are my next steps?

A.  The Student Placement Facilitator will review your application and reach out if a placement opportunity is available.  Once placement is established, you must obtain all required documentation and submit documents.

Q.  Since I’m a Halifax Health Team Member, I’m guaranteed a placement opportunity here, right?

A.  Unfortunately, no. Placements are granted on the basis of availability. Although Halifax Health Team Members are given priority, please do not assume that the position will be open. Reach out to the Office of Student Placement as soon as possible to get a sense of what will be available and when.

Q.  What is CastleBranch?

1. A.      CastleBranch is a document management platform, which allows students to upload their documents to a secure portal.  In addition, it allows our office to view the documents to ensure the requirements have been met.

Q.  How do I get a CastleBranch account?

A.  Check with your Program Director/Clinical Coordinator to determine if your college/university utilizes CastleBranch.

• If yes, your school will allow access to the Office of Student Placement only to the documents specific to your internship/clinical rotation at this facility.
• If no, students will need to purchase a myCB portal to upload their documentation.  To purchase a myCB portal, click on the Halifax Health System Students account portal link, https://portal.castlebranch.com/HN88.  The cost for purchasing the portal is a one-time fee of $35.00 directly through CastleBranch, www.castlebranch.com.

Q.  What documentation is required to complete a clinical rotation at Halifax Health?

A.  Students must obtain the following:

• Level 1 Background Check
• Level 2 Background Check, which includes fingerprinting
• Immunizations (Varicella, MMR, Hepatitis B, TB and Influenza); and
• Urine drug screening

Q.  I had to complete some of this documentation for my school, will that count?

A.  It depends. Reach out for additional clarification.

Q.  How do I know if the Office of Student Placement has received all my documents?

A.  It depends on whether your CastleBranch account is through your school or purchased individually.

• If you already have an established account with CastleBranch through your school, after you upload all required documents, you and/or your school will need to grant access to the Student Placement Facilitator. At that point, an email notification will be sent indicating that the Student Placement Facilitator can view your documents.
• If you had to purchase a CastleBranch account on your own, just contact the Student Placement Facilitator once all of your documents are uploaded.

Q.  What happens after I’ve turned in all my documents?

A.  Student Placement Facilitator will schedule you for a student orientation.

Q.  How do I know what my schedule will be?

A.  You will work that out with your preceptor.

Q.  Will I get a parking decal?

A.  Parking expectations will be discussed during orientation.