Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO):
Frequently Asked Questions
About the SPECO
Q1: What is the Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO)?
It is an online core orientation for ALL students and faculty who are accessing the
following health authorities for practice education experiences: PHSA, Fraser Health (FH),
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Providence Health Care (PHC).
These health authorities have collaborated to develop a common core orientation to
improve student support and infrastructure. The purpose of this orientation is to:
1. Ensure students and faculty meet prerequisites for practice education experiences
based on provincial Practice Education Guidelines.
2. Reduce duplication and streamline processes for student placements.
3. Increase consistency and clarity from health authorities related to expectations of
students and on-site faculty.
Q2: What are the definitions for students, professionals and practice education?
Students are learners involved in a practice education experience as part of their studies
in an under-graduate, graduate, post-graduate (eg. post-doctoral fellowship) or postprofessional (eg. resident) education program in the health and human services
professions. Students placed at PHSA specifically for research training (eg. in research
labs) are not included in this definition as they require different supports.
Professional is an all-encompassing term that includes individuals with the knowledge
and/or skills to contribute to the physical, mental and social well-being of a community.
(World Health Organization, Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and Collaborative
Practice, 2010)
Practice education is the experiential component of an education program in which
students learn and practice in a community, clinical or simulated setting. It provides the
hands-on learning that helps students acquire the necessary skills, attitudes and
knowledge to practice effectively in their field.
Q3: Who needs to complete the SPECO?
Students and school instructors from ALL professions that will be attending FH, VCH, PHC
or PHSA for a practice education experience.
Q4: What are Practice Education Guidelines?
These are provincial guidelines that were developed by the provincial Practice Education
Committee to support student practice experiences in health care delivery settings.
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Q5: Do students need to complete the SPECO if attending a health authority for a
brief observational experience?
No; however, they are required to complete specific confidentiality requirements for the
health authority. At PHSA, that includes the Confidentiality e-learning module and
covenant via the PHSA Learning Hub. The placement process to arrange all observational
experiences is the same as for other types of student placements.
Q6: What if a student has already completed a health authority orientation prior to
the implementation of the SPECO (September 1, 2012)?
Students do not need to complete the online SPECO if they already completed health
authority orientation. However, students do need to complete the Health Authority
Orientation Checklist (to document completion dates), and renew components as listed.
Q7: What if a student has already completed one or more of the components of the
SPECO (eg. WHMIS)?
He/she should document the completion date on his/her orientation checklist and renew
as per checklist.
Q8: If students have completed the SPECO prior to hire in the health authority do
they have to complete New Employee Orientation?
Yes. The content of each orientation is different.
Accessing the SPECO
Q9: If a student created a user account in the Course Catalogue Registration System
(CCRS) for a previous course does s/he need to create another user account?
No. Only one user account is needed in CCRS.
Q10: A student tried logging on to CCRS and was denied access because he did not
have a school-issued email address.
The student needs a school-issued email address to access CCRS.
Q11: Who tracks completion of SPECO orientation requirements?
Students and school instructors must complete the orientation checklist and keep their
placement pre-requisites up-to-date. Completion of requirements is tracked by education
institutions. Students are advised to retain a copy of the checklist for their records.
Health authorities may request proof of completion (for any component of orientation) at
any time (eg. immunization).
PHSA-specific requirements (ie. completion of the Confidentiality e-learning module and
the Confidentiality Covenant) are tracked via the PHSA Learning Hub.
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Content Outline for the SPECO
Students are required to complete five online courses. All of these courses are available
on the Course Catalogue Registration System (CCRS). Links for each course are available
in the SPECO and on the Orientation Checklist.
1. Student Practice Education Core Orientation
2. WHIMS
3. Infection Control (includes hand hygiene)
4. Waste Management
5. Code Red
The orientation checklist is a tool to facilitate tracking orientation for students and
schools, and outlines when the various components of orientation need to be renewed.
Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO) – Content Outline
Welcome
• What can you expect when you start?
• Learning about BC health authorities
Self-Care
• Refusing unsafe work
• Challenges
• Fatigue management
Roles and Responsibilities
• Your role as a student
• What you can expect from your school instructor
• What you can expect from your preceptor/field guide
Information Privacy
• Information privacy basics
• What does “information privacy” mean?
• How does information privacy differ from “confidentiality”?
• What is considered “personal information”?
• Protecting personal information
- Prevent unauthorized access
- Prevent unauthorized disclosure
- Portable devices
- Destroy personal information
• Sharing or disclosing personal information
• What do you mean by “need to know”?
• You may share or disclose…
• Internal use of e-mail
• Email guidelines
• Privacy breaches
• Examples of privacy breaches
• Response to a privacy breach
• Confidentiality agreement
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Immunizations
• Required immunizations and documentation
• Required immunizations for health care
• Exceptions
A Culture of Safety
• A culture of safety is everyone's responsibility
- Safety tips
- Refusing unsafe work
- Emergency codes
• What is a culture of safety?
• Can you believe it?
- Significance of safety in healthcare
- The systems perspective
• Structured communication
• Safety huddles
• Safety learning system
- Safety hazard report online example
• Reporting student/faculty Injuries
Infection Control
• Infection control tips
• Proper hand washing
• Infection control module
Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention
• A musculoskeletal injury (MSI) is
• Signs and symptoms of a MSI
- Early recognition
- Stages of MSI
• Identify and assessing workplace risk factors
- Personal risk factors
• Workplace risk factors
- Force
- Repetition
- Static postures
- Awkward postures
- Contact stress
• How do you know you are at risk for injury?
- Musculoskeletal injury prevention process
• What to do when you have an injury?
- First aid treatment
- Medical treatment
• Strategies to reduce your risk of injury
- Maintain overall health and fitness
- Understand the proper use of equipment and safe work practices
- Identify workplace risk factors
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Blood and Body Fluids
Workplace Violence Prevention
• Violence prevention
• Violence in health care
• Three types of violence
• Prevention is the best intervention
• Violence is not part of the job
• Student violence prevention responsibilities
• When should violent incidents be reported?
• How can violent incidents and escalation be prevented?
• Alert
• Violence prevention responsibilities
• Workplace violence prevention policies
• Workplace violence prevention contacts
Mandatory Next Steps
• Checklist
• Visit health authority web page
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