Clinical Education

Attention:  Internationally-Educated Physiotherapy Students (IEPT Students)
If you are interested in a clinical placement/internship opportunity in Canada the National Association of Clinical Education in Physiotherapy (NACEP) provides a guideline and application process to assist you.  Placements are organised through the individual NACEP member responsible for the area of Canada you wish to be placed in.
 Please see the Placements for IEPT Students section below for full details. Additional questions may be directed to nacep@ccpup.
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Canadian Student Placements

NACEP is made up of the Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education (ACCE) from each university program and the provincial or regional coordinators of clinical education.   NACEP members have a joint policy on how national and international internships are processed.  Each NACEP member is responsible for a geographical catchment area in their respective provinces.

Please review the information below to determine the catchment area.

To initiate a request or seek further information, please contact nacep@ccpup.ca

When a student from a Canadian University wishes to complete a placement in a region other than the catchment area managed by their university, an Out of Catchment request must be completed and submitted several months before the placement. The entire process must be overseen and organized by the ACCE/DCE of the requesting and hosting universities. There may be hosting site exceptions to this in some provinces.  These requests are in no way guaranteed to be fulfilled as students that attend the university in that catchment area will be prioritized for the available placement offers. Under no circumstances, are students allowed to contact a clinical setting in Canada to organize a placement for themselves.

If the placement can proceed, the ACCE will facilitate communication between the requesting university and the hosting site.  In provinces that use the placement tool HSPnet (Health Science Placement network), the ACCE will redirect the requesting university communication to the hosting site (Receiving Agency). The Receiving Agency will provide HSPnet Guest Access to the requesting university so that all approvals and communication can occur. 

When considering which Canadian university to attend, please keep in mind that you may not be able to return to a different region for the majority of your placements.

Placements for IEPT Students

Students who wish to complete a clinical placement in Canada should be aware of any VISA and travel requirements when coming to Canada, including, but not limited to an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). More information can be found on the Government of Canada's website.

Definitions and Applicable Organizations:

Internationally-Educated Physiotherapy (IEPT) Student refers to a student who is completing the requirements of a Physiotherapy/Physical Therapy Program in a university located outside of Canada’s borders.

International Physiotherapy/Physical Therapy (PT) Program refers to an accredited university degree program, located outside of Canada, that produces graduates at an entry-to-practice level. 

Canadian Physiotherapy University Programs and National Association of Clinical Education in Physiotherapy (NACEP):  

There are 15 accredited physiotherapy programs in Canada which oversee clinical placements in 17 regions. Through its NACEP members, each program determines its capacity to manage and support an IEPT Student Clinical Placement request.  Priority for clinical placements goes to the needs of the host program followed by other Canadian program requests.  Once these priorities are addressed, IEPT student applications can be considered. 

As resources fluctuate, the level of oversight and support varies across programs/regions. It can range from minimal oversight and no support (connecting the IEPT Student to a Clinical Partner site) to full oversight and support (overseeing health screening, communications and matching to partner site, regular communications throughout placement).

Each Physiotherapy Program reserves the right to charge an administrative fee (this may include a site or clinical instructor stipend/fee) for the organization of an IEPT Student Clinical Placement. Any associated fees will be paid directly to the host University program.

Application Process

Complete and submit a package including the following information to the potential host Physiotherapy Program. The package should include:
  • Detailed program information from your University Physical Therapy Department.
  • A listing of your previous academic courses.
  • A listing of your previous clinical internships (area of practice, length, type of facility).
  • A letter from your coordinator of clinical education stating that you are in good academic standing with an average 75% or greater (this letter must include their contact information and their acknowledgement that you are applying for this internship).
  • Two letters of reference using this student form: one from a faculty member (not your coordinator of clinical education) and one from a clinical instructor that has supervised you during a clinical internship.
  • Evidence of appropriate language proficiency (English and / or French) if English/French is not your first language.
  • The dates of the requested internship.
  • A minimum of three practice area choices for the internship requested.
  • A prioritized list of geographical areas preferred (maximum of 3). 
  • Your resume/CV
  • Medical malpractice liability insurance:  Most clinical practice sites will require that you have malpractice liability insurance.  If your school does not cover your insurance, you will have to purchase your own insurance and provide your certificate to the site prior to the commencement of the internship.
  • Some provincial regulators may require that students be credentialed.  All expenses associated with this application are your responsibility.

For best results, plan to submit your application at least 6 months prior to your desired placement date. Shorter timelines may adversely impact consideration of your request.

Applicants may communicate with only one of the 15 programs at any given time. Multiple simultaneous applications may disqualify the applicant. For their part, the NACEP assessor for that application commits to provide a timely initial response.

If you have already communicated directly with a potential site, you must complete these steps and submit the application form as soon as possible. 

Adhering to each step in the outlined process will maximize the success of your application. Failure to submit a complete application form or to follow the process may result in rejection of the application.

  • If the response to this application indicates that a placement is NOT possible in that region, the applicant is welcome to submit their application to another region/program.
  • If the application receives clearance to move forward, the NACEP member and Physiotherapy Program will provide guidance on requirements for the next step: a more complete application.

Canadian Programs and Contact Information

Here is a list of Programs, contact individuals (Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education or Director of Clinical Education) and their email address by Catchment Area.
British Columbia and Yukon Territory

Clinical Education Advisor
Department of Physical Therapy
University of British Columbia
212-2177 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6T 1Z3

Email:  pt.educators@ubc.ca
Phone:  604-822-8225
Fax: 604-822-1870
Website

Province of Alberta and the Northwest Territories

Heather Bredy PT, MCISc, FCAMPT
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Department of Physical Therapy Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
1-40 Corbett Hall
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB.
T6G 2G4

Phone: 780-492-3724
Email: ptclined@ualberta.ca

 

Province of Saskatchewan

Melanie Weimer

Clinical Coordinator
Master of Physical Therapy Program
School of Rehabilitation Science
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon SK S7N 2Z4

Email: melanie.weimer@usask.ca
Phone: 306.966.6584
Website

Province of Manitoba and Nunavut Territory

Kelly Codispodi BMR(PT)
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
University of Manitoba, Department of Physical Therapy
R106-771 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3E 0T6

Email:  ptclined@umanitoba.ca
Website

Northwestern Ontario

Brock Chisholm
Clinical Learning Liaison
Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM)

West Campus
21 Sylvan Street
Kenora, Ontario
P9N 3W7

Email:  Brock.chisholm@nosm.ca
Phone:  807-468-9861, ext. 2290
Fax: 807-468-7096

Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec around the city of Ottawa

Susie Renaud
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
University of Ottawa, Physiotherapy Program
School of Rehabilitation Sciences

451 Smyth Road
Ottawa, Ontario  K1H 8M5

Email:  formclin@uottawa.ca
Website

Southeastern Ontario

Randy Booth
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Queen’s University, Physical Therapy Program
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences

Louise D. Acton Building
31 George Street
Kingston, Ontario  K7L 3N6

Email:  boothr@queensu.ca
Phone:  613-533-6102
Fax: 613-533-6776
Website

Greater Toronto Area

Brenda Mori
Director of Clinical Education & Community Affairs
Department of Physical Therapy
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

160-500 University Avenue, Room 858

Email: ptclined@utoronto.ca 
Phone:  416-946-8646
Website

Greater Hamilton Area

Jasdeep Dhir
Director of Clinical Education 
McMaster University, Institute for Applied Health Sciences, Room 431
School of Rehabilitation Science

1400 Main Street WestHamilton, Ontario  L8S 1C7
Email: dhirj@mcmaster.ca
Phone:  905-525-9140, ext. 21441
Fax: 905-524-0069
Website

 

 

Southwestern Ontario from the City of Windsor north to the Bruce Peninsula

Samantha Doralp
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Western University, School of Physical Therapy
Elborn College

London, Ontario  N6G 1H1
Email:  sdoralp2@uwo.ca
Phone:  519-661-3368
Fax: 519-661-3866
Website

 

 

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Université Laval

Jean-François Roux
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Université Laval, School of Rehabilitation Sciences
Faculty of Medicine

Ferdinand-Vandry Pavilion 
Québec, Qc  G1K 7P4

Email:  Jean-Francois.Roux@fmed.ulaval.ca
Phone:  418-656-2131, ext. 6445
Fax: 418-656-5476
Website: bachelor's program in physiotherapy and master's programs in physiotherapy 

 

McGill University

Crystal Garnett
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
McGill University, Physical Therapy Program
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy

3654 Promenade Sir-William-Osler
Montréal, PQ  H3G 1Y5

Email:  crystal.garnett@mcgill.ca
Phone:  514-398-1293
Fax: 514-398-6360
Website

Université de Montréal

Chantal Besner
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Université de Montréal, Physiotherapy Program

School of rehabilitation, Pavilion 7077, Parc Avenue
P.O. Box 6128 Centre-ville Station
Montreal, Qc  H3C 3J7

Email:  chantal.besner@umontreal.ca
Phone:  514-343-6259
Fax: 514-343-6929
Website

Université de Sherbrooke

Anne-Marie Côté
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Université de Sherbrooke, School of Rehabilitation
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

3001 12th Avenue North
Sherbrooke, Quebec  J1H 5N4

Email:  Anne-Marie.Cote3@Usherbrooke.ca
Phone:  819-821-8000, ext. 72908
Phone:  1-800-267-8337, ext. 72908
Fax: 819-820-6864
Website

Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Geneviève Gervais-Cadrin
Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
555 Université du Chicoutimi Boulevard
Quebec G7H 2B1

Email: Stages_Physiotherapie@uqac.ca
Phone: 418-545-5011 poste 2736 

Northeastern Ontario

Lesley Green
NOSM - East Campus
Regional Coordinator
Laurentien Campus

935 Ramsey Lake Rd.
Sudbury Ontario
P3E 2C6

Email:  Legreen@nosm.ca
Phone:  705-348-2973
Fax: 705-369-3567

Atlantic Region (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador)

Office of Clinical Education
School of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health
Dalhousie University, 5869 University Ave.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3J5

Email: ptclined@dal.ca 
Phone:  902-494-2524
Website

Note: Dalhousie University, School of Physiotherapy is currently not accepting international placement requests unless arranged through existing exchange agreements.