Medical Clearance
Students who experience temporary illness, such as the flu / viral infections and / or common cold, should exercise judgment in deciding when to return to the fieldwork site – taking into account the site’s policies, kinds of clients, and fieldwork responsibilities. Students may find it helpful to contact the Fieldwork Supervisor for advice on when to return to work.
Students may also contact the DCE for guidance related to determining appropriate health related conditions for missing fieldwork days and appropriate health status for returning to the placement.
In the case of stomach flu illness, the Program guidelines are to follow those of our clinical partners, including:
- Symptoms: acute onset nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, +/-fever
- Incubation period: usually 24-48 hours; usually self-limited
- Duration of isolation for patients/furlough of staff: 72 hours after symptoms resolve
- Report patients and healthcare workers with new onset GI symptoms to Infection Prevention and Occupational Health, respectively.
- Healthcare workers who have acute GI illness symptoms must:
- Not report to work and call their supervisor immediately
- Be sent home if they report to work
- Not come to work until they have been symptom free for 72 hours following last day of symptoms
When the illness is contagious or the student has a physical disorder that restricts their physical activity in any way, the student must receive medical clearance from a health care provider and present it in writing to the fieldwork facility and the DCE. In such instances the health status requirements of both the fieldwork facility and the program must be met for the student to return to the fieldwork education experience.