Clinical Internship Selection

The DCE/ACCE is responsible for arranging all clinical internships in the program. You may not undertake to make your own arrangements with any clinical site. Doing so will prevent you from being placed at that site for your internships.

A list of sites affiliated with our clinical education program can be found on our Clinical Partners page.

A list of clinical internships will be made available to the class. In most circumstances, you may identify up to ten internship options of preference per internship unit. Although every effort will be made to place you in your preferred area, the Department of Physical Therapy reserves the right to place students as necessary to meet the curricular needs of the students’ based on availability.

Internships are limited and subject to availability and you may be required to complete your clinical internship requirements outside of your area of preference/residence. In this situation, accommodation and travel expenses are your responsibility. Accommodation and travel allowance information and applications may be obtained from the DCE/ACCE and are available on the Clinical Education course shell on Quercus.

Internship requests will be reviewed by the DCE/ACCE and every attempt will be made to meet the needs of each student's program. Where difficulties arise in meeting these exact requirements, the DCE/ACCE will attempt to arrange the most suitable alternative. You should meet with the DCE/ACCE to discuss your circumstances where necessary.

Some internships may change or be cancelled due to uncontrollable circumstances and in this event, the DCE/ACCE will attempt to re-assign you. These situations are often beyond the University’s control.

Certain specialty internships may require previous experience in a suitable rotation (e.g., cardiorespiratory, outpatient orthopedics). Only students who meet these criteria will be eligible for internships in these facilities.

Note

Although every effort will be made to place you in your preferred area, the Department of Physical Therapy reserves the right to place you where and when it finds it necessary to meet the needs of your program.

Clinical Internship Requests Outside of the University of Toronto Catchment Area

Students may have the opportunity to complete an internship outside of the U of T Department of Physical Therapy’s catchment ares. You may request a total of two out-of-catchment (OOC) internships while in the program if you meet the following conditions:

You have successfully completed Clinical Internship I
You have a minimum of a 75% overall average
There are no academic or clinical concerns from faculty
You have no history of being on academic probation in the MScPT program
There is favourable consensus from academic and clinical faculty that you demonstrate professional behaviour in both academic and clinical situations (e.g., independence, maturity).

If you have been granted a supplemental practical exam in a subject area, you will not be permitted to go OOC for any internship relevant to that subject area.

Within Canada

To undertake a clinical learning experience OOC within Canada, you may request three choices of city, type and area of practice, in one other university catchment area. You may not request specific sites, although under special considerations, sites may be mentioned. A map of Ontario catchment areas and a list of cities as well as the OOC Student Internship Request Form can be found on the Clinical Education Course on Quercus.

Out-of-Catchment requests are forwarded to the appropriate University DCE/ACCE for matches. The DCE/ACCE will inform you of the deadline for each internship session for OOC requests. If you request an OOC internship and it is offered, you will be required to complete the internship. When possible, an internship will be secured in the Toronto catchment until OOC internships are confirmed.

All costs incurred with OOC internships are your responsibility. Currently, the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan, McMaster University, the University of Ottawa and McGill University charge a $50 administration fee, and the University of Montreal charges a $75 fee, for arranging internships of OOC students. This fee is non-refundable and should be paid by cheque, payable to the requested University, at the time of submitting the request form.

You must be fully bilingual in English and French to complete an internship in University of Ottawa’s catchment, and in Quebec,. If you are going to British Columbia, Alberta, or Manitoba, you must join the Provincial College of Physiotherapists before the internship commences. Several provinces also require a criminal reference check.

Internationally

You may request one six-week internship outside of Canada if there are no travel restrictions. The request will be considered for Clinical Internships II, III, IV, or V if you meet the eligibility requirements and have approval of the DCE.

If you are interested in arranging an internship in a country outside of Canada, you will need to meet with the DCE/ACCE prior to the initiation of any contact with international facilities. This will ensure the appropriate documentation is forwarded to the sites for their review. It is your responsibility to research and make initial contact with international facilities. Once you have received written confirmation of a facility’s interest, the DCE/ACCE will follow-up with the facility to confirm arrangements and forward the appropriate documents.