What should I do if I experience respiratory illness symptoms during a clinical placement?

Despite following PPE guidelines and recommendations for personal and environmental infection prevention and exposure control, you may experience symptoms of Viral Respiratory Illness during your clinical rotations.

If this happens, you must follow this procedure for symptoms reporting and follow-up¹:

1. If you are not already masked, don a medical mask
2. Perform hand hygiene
3. Report to your supervisor and arrange for the safe transfer of care or responsibilities
4. Go home
5. Follow your program’s absence reporting procedures
6. Contact Aidan Gregory, Workplace Health Services Claims Associate, if you believe the symptoms are due to a work-related exposure

If an alternate diagnosis is identified, including other infectious diseases, follow return to work guidance based on site-specific staff policies for that illness.