Students without prior employment in addiction work will substantially benefit from practical work experience in the field. This field experience opportunity will assist the student in developing an awareness of their role as an addiction professional. This course integrates the academic learning in the Professional Addiction Studies program with the practical experience of a clinical setting. Students will have the opportunity to observe and practice a wide range of skills presented in the academic courses, thereby facilitating a transfer directly to the workplace. Students will secure their own placement, in consultation with the Centre for Continuing Education. The course requires a total of 375 hours of practical experience which may be accomplished over a 12-month timespan. Students planning to use this practical experience toward the 300 hours of supervised clinical experience required for ICADC/CCAC certification through the CACCF are strongly recommended to request prior approval from the CACCF, as strict definitions are in place to meet these hours. Although it is recommended that students wait until the end of the program to complete the field experience, the minimum pre-requisite courses prior to registering for the placement are Introduction to Addiction, Pharmacology, Assessment and Treatment Planning, Counselling Skills for Addiction Professionals.
