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FAQs

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Funding

Q: Why should I enroll in PREP LTC?
A: By enrolling in PREP LTC, LTC homes will access:
• Support from Regional Engagement Liaisons to help your home.
• Assessment of your needs and barriers.
• Support with placement coordination.
• Connections with post-secondary schools.
• Tools, resources and templates.
• Funding to backfill preceptor time and/or as honoraria for preceptors and to establish or expand a student placement coordination role.

Q: Is there a minimum and maximum amount of funding a home can receive?
A: This year offers a flexible funding mix of up to $40,000, giving homes the freedom to use the funds where they’re needed most! Pick the best option to meet your home’s clinical student placement needs.
Option 1*
• Receive $30K student placement coordination funds within 60 days of registering, plus up to $10K in backfill/honoraria or more
Option 2*
• Receive up to $40K solely for backfill/honoraria or more
Both options include unlimited eLearning Course funding, which homes receive within 60 days of clinical preceptors completing the course.
*The backfill/honoraria amount depends on the total number of students registered and the number of homes that apply.

Q: If I apply for student placement coordination funds AND for clinical placements, can I receive up to $70,000?
A: No. You may receive up to $40,000 in funding, including the $30,000 for coordination, but you may receive more depending on the number of funding requests we receive.

Q: How were the funding amounts determined?
A:  The PREP LTC team assessed the development of clinical placement programs within the LTC sector. We determined that preceptors need to spend about one day a week dedicated to teaching, mentoring, providing feedback or evaluating students under their supervision and a few days at the beginning of a placement to execute orientation activities. The funding amounts are based on our findings and the average hours a student, by role, spends in a home. We recognize that these times may vary depending on the academic and placement programs the students are participating in.

Q: Can homes provide funding to preceptors?
A: Yes, preceptor funding can be provided to preceptors in the form of an honorarium or to appreciate the preceptor. Funds are not to be used as a wage increase or supplement. You may also use funds to backfill a team member who spends dedicated time precepting and mentoring eligible placements under their supervision outside of their regular duties.

Q: Can I apply for this funding if I hosted an IEN or SPEP placement?
A:
 Yes; if you hosted an IEN or SPEP candidate, you may apply for funding to backfill preceptors who spent dedicated time supervising them or to provide honoraria as appreciation to these preceptors.

Q: Can homes use the funds to bring in and give guidance to high school co-op students?
A: Currently, secondary school co-op placements are not eligible. However, please see our Experiential Learning in Long-Term Care Guidebook and other resources for LTC homes offering placements for secondary school students on the Ontario CLRI website.

Eligibility

Q: What types of organizations with LTC residents are eligible for PREP LTC supports?
A: Long-term care homes and organizations, including hospitals with licensed LTC beds, that take on nursing and/or personal support worker (PSW) students, IEN or SPEP candidates for clinical placements are eligible for funding. Contact prepltc@the-ria.ca for any questions regarding hospitals’ eligibility for preceptor funding supports.

Q: What are the preceptor funding eligibility criteria for placements?
A: Any clinical placement being completed by PSW and nursing students as well as IEN and SPEP candidates, are eligible for preceptor funding. A placement must have been completed in your LTC home between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, regardless of when it started, to be eligible for Year 3 funding. For example, a placement that began on February 1, 2023, and ended on June 30, 2023, is eligible for backfill funding. However, a placement that began on January 5, 2024, and ended on May 30, 2024, would not be eligible for funding.

Q:  Is there a limit to how many clinical placements homes can register in PREP LTC?
A: No, there is no limit. The funding amount each home receives will be based on the total number of applications from all LTC homes in Ontario to ensure a fair distribution of funds. Please check with your finance department to ensure that you are able to account for the amount of funding you applied for.

Preceptor Education

Q: Are there credentials needed to be a preceptor?
A: We do not require preceptors to have specific credentials, but each LTC home may have specific requirements. We recommend that current and future preceptors (any team member who would like to pursue precepting) take our PREP LTC preceptor eLearning Course.

Enrollment Process

Q: By what date do LTC homes have to enroll in PREP LTC?
A: LTC homes should enroll in PREP LTC as soon as possible to gain access to all the resources including funding. Enrollment for Year 3 will close on December 19, 2023.

Q: How do I register student placements to receive funding?
A: Once an LTC home has enrolled, it will receive a confirmation email with a UNIQUE LTC HOME LINK FOR STUDENT REGISTRATION. You may register multiple students at one time and return to the same link to register more students throughout the year. The last date to register students is January 31, 2024.

Q: Do we need to spend these funds within a specified time?
A: Yes, LTC homes must spend the funds by March 31, 2024.