Alcohol, Drugs and Substances

Practicum Impairment

While at your practicum placements students are prohibited to use alcohol and drugs. Being under the influence can create an undue risk to yourself, the clients, and the staff at your placement. It is important that we create a safe and healthy environment and be responsible for ensuring your ability to work at your placements without risk to yourself and others.

Symptoms of Impairment

Symptoms may include:

• The smell of alcohol or other psychoactive substances (e.g. cannabis).
• Impaired hand-eye coordination.
• Difficulties with walking, posture.
• Difficulties speaking.
• Reduced alertness.
• Relatively slow or shallow breathing.
• Sleepiness.
• Eye redness.
  (British Columbia Institute of Technology, n. d.)
  

Ways that problematic substance use may cause issues at work include:

• Can impact a person’s judgment, alertness, perception, motor coordination or emotional state that also impacts working safely or safety-sensitive decisions after-effects of substance use (hangover, withdrawal) affecting job performance absenteeism, illness, and/or reduced productivity preoccupation with obtaining and using substances while at work, interfering with attention and concentration.
• Brings an unhealthy environment to the children and or youth.
• Can trigger the clients you work with.
  (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety, 2021)
  

Student Responsibility

• Work safely understand the impact that using substances can have on your safety and that of others
• Report to your practicum instructor and supervisor anything that is likely to be hazardous to the clients, staff or any other person at your practicum site inform your practicum instructor and supervisor if a medical condition or treatment may cause impairment and impact their ability to perform your job safely

(Government of Canada, 2020)

Medication

As practicum students, you are unable to administer medication to the clients. If anyone instructs you to administer medication to a child, inform them you are unable to.