Student Employment and More

Summer Student Employment

Student Summer Employment

Discover Health Careers Manitoba (formerly Home for the Summer)
* Positions posted: Open
* Closing date: February 7, 2025
* Job posting number: IERHA 303/24

ATTENTION: NURSING, PHARMACY & ALLIED HEALTH STUDENTS

Are you looking for full-time summer employment?

Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, in conjunction with Health Careers Manitoba is offering students hands-on experience in hospital environments and direct patient interactions applicable to their training. Examples of placements include, but are not limited to:

	Allied Health Students – Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language, Respiratory Therapist, Social Work
	Indigenous Health – Advocacy Role
	Medical Students – Direct Care Program Worker
	Medical Rehabilitation Students – Rehabilitation Assistant/Summer Student
	Nursing Students – Acute Care, Long Term Care, Public Health, Home Care
	Pharmacy Students – Pharmacy Technician

Qualifications:

Enrolled full time in a University/College in Nursing, Pharmacy, Allied Health or Indigenous Health field of study
Resident or has a connection to the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority region
Strong organizational, interpersonal, problem solving, verbal, and written communication skills
Ability to type accurately at 50 wpm as well as current computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite applications
Experience in conducting surveys and research projects an asset
Mental and physical health to meet the demands of the job required
Valid Manitoba Class 5 driver’s license and access to a vehicle required
Given the cultural diversity of the region, the ability to communicate in more than one language would be considered an asset
Completes and maintains a satisfactory pre-employment security check

How it works

Work placements will begin in April/May, and will be completed by the end of August, based on a letter of offer. The duration of the position will be within the range of 5 – 16 weeks, and will reflect your level of education ($15 – 25/hour). Space is limited, and not all that apply may be accepted into the program.

Interested students may apply by completing and submitting the following forms.

*Please indicate preference of program(s) when applying including if applicant is Indigenous. Every effort will be made to accommodate program requests, but cannot be guaranteed.

Please contact Ian Magnan, Recruitment Manager at [email protected] for more information.

Internships

Undergraduate Nursing Employee

Apply your education and knowledge, and work alongside health care teams in a medical, surgical or mental health setting.

Undergraduate Nurse Employees (UNE) work under the supervision of Registered Nurses (RN) or Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN) and are an important new addition to Manitoba’s diverse, collaborative and supportive healthcare teams.

As a UNE you will care for patients, gain valuable experience, and log working hours that will give you an advantage when applying for jobs after you graduate.

Get an early start on your career in caring!

Learn more at makeitinmanitoba.ca

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an undergraduate nursing employee (UNE)?

A UNE is a student in an approved nursing program leading to entry to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) who works in a health care setting. The UNE is an unregulated member of the inter-disciplinary team, who is supervised by an RN or RPN. UNE’s are hired into casual positions. They are a member of the Manitoba Nurses Union.

What are the qualifications needed to be a UNE?

To be hired as a UNE, an individual must be actively engaged in full or part-time studies in an accredited nursing program leading to an RN or RPN entry to practice.
The minimum qualification required to be a UNE is the successful completion of the third year or enrolled in third year with a minimum of 450 hours* of clinical practice in an approved nursing education program leading to initial entry to practice as a RN or RPN.
Verification of clinical hours and evidence of the appropriate clinical placement (as stated above) is required by the education institution. Students will be expected to provide this and confirmation is collected by the hiring manager at the interview.
Verification by educational institutions may be completed by the use of the Undergraduate Nurse Employee (UNE) Clinical Hours Confirmation form, or documentation from the educational institutions. Hiring managers should collect the verification at the time of interview. In addition to the minimum of 450 hours*, completion of a clinical placement in a medical/surgical or mental health setting is required in order to work in relevant patient care areas. Ongoing verification of enrollment should be confirmed by managers quarterly.

Please see the Undergraduate Nursing Employee (UNE) Job Description for further information.

When a student is no longer enrolled in a post-secondary nursing program, they are no longer eligible to be employed as a UNE. A UNE can no longer work as a UNE once they have completed all their educational requirements to become a Registered Nurse. Once they are done their education they can register as a Grad Nurse. They cannot work as a UNE once their practicum is complete.
*448 hours for BScPN

Which educational institutions are included?

The approved nursing programs for entry to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) located in Manitoba are:

Brandon University
University of Manitoba
Red River College
Université de Saint Boniface – (Saint Boniface University)
University College of the North

What is the UNE hiring process?

Please refer to your sites hiring process policies. Each site will be required to work with their finance department to create Undergraduate Nurses Employee casual position control numbers.

Does the hiring manager determine the final candidate for the position?

Yes, hiring managers make decisions about which candidate is best for the position. Specific requirements for eligibility for employment may be included in the position posting. It is recommended that the manager review the provincial UNE Job Description with the successful applicant.

Factors to be considered when determining if an UNE is appropriate for your unit?

Patient population: In-patient medicine, surgery, mental health only(phase 1)
UNE skill set to determine patient level of acuity in the assignment
Appropriate supervisory resources available on the unit for mentorship
Operational funding
Well-functioning team
Supportive unit leadership team: Manager/Charge/CRN
Ability to hire at least two UNE positions for a supportive environment
Collaborative learning environment

Do the two UNEs on the same unit need to work the same shifts?

No, the UNE’s are not required to work the same shift. If your supervisory model can accommodate two UNEs per shift that can also be done. The intent with having at least two UNE positions on the unit is for the UNE to have a colleague to talk with and share their new experience. Having more than one UNE on the unit will also facilitate the teams in learning and understanding the role.

What documentation needs to be in place to hire a UNE?

UNE Clinical Hours Confirmation (with a minimum of 450 clinical hours* worked and a clinical placement in medicine, surgery or mental health inpatient unit) or written confirmation from the educational institution.
Active enrolment verification in an approved nursing education program.
A satisfactory Criminal Records Check including a Vulnerable Sector Search, Adult Abuse Registry Check and Child Abuse Registry Check
*448 hours for BScPN

What is the pay rate and benefits for a UNE?

Competitive salary
Entitlement to vacation and statutory holiday pay which is earned on each cheque
Hired as casual nursing employee
Casual employees are exempt from receiving health care benefits
Casual employees are eligible for WCB

Can UNEs be replacement staff?

UNEs are unregulated providers; therefore, are not to be used as replacement staff for fully qualified RNs, RPNs or LPNs. The UNE is accountable for providing safe patient care in accordance with their educational preparation and competency. The UNE is responsible for seeking consultation and guidance. The UNE is excluded from employment in a practice setting (e.g. unit) for the period of time that they are in a clinical placement as a student in that practice setting.

UNE’s are hired as casual employees, and often support units during high vacation time periods. The UNE’s can be scheduled up to full-time hours and be called in on short notice within the unit they are employed. Utilization and employment of UNE’s shall not result in elimination or reduction of positions for all other classification of nurses, nor result in the reduction of the availability of additional available shifts, or a reduction in the hours that would otherwise be available for any other classification of nurses.

What is meant by direct and indirect supervision?

Direct supervision: a RN/RPN or regulated health-care designate is present in the practice setting at the point of care and provides supervision “at the side of the UNE.” Indirect supervision: a RN/RPN is available for guidance and consultation and oversight but is not “directly by the side of the UNE.” The supervising RN/RPN must be readily available on the unit or in the same location where the care is being provided and must have the opportunity to observe the nursing practice as required.

Who is responsible for supervising UNE’s on a daily basis?

Each UNE needs to be assigned a supervising RN/RPN at the beginning of each shift in a direct or indirect supervision relationship. The supervising RN/RPN in collaboration with the UNE is responsible for making a reasonable and prudent care assignment for the UNE.

What sort of patient care assignments can UNE’s be involved with?

The nursing activities performed, and level of supervision required are determined by legislation, standards of supervision outlined by regulatory bodies, educational preparation, practice setting, complexity of the Patient level of risk involved, and competency of the UNE. In collaboration with the UNE, the RN or RPN at the point of care has the responsibility to make a reasonable and prudent UNE Patient care assignment.
The UNE must not perform any nursing intervention that they have not attained competency in the nursing education program as per UNE job description.
The UNE must seek guidance and assistance when the complexity of the patient (client/resident) condition or care is beyond the competency of the UNE or the patient status changes.

Performs nursing care safely according to the knowledge, skills and abilities obtained in formal nursing education in collaboration with the RN or RPN
Can be considered to perform reserved acts under the direct or indirect supervision of the RN/RPN and only after level of UNE competency and potential risk has been considered by the RN/RPN and has acquired knowledge and skills in their nursing education program.
For additional resources regarding assignment of care, please see the links below.
Supervision of Undergraduate Nurse Employees (UNEs) – College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba | College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (crnm.mb.ca)
Practice-Direction-Supervision-of-Undergraduate-Nurse-Employees.pdf (crpnm.mb.ca)

Is there a list of reserved acts available to guide the UNE?

There is not a specific list of reserved acts for UNEs to perform as the UNE is only to perform a reserved act that they have the competency attained in their approved nursing education program. There is an extensive list of reserved acts on the CRNM website for general guidance of RN practice.

What do I need to consider related to reserved acts or nursing interventions the UNE may perform?

The UNE must have attained competency in their approved nursing education program. The reserved acts and/or nursing intervention must be appropriate to the practice setting.
The RN/RPN at the point of care must determine the level of risk in the UNE performing the reserved acts and the supervision required.
Additional considerations:

Assessment of the patient population and their health care needs.
Nursing care required and reserved acts to be performed.
Employer policies
Current established competencies of the UNE.
The supports and resources available for supervision.
Level of risk in the UNE performing the reserved acts.
The RN or RPN still remains responsible for the supervision of the UNE for the overall provision of patient care.
To perform reserved acts, UNEs must be supervised either directly or indirectly in the practice setting by a Regulated Health Care Professional authorized and competent to independently perform and supervise that reserved act.

There is no staff member available to supervise a UNE to perform a skill/procedure that they have attained competencies for in their nursing education program. Can the opportunity be declined?

If the UNE’s assigned supervisor is not available to supervise the completion of the task, an alternate RN or RPN may be designated to supervise the UNE. If an alternate is not available, then the opportunity should be declined.

How does a UNE sign their name in a patient chart?

The UNE signs the chart as first name initial, full last name and UNE.

How does a UNE identify themselves to the patients/staff?

The UNE should introduce themselves by name and indicate that they are an Undergraduate Nursing Employee. They should also indicate who is their supervising nurse for that day.

Can UNEs process orders?

Yes, if the UNE’s basic education included order processing, they can process orders.

Can a UNE work year-round on our unit?

Yes, some facilities/sites choose to employ the UNE in a casual status position year- round
however, they must remain actively enrolled in an accredited nursing program.

A nursing student is completing a clinical placement on the unit and now wants to be a UNE on our unit. Is this allowed?

An individual may not be a student and a UNE on the same unit during the same timeframe.

A nursing student has applied to be a UNE on a particular unit where they also wish to do their senior practicum at a later date. Is this allowed?

An individual may not be a student (clinical placement/practicum) and a UNE on the same unit.
An individual may not complete their senior practicum on a unit where they have been
employed as a UNE. A UNE may work on units other than where they are doing their clinical
placement. There may be rare instances that are reviewed on a case by case basis and that
attempt to find solutions to barriers and support our learners.

Can UNE’s provide supervision to other employees?

No. UNE’s do not provide supervision to other employees, such as Health Care Aides, UNEs or
students.

Insurance coverage

Much like any other healthcare employee employed by Shared Health, WRHA, PMH, IERHA,
SHSS and NRHA are covered by their employers HIROC policy.

Can a UNE be floated to a different unit?

No. The UNE is hired to a unit. They are not to be floated to different units.

Will the UNE nurses be able to use their increment hours earned in their UNE
position towards an increment in an RN or RPN position?

Casual incremental hours will transfer over to a part time position as per the provisions of the
collective agreement.

Is there a minimum number of hours that they need to work to remain
employed?

It is suggested that the sites follow their site policies related and processes related to casual
employees.

Is the UNE expected to provide resignation notice when they are no longer
eligible to work as a UNE. (Resigning because they are no longer actively
enrolled in an academic program.)

As a condition of employment, the UNE must be actively enrolled in an approved nursing education program leading to initial entry to practice as a RN or RPN. Should the UNE for any reason other than graduation from the nursing program, no longer be enrolled in an approved nursing education program, they must inform their manager immediately.
When a student is no longer enrolled in a post-secondary nursing program, they are no longer eligible to be employed as a UNE. A UNE can no longer work as a UNE once they have completed all their educational requirements to become a Registered Nurse. Once they are done their education they can register as a Grad Nurse. They cannot work as a UNE once their practicum is complete.

What happens when the UNE graduates from their approved nursing education program?

The UNE should inform the manager when they are graduating. The manager should work with the UNE leading up to their graduation to assist in applying for positions in the health care system.
When a UNE applies for a RN or RPN position and meets the qualifications of the posting ( i.e. is now a GN), the casual seniority that the UNE has accrued in the UNE position would be used as per Article 3509 for the purposes of Article 30 and only against other qualified casual MNU members and where there are no FT or PT applicants.

Is there a budget attached to the casual position?

The intent of the UNEs is to bring students in early to establish an employment relationship that will carry on post-graduation. All UNE’s are hired into casual positions. The casual position does not have a budget attached, similar to any other casual positions that are created.

Can a UNE hold multiple UNE positions?

A UNE can hold one position, on one unit within a facility. They cannot hold positions at multiple facilities. We want to ensure we provide as many nursing students as possible the opportunity with these positions. The UNE should have the opportunity to gain enough experience and to work up to full-time at the one site, if they desire.

What shifts can a UNE work?

A UNE can start working days and/or evening shifts. Once the criteria below has been met, a UNE can start working night shifts.
To ensure UNEs continue to receive adequate support in their practice and appropriate learning experiences, the following parameters are recommended to provide guidance for employers who wish to schedule UNEs for night shifts.

The following conditions must be met:

UNE has completed orientation to the specific site/ area of care and attended new employee orientation as applicable
Has completed 155 hours of work in a UNE position working days/evening (13x 12 hour shifts; 20 x 8 hour shifts)
Manager has reviewed the UNEs progress in the clinical area including feedback from the supervising nurse(s)/educator and determine UNEs readiness/suitability to work night shifts
Appropriate supervising nurse is available to support the UNE on the night shift
UNEs in a full-time position and enrolled in a nursing re-entry program may be scheduled for night shifts in between courses
UNEs may not be scheduled or work night shifts only
Approval from the manager is required for the UNE to be scheduled for nights

Can a UNE work overtime?

The UNE is eligible to work overtime and would be paid in accordance with the collective agreement.

Does the supervising nurse need to be the same for every shift?

The Employers are looking at a way to provide the consistency of working with the same supervising nurse(s). We feel that it will provide consistent support for the UNE as well as clarity for the supervising nurses. By maintaining the same supervising nurse for each shift, we expect that it will help improve the understanding of the full scope of the UNE capabilities and not just tasks, specifically in the beginning.

Where can you find a list of UNE postings?

The Health Career Manitoba website contains direct links to each of the Employer’s who currently have the Undergraduate Nursing Employee posted.
Undergraduate Nurse Employee (UNE) – Health Careers Manitoba

Are the UNE positions posted year-round?

positions to be posted at any time throughout the year as opposed to posting only at one point in time, the posting scheduled time have been adjusted to reflect the education institutions school year and we will no longer have restricted posting scheduled times. We understand that there are different times for breaks, and we don’t want to exclude any nursing student the opportunity to apply for a UNE position.
Previously approved casual UNE positions that have become vacant due to a UNE moving to a RN/RPN position, can be reposted on that same unit provided the circumstances on that unit have remained the same (i.e. stability of the unit, vacancy rate, etc.). As UNE positions become vacant, re-approval to post the vacancy is not required. If a site is requesting to create new UNE positions for units that have not previously been approved for a UNE position or additional positions on a unit, then a submission for approval is still required to be sent to the implementation committee. This can be done at any time throughout the year.

Why is this new role being implemented in Manitoba?

This position had been created to provide an opportunity for nursing students to consolidate knowledge and skills acquired in the approved nursing education program and apply it in a true nursing setting. The UNE role supports integrated learning and assists in their readiness to assume RN/RPN responsibility upon graduation. This will assist with recruitment and retention strategy to build nursing capacity.

If I need assistance, who can I contact? Please contact Human Resources 204-785-4770 or [email protected] for assistance.

Student Education Funding

Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority offers educational funding to assist in the recruitment and retention of health-care professionals in the region.

The RHA will provide a pre-determined monetary amount per academic year to full-time and/or part-time students who are pursuing a career in a health-care profession that is of mutual value to the applicant and the organization. This includes RNs, LPNs, HCAs, health information management staff, pharmacists, OTs, PTs and social workers. Students may apply for the bursary a maximum of two (2) times.

Applicants must be currently completing an accredited education program leading to a degree, diploma or certificate in a health care profession.

Provision of funding is conditional upon a return of service agreement, based on full time hours for that classification for each year assistance is provided.

Applicants shall be considered based on the following:

An employee of the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority who holds an FTE
Self-identifying Indigenous students
Residents of Interlake-Eastern region

In support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Report (TRC), and in order to meet the Interlake-Eastern RHA objective of a population-based Regional Representative Workplace, comprised of an appropriate Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) workforce of 27%, the following shall apply:

Except where provided otherwise in a Collective Agreement, where candidate qualifications and experience are determined to be equal by the employer, first consideration shall be given to Indigenous (First Nations, or Inuit) applicants.

Student Education Funding Brochure
Student Education Funding Application Form (Applications are accepted through April 1 – June 30 every year)

Canada Student Loan forgiveness for family doctors and nurses

The Government of Canada offers Canada Student Loan forgiveness to eligible family doctors, residents in family medicine, nurse practitioners, and nurses who work in under-served rural or remote communities that lack the primary health care they need.

Visit: Apply for Canada Student Loan Forgiveness for Family Doctors and Nurses – Overview – Canada.ca

Job Shadowing

Student Financial Assistance Programs

Student Practicums

Take Our Kids to Work Day

Student Employment and More

Student Summer Employment

Apply your education and knowledge, and work alongside health care teams in a medical, surgical or mental health setting.

Learn more at makeitinmanitoba.ca

Frequently Asked Questions

Canada Student Financial Assistance Program (CFSA Program)

Benefits of Canada Student Loans:

Manitoba Student Aid

Student Awards

Practicum placements