Nursing: Health Human Resources Programs, Students and Clinical Externs

About CHEO

CHEO is one of the few stand-alone, global leaders in pediatric health and is home to nearly 4,500 staff, medical staff and learners dedicated to helping children and youth live their best lives. Ranked in the top 1% of Canadian hospitals for the digitization of our clinical infrastructure, CHEO combines excellence in clinical care, research and education to advance seamless care that is provided where, when and how it is needed.

CHEO is a great place to work and learn

And so much more!
Visit our Awards, Accreditations and Designations page to learn more.

CHEO nurses provide exceptional evidence-based and patient- and family-centered care. They strive for excellence in their professional work, and are supported by CHEO to be their very best and thrive in a rewarding and inspiring environment.

Does that sound like you?

Join our team!

At CHEO you will discover a culture that embraces teamwork, professionalism, innovation, creativity, resiliency and respect. As an academic teaching hospital CHEO encourages and enables our nurses to advance their care and practice knowledge through teaching, collaboration and research.

We offer exciting nursing career opportunities in clinical practice, education, research, professional leadership, and operational management. The potential for career diversity and growth at CHEO is limitless!

Join us and help make our vision — the best life for every child and youth — a reality.

Nursing Students

Nursing students function in a variety of different roles at CHEO. Students can be present in the hospital via clinical placements and consolidation. They can also be working as a member of our interprofessional team as Clinical Externs or as Health Care Aides. Working in these roles connects students with a clinical learning environment that helps them enhance and shape a nursing professional identity.

CHEO’s Health Care Aid (HCA) role for nursing students is viewed as a transitional position, whereby students can develop skills, knowledge, and self-confidence. Our HCA role gives nursing students the opportunity to become immersed in the hospital-setting which enables them to build on their communication and inter-professional collaboration skills. As a result of this program, HCAs become excellent candidates for future nursing opportunities at CHEO. Our HCA role is also an excellent and rewarding career choice for many individuals such as personal support workers. Our HCA’s play an integral role within our interprofessional team and in keeping the hospital and patient care operational.

If you are a nursing student and would like the opportunity to begin your rewarding career with CHEO, view our current HCA opportunities.

View current HCA opportunities

Nursing Clinical Externs

The CHEO Clinical Extern Program provides the opportunity for nursing students to work under the supervision of CHEO nurses during their Nursing studies. CHEO Clinical Externs are RN students in their third or final year of studies and RPN students in their second or final year of studies. Externs are employed by CHEO as unregulated health care providers (UCP). The Clinical Externs provide family-centered care to CHEO patients and their families. The Externs work with CHEO nurses, and interprofessional team, contributing to the care of the patient and family.

The Clinical Extern role is viewed as a transitional role, whereby students develop nursing and pediatric clinical expertise, speciality knowledge and competencies as they move from a student to Registered Nurse or Registered Practical Nurse role.

The Externship allows the students to fully immerse in CHEO care, culture, and teams. This full immersion provides an environment to develop clinical skills and participate in care as a member of an interprofessional team. The program is designed to provide supernumerary support.

The CHEO Nursing Clinical Extern Program fosters nursing excellence through mentorship and interprofessional collaboration to support seamless entry to pediatric nursing practice.

The Clinical Extern Program:

Provides valuable pediatric clinical experience to student nurses
Promotes ongoing recruitment and retention of nursing professionals
Enhances the care provided to patients by utilizing a collaborative care delivery model
Profiles CHEO as an employer of choice and destination for subsequent pre-grad, consolidation, and nursing employment
Provides CHEO nurses an opportunity to share clinical expertise and support the next generation of nurses' learning

The Clinical Extern Program runs yearly with a cohort intake each spring around May. Postings for the clinical extern program will be up each year in February/March.

New graduates

CHEO is proud to participate in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG) Program funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

About the NGG program

This program is designed to support newly graduated RNs and RPNs as well as Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) who are within 12 months of registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). Successful candidates of the NGG program will receive 450 hours of orientation within 12 weeks, which includes classroom education and precepted shifts. This robust orientation improves the new graduate’s transition into practice and into full-time employment.

The NGG program is open to nurses within 12 months of registering with the CNO.

Eligibility criteria

Canadian educated nurses

Graduated with a baccalaureate degree in nursing or a diploma from a practical nursing program in Canada;
Have not been employed as a nurse in Ontario in the six months prior to participating in the NGG program;
Match with an employer on the NGG online portal within 12 months of registering with the CNO; and
Commit to accepting full-time employment or the equivalent of full-time hours with their NGG employer after completing the NGG program transition into practice period.

Internationally educated nurses

Completed their nursing education outside of Canada.
Have not been employed as a nurse in Ontario in the six months prior to participating in the NGG program;
Match with an employer on the NGG online portal within 12 months of registering with the CNO; and
Commit to accepting full-time employment or the equivalent of full-time hours with their NGG employer after completing the NGG program transition into practice period.

Upon confirming eligibility, to be considered for the NGG program with CHEO, applicants must apply through the NGG Portal.

NGG positions open each spring and are available from around May 1- December 1.

Apply now

Health Human Resource Programs

Community Commitment Program for Nurses (CCPN)

In an effort to attract Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) the Community Commitment Program for Nurses (CCPN) provides $25,000 in grant funding to eligible nurses in exchange for a two-year commitment to an eligible employer.

CHEO is proud to take part in this program as a participating hospital. Please let your recruiter and/or hiring manager know if you are eligible to participate and we will submit an application to the CCPN for approval if hired into a full-time position no later than March 31, 2024.

To be eligible for the CCPN, a nurse must:

Not have been employed as a nurse in Ontario in the six months prior to being hired;
Hold a Certificate of Registration in good standing from the College of Nurses of Ontario;
Begin employment no later than March 31, 2024;
Commit to two-years of employment at a full-time work schedule offered by the employer; and
Not simultaneously receive funds from the Ministry of Health for the Tuition Support or be enrolled in other nursing support programs such as NGG

View current CCPN opportunities

Supervised Practice Experience Partnership (SPEP)

The Supervised Practice Experience Partnership (the program) is a partnership program between the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), Ontario Health and CNO approved organizations.
CHEO is an approved organization and proud to participate in this initiative.

The program offers applicants the option to complete a supervised practice experience in Ontario to demonstrate current nursing knowledge, skill and judgement and language proficiency skills. By participating in the program, applicants will have an opportunity to meet the following requirements to enter practice as a nurse:

Evidence of Practice, or
Evidence of Practice and Language Proficiency

If you're interested in and eligible for this program, contact us at: talentacquisition@cheo.on.ca.

CHEO thanks all applicants for their interest but will only contact candidates who best meet the requirements of our job opportunities/programs.