Replacing a Fragmented Student Vetting Process with a Scalable Digital Workflow
At Halifax Health, I led the operational design of a centralized student application and vetting workflow that replaced fragmented, manual processes with a more secure, consistent, and scalable system.
The redesigned process supported students, schools, internal reviewers, preceptors, operational departments, and technology-access teams while accommodating the many exceptions that arise when coordinating unpaid clinical and nonclinical placements.
The Challenge
By May 2026, Halifax Health had educational agreements with more than 35 schools representing nearly 100 degree and certification programs.
Students completed clinical rotations, internships, externships, and other experiential learning opportunities across the organization. Depending on the program and placement, each student could be required to submit up to 13 health, compliance, and organizational documents before beginning.
The existing process had evolved over time and relied on a combination of paper records, email, school contacts, third-party platforms, secure file-sharing tools, and manual coordination. Staff needed to determine whether an active affiliation agreement existed, verify that a preceptor and placement had been identified, review documentation, communicate deficiencies, coordinate corrections, and initiate the access students needed to begin.
Workday was explored as a potential solution, but it was not designed for the volume and complexity of unpaid student placements. Treating students as contingent workers created duplicate identities, login and access challenges, redundant document storage, and additional costs. A process that had been workable when the number of schools and programs was smaller was no longer sustainable at the organization’s 2026 scale.
The Solution
As the leader responsible for Student Placement, I served as the operational subject-matter expert for the redesign. I partnered closely with the Director of IT Automation & Development and members of the development team to translate the process into practical system requirements.
My role was to represent the needs and experiences of students, schools, reviewers, preceptors, operational departments, and access teams. This required mapping not only the standard process, but also the decisions, exceptions, communications, and downstream actions that made the workflow complex.
Creating a Centralized Application Process
The new process began with a standardized application submitted through Microsoft Forms.
Administrative reviewers could evaluate the request, check for an active educational affiliation agreement, confirm the student’s identified preceptor or placement, identify potential duplicate records, and approve, hold, or reject the application.
Once an application was approved, instructions could be sent to the student’s school email address. This created a consistent starting point while helping ensure that communication reached the appropriate student and school contacts.
Building a Secure Student Portal
Approved applicants received access to a secure external portal where they could review orientation materials, access required forms, upload documentation, and monitor their progress.
The portal allowed reviewers to approve or reject individual documents, provide comments explaining deficiencies, and request corrections or resubmissions. An “Approve Without Document” option accommodated legitimate exceptions without forcing staff to create inaccurate or unnecessary records.
The workflow also needed to recognize employees, returning students, and other individuals who might already exist in organizational systems. Addressing those scenarios helped reduce duplicate identities, redundant submissions, and avoidable access problems.
Connecting Vetting with Organizational Access
Final approval did more than indicate that documentation had been reviewed. It initiated the downstream processes needed to prepare the student for placement, including Active Directory, electronic medical record, and other required access.
Automated notifications improved communication across the process and reduced the need for students, schools, reviewers, and departments to rely on separate email chains or individual follow-up systems.
Testing the Experience
I participated extensively in testing and troubleshooting throughout development.
To experience the process from the student’s perspective, I created a test identity and worked through the application, communication, document-upload, correction, and approval steps. This helped uncover practical issues that might not have been visible from the administrative side alone.
I also created a screenshot-based user guide to help students and school representatives navigate the process more successfully.
Selected Results
During its first year, the redesigned workflow supported:
- 2,688 student placement applications
- 1,813 students completing the vetting process
- More than 25,000 documents reviewed
- More than 35 participating schools
- Nearly 100 degree and certification programs
- Centralized application, documentation, review, communication, and approval processes
- More consistent handling of exceptions, corrections, and returning participants
- Improved coordination of identity, clinical-system, and other organizational access
The system replaced a collection of disconnected processes with a centralized workflow capable of supporting substantial volume while improving consistency, security, communication, and the student experience.
What This Demonstrates
This work demonstrates my ability to recognize when a process and its supporting technology are no longer aligned with operational needs.
I can examine a complex workflow, identify the perspectives and exceptions that must be represented, and translate business requirements for technical partners. I can also test a solution from multiple viewpoints, identify practical barriers, and create supporting resources that help users successfully adopt a new process.
Most importantly, this project demonstrates my ability to turn an administratively burdensome process into scalable infrastructure that supports organizational growth without losing sight of the people who must use it.