What is PHIA?

The Personal Health Information Act ("PHIA") was passed by the House of Assembly in June 2008. PHIA recognizes the particular sensitivity of personal health information, and addresses the challenges of privacy protection in the complex array of public and private entities involved in health care. PHIA was proclaimed on April 1, 2011.

Who must take PHIA Training?

As the department responsible for all graduate programs, the School of Graduate Studies requires all graduate students who, at any time during their program, are required to take a course/practicum/internship/placement in Newfoundland and Labrador involving the use of personal health information to undertake PHIA training.

If such training is a requirement for your program, it shall be noted on the Program of Study form sent to graduate students at the time of admission, or added to a program through a Change of Program form upon consultation with a supervisor and/or Department Head.

PHIA is provincial legislation, and must be adhered to by students who will have access to identifiable personal health information in this province. Memorial University graduate students enrolled in their programs outside Newfoundland and Labrador are not required to complete PHIA training. 

How to complete PHIA Training

• Check your Program of Study form, or contact your supervisor, to determine whether or not PHIA training is needed.

• Navigate to http://nlchi.skillbuilder.ca/home (please make certain any pop-up blockers on your browser are disabled).

• Register by clicking on "Not registered? Click here" on the PHIA training homepage. After logging on, click "The Personal Health Information Act" to activate the training module. The PHIA training module will open as a separate window.

• Graduate students should select and complete the module entitled "PHIA training for those in direct contact with personal health information."

• On completion of the PHIA training module, you will be prompted to print a certificate. The certificate should state the following: name, title of the course, the track taken, and the award date.

• From your @mun.ca email account, send a copy of the PHIA completion certificate to the School of Graduate Studies at sgs@mun.ca.

• For graduate students whose programs of study reflects this as a requirement, completion of PHIA training is mandatory to graduate.