This article provides in detail explanation and use-case for each of the Advanced Options in Placement Assist. 

For step-by-step information on how to use the Placement Assist and Advanced Options see article Using Placement Assist.

Set Maximum Placements per Student for Courses, Rotations, and Settings

Programs often require nuanced placement rules to meet academic, clinical, or accreditation needs. Whether it's limiting how often a student can be placed in certain rotations/course, ensuring balanced exposure across clinical settings, or avoiding back-to-back placements.

With Set Maximum Placements per Student for Courses, Rotations, and Settings option users can configure such rules with precision.

 
This advanced option can be used to define the maximum number of placements for each student for a given set of courses, rotations or settings either individually or as a combined limit.

Users can choose whether the rule applies "IN EACH" selection (each selected course, rotation, or setting gets the full limit) or "IN COMBINED" (the maximum placement limit is shared across selections). 

When to Apply the Rule for "IN EACH" and "IN COMBINED"

Use “IN EACH” when you want the maximum placement limit to apply to all selected courses/rotations/settings individually

Use “IN COMBINED” when you want the maximum placement limit to apply to the selected courses/rotations/settings as a combined group.

For example: IN COMBINED Course – DPT I and DPT II – Placement Assist will make one placement only. This means that Placement Assist would make one placement for each student either in ‘DPT I’ or in ‘DPT II’.

 
Note:

• By default, Placement Assist places a student once in a course and once in a rotation.
• By default, the maximum number of placements suggested for each student depends on the number of courses present in the Placement Group for which Placement Assist is run for.
• The above can be overridden as per requirements by using this advanced option.

Sample Use Case

Use Case 1 (Course)

Use-Case: There are 4 elective courses ‘PA 570 – Core Elective’, ‘PA 577 - Elective 1’, ‘PA 578 - Elective 2’ and ‘PA 579 - Elective 3’. A student should be placed in only 1 of the 4 electives.

Rule to Set: Place each student – IN COMBINED - COURSE - ‘PA 570 – Core Elective’, ‘PA 577 - Elective 1’, ‘PA 578 - Elective 2’, ‘PA 579 - Elective 3’ – One placement (maximum).

Meaning: Placement Assist will make at most One placement in one of the four selected elective courses for every student.

Possible Outcomes for a Student:

• PA 570 - Core Elective = One placement
• PA 577 - Elective 1 = One placement
• PA 578 - Elective 2 = One placement 
• PA 579 - Elective 3 = One placement 

Use Case 2 (Rotation)

Use-Case: There are rotations consecutive to each other. Students should not be placed in rotations consecutive to each other. There must be a gap of at least one rotation between two placements. 
The example below requires each student to not be placed in:

• ‘2025 SUMMER 1’ and ‘2025 SUMMER 2’ together
• ‘2025 SUMMER 2’ and ‘2025 SUMMER 3’ together
• ‘2025 SUMMER 3’ and ‘2025 FALL 1’ together
• ‘2025 FALL 1’ and ‘2025 FALL 2’ together 

Rules to Set

• Place each student – IN COMBINED – ROTATION - ‘2025 SUMMER 1’, ‘2025 SUMMER 2’ – One placement
• Place each student – IN COMBINED – ROTATION - ‘2025 SUMMER 2’, ‘2025 SUMMER 3’ – One placement
• Place each student – IN COMBINED – ROTATION - ‘2025 SUMMER 3’, ‘2025 FALL 1’ – One placement
• Place each student – IN COMBINED – ROTATION - ‘2025 FALL 1’, ‘2025 FALL 2’ – One placement

 
Meaning: Placement Assist will make one placement between each rotation pair as configured in the rules.

Possible Outcomes for Each Student:

• 2025 SUMMER 1 = 1 placement and 2025 SUMMER 3 = One placement
• 2025 SUMMER 1 = 1 placement and 2025 FALL 1 = One placement
• 2025 SUMMER 1 = 1 placement and 2025 FALL 2 = One placement
• 2025 SUMMER 2 = 1 placement and 2025 FALL 1 = One placement
• 2025 SUMMER 2 = 1 placement and 2025 FALL 1 = One placement
• 2025 SUMMER 2 = 1 placement and 2025 FALL 2 = One placement
• 2025 SUMMER 3 = 1 placement and 2025 FALL 2 = One placement

Use case 3 (Setting)

Use-Case: A student should be placed in a setting only once. 

 
Rule to Set: Place each student – IN EACH – SETTING - ‘Elective – Urgent Care’, ‘Emergency Medicine’, ‘Family Medicine’, ‘Inpatient Medicine’, ‘Pediatrics’, ‘Surgery’ - One placement (maximum) 
 

Meaning: Placement Assist will place each student at most once in all of the selected settings, as per slot availability and maximum placements per student [By default, maximum placements for a student is equal to number if courses Placement Assist is considering].

Possible Outcomes for a Student:

• ‘Emergency Medicine’ = One placement and ‘Elective – Urgent Care’ = One  placement and ‘Family Medicine’ = One placement
• ‘Emergency Medicine’ = One placement and ‘Pediatrics’ = One placement and ‘Family Medicine’ = One placement and ‘Surgery’ = One placement

Use case 4 (Setting)

Use-Case: Each student should be placed in only one of the Out-Patient (OP) Settings  

 
Rule to Set: Place each student – IN COMBINED - SETTING - ‘OP-General’, ‘OP-Ortho’, ‘OP-Pelvic Health’, ‘OP-Sports’ – One placement (maximum) 

Meaning: Placement Assist will make one placement for each student in any one of the Four selected settings. 

Possible Outcomes for a Student:

• OP-Ortho = One placement 
• OP-General = One placement
• OP-Pelvic Health = One placement
• OP-Sports = One placement

Use case 5 (Complex)

Use-Case: For PT Schools, there are scenarios where the criteria for students is to be placed for a certain duration. They can be placed either in a full rotation or two half rotations. In this case, maximum placement for a course has to be increased to two (in case they need to have two half-rotation placements). 

In the example below, there are three rotations set up for a course. One full rotation (of six months duration) and two half rotations (of three months duration).

Students should be placed in either of the two ways:

• Class 2026 TCEE - Full R/H
• Class 2026 TCEE - Part 1 R/H and Class 2026 TCEE - Part 2 R/H 

Rules to Set:

For this use-case, two advanced options will need to be used.

• Enable “Set Maximum Placements per Student for Courses, Rotations, and Settings” and set -
  • Place each student – IN EACH - COURSE – ‘PT 858/859 - Clinical Education Experience II, III or II/III (TCEE) Residential’ – two placements

• Enable “Restrict Placements in Overlapping Rotations” to generate overlapping rotations, which will prevent students from getting placed at overlapping rotations.
  • Two overlapping groups will be generated by the system. 

Meaning:

• Placement Assist will aim to place each student either once or twice in each selected course – ‘PT 858/859 - Clinical Education Experience II, III or II/III (TCEE) Residential’
• For each student, algorithm will make placements for a student in one of the following combinations:
  • Class 2026 TCEE - Full R/H
  • Class 2026 TCEE - Part 1 R/H and Class 2026 TCEE - Part 2 R/H 

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