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New Staff Orientation Information for Supervisors

Organizational Effectiveness

Supervisor's Checklist for New Hires

Register New Staff Member for Orientation

All new staff members of both the University and Medical Center are expected to go to You Make a Difference Orientation as soon as possible after they begin their work at Vanderbilt, preferably the first day. Benefits Orientation is additionally required for full-time, benefits-eligible staff. Registration, explained below, is required for the programs.

Orientation Registration

  • Registration is available ONLINE through the Orientation Tracking System . This system allows managers to log-in using their VUNetID and password and register employees, receiving a confirmation email with the date, time, and location of the orientation they have chosen.  The registration deadline is 2:00 pm on the Wednesday prior to the orientation date.
  • This online system is being used for You Make a Difference, It’s Who We Are, and other job-specific orientations.  New University staff only need to attend You Make a Difference orientation. Please make sure to confirm the start time and location of each session you register your new employee for.
  • Please note that your employee's registration is not complete until you receive a confirmation email. If you are registering a Medical Center employee and have questions, please contact the Service Excellence team at 322-8225. For University employees, please contact HR Organizational Effectiveness at 322-8320.

Dates and Locations

You Make a Difference orientation is offered every Monday from 8:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. Check-in for You Make a Difference begins at 7:30 a.m., and the program starts promptly at 8:00 a.m.  If your new employee is going to be later than 8:30 a.m., please contact the Organizational Effectiveness team to reschedule as registration closes after 8:30 a.m.

The alternating locations for You Make a Difference orientation are 2525 West End Avenue in the 5th floor training room (select "2525 West End Ave" as the building on the interactive campus map) and the Learning Center in Room S-2435 on the ground level of the Medical Center North Round Wing (select "Med Ctr North" as the building on the interactive campus map). 

DATE START TIME LOCATION
January 2 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
January 7* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
January 14* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
January 21* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
January 28 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
February 4* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
February 11* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
February 18* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
February 25 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
March 4* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
March 11* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
March 18* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
March 25 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
April 1* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
April 8* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
April 15 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
April 22* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
April 29 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
May 6* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
May 13* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
May 20* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
May 28 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
June 3* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
June 10* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
June 17* 8:00am VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing
June 24 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
July 1 8:00am 2525 West End, 5th Floor Training Room
July 8* 8:00am

VUMC Learning Center, MCN Round Wing

*It’s Who We Are is on the following day at the Learning Center.

Download the complete 2013 Orientation Calendar.

Parking for Orientation

If your new employee is signed up for orientation at the Learning Center

NEW MEDICAL CENTER STAFF: Parking is in spaces 1-227, section WW, of the West Garage. This garage is located at the corner of 25th Ave. and Children’s Way. (See Parking Map). No pass is required, and they will not have to pay to park. Instructions are provided on the map for getting to and from orientation. If you have any questions about parking, please contact Organizational Effectiveness by email or at 322-8320. 

See Parking Map link is also http://hr.vanderbilt.edu/training/NSOParkingMap2011.doc

NEW UNIVERSITY STAFF: If the new hire is not yet in the system when he/she attends orientation, the department can request a free one-week hangtag from Traffic & Parking for the first week by going to Traffic & Parking in the Wesley Place Garage and providing the new hire’s name, start date, department and work location. Traffic & Parking will fill in the appropriate zone on the hangtag, depending on where the new hire will be working.

For questions about the hangtag, please contact Traffic & Parking at 322-2554. 

If your new staff member is signed up for orientation in 2525 West End

ALL NEW STAFF: Parking is in the 2525 West End garage directly behind the building. Entrances are behind PF Changs on Natchez Trace and behind the building on Kensington Place. We will validate new staff members' parking tickets at the front desk on the 5th floor. Please note: Participants' cars that are parked in the front retail parking lot (along West End) will be towed.

Note: We cannot validate parking tickets in any garages except for the 2525 West End garage.

Information to Provide Before New Hire's First Day

  • Parking information for orientation
  • ID Card Authorization Form: New Medical Center staff will need an ID Card Authorization Form completed and signed by the supervisor in order to obtain their ID card. The form is available here .
  • Time clock procedures: If your new staff member will be clocking in for timekeeping, please let them know that since there is no time clock at 2525 West End, you will be able to add in their time manually. The time clock in the MCN Round Wing is down the hall from the Learning Center, towards MCN.
  • Contact information: All new staff members should know their department’s name, their supervisor’s name and their supervisor’s or another contact person’s phone number. It is also helpful for them to know if they will be working for the University or for the Medical Center.
  • Lunch invitation/options: Meeting your new hire for lunch or providing lunch option information is a way to make their first day special.
  • Schedule for first week: You can ease your new hire’s anxiety and facilitate their integration into Vanderbilt by providing a schedule for their first week, including directions to different locations.
  • Immunization records: At Tuesday's It’s Who We Are orientation, Medical Center staff will participate in a new employee evaluation by the Occupational Health Clinic. To speed up the process, let them know before Monday which immunization record copies they will need to bring, which are listed here .

Orientation Overview

The morning segment includes an introduction to Vanderbilt history and culture and presentations from Health & Wellness, the Vanderbilt Police Department, and Benefits orientation (See Benefits Information for Hiring Managers for more details). The afternoon portion of You Make a Difference begins at 1:00 p.m. and includes presentations from Compliance, Environmental Health & Safety, Information Technology Services, and HR Employee Services.

During this orientation, new staff will be asked to turn in compliance pledge cards as well as their employment paperwork, if they have not already done so in the department. The session is a good opportunity to meet fellow new colleagues and to ask questions. Since leave accruals, pay schedules and VUnetIDs are not specifically addressed during orientation, please discuss these with your new hires as soon as possible.

Lunch is not provided in this session, but the HR representatives at orientation can direct new staff members to nearby options. Another suggestion is to meet your new hire at orientation and take them to lunch, as a welcoming gesture.

Employment Paperwork

All New Staff:

  • Employment paperwork , including IDs for I-9 form
  • Social security numbers of dependents
  • Supervisor name, department name and department phone number

New Medical Center Staff:

Attire for Orientation

Business casual attire or work clothes/uniform are recommended for this program. We ask that you make sure staff are aware that orientation is paid time, and therefore new staff should dress for a day at work. Discuss any other instructions with your new hire.

It’s Who We Are Medical Center Orientation

New Medical Center staff attend another day of orientation called It’s Who We Are. This orientation occurs on most Tuesdays in the Learning Center. Registration for this program is combined with registration for You Make a Difference. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m., and the program is from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

It’s Who We Are covers topics from Elevate, the name given to the Medical Center's cultural philosophy; safety; service recovery; and customer service. An executive leader begins the day with an overview of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and its mission and expectations.

Since your new staff member will participate in an Occupational Health new employee evaluation, it is important to let them know which immunization record copies to bring. More information about which immunizations are required is available here , or you can call the Occupational Health Clinic at 936-0955.

Contact Information

For questions about You Make a Difference please contact the Human Resources Organizational Effectiveness Team at training@vanderbilt.edu. Questions about It's Who We Are should be directed to the Service Excellence team at 343-1024.

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