Hiring and Onboarding

• A student enrolled in an academic program or course which requires them to participate in a practicum/co-op/placement, and who is being supervised by WCH Clinician/Scientist.
• A current graduate student (Masters/PhD) being supervised by WCH Clinician/Scientist.
• A Post-Doctoral Fellow (who has concluded their PhD) working under a WCH Clinician/Scientist.
• A medical student participating in a research block, or conducting research work as part of their training.*

Trainees are not WCH employees. Research Operations manages their on-boarding to Academics (WCRI, WIHV). In addition to the requirement of academic credit, there are some instances where these individuals may be paid via a stipend.

Students/Individuals not receiving academic credit should be hired via the open recruitment HR process as staff and would be paid via WCH payroll, as an employee. Should the individual not meet the requirements of a trainee, they may be considered as a volunteer, however WCH volunteers are not permitted by the hospital to do work that would otherwise be completed by a paid trainee or employee. Contact Volunteer Services for more details – Volunteer@wchospital.ca.

*Medical students who are doing research work as part of their training, but are not required to do so expressly by their program MAY be eligible for onboarding as a trainee. Please see guidelines in the following section, “Onboarding a Trainee”.

Required Documentation:

1. Current CV
2. Proof of enrollment in their course/program which requires them to participate in a practicum OR proof of enrollment in their Masters or PhD program OR Evidence of completion of PhD (for a PDF).
3. Their Supervisor’s name
4. Prospective start and end date of engagement – best if this is outlined in the information provided by the academic institution. All documentation should be provided a minimum of three weeks prior to the expected start date, but if it is available, it can be provided sooner.
5. Total stipend amount if applicable. Stipends are paid out on a monthly basis.
6. Cost centre that will cover the cost of the stipend.

Once all documentation is received, the Engagement Letter can be drafted for the trainee/grad student/post-doc which acts as their contract.

All documentation should be sent in one email to Sharon.Tan@wchospital.ca with a clear subject heading and trainee’s full name (“Requesting Letter of Engagement for Post-Doc FirstName LastName”). Please do not send items one at a time. This will not speed up the process.

The dates and details of the trainee’s engagement must match any back up documentation you provide.

Once drafted, the engagement letter is sent to the supervisor or their delegate for review, and signature of the supervisor.

The signed letter must be then returned to Research Operations, as it will be sent directly to the trainee along with the other required onboarding documentation for their review and signature.

Only once the engagement letter is counter signed by the trainee, and they have provided all onboarding documentation and fulfilled requirements by Occupational Health and Safety will the following be provided to the supervisor or their delegate. It is their responsibility to ensure it is provided to the student:

• WCH email and network access
• Security ID badge form
• Setup trainee for E-Learning courses
• If paying a stipend, the stipend request will be processed and will require additional signatures from the cost centre owner.

* Below are the guidelines for the onboarding of medical students who are doing research work as part of their training, but not required to do so expressly by their program.

• They must be University of Toronto undergraduate medical students, or registered through the University of Toronto – as WCH is affiliated with the University of Toronto, we can accept their students;
• They must provide proof of enrollment in the medical school program and their current year of study;
• They must provide a current copy of their CV;
• Their engagement can only be for the duration of the academic year.
  • For Pre-clerkship Year 1 and Pre-clerkship Year 2: Beginning of September to 30 May (or any period between).
  • For Clinical Clerks Year 3 (CC3) and Clinical Clerk Year 4 (CC4): Beginning of July to 30 June (or any period between).

If the student does not fulfill the above, they cannot be onboarded through Research at WCH.

All hiring is subject to WCH HR policies and procedures. The Research Operations Team assists in facilitating hiring, and ensuring that hiring researchers have the information and documentation needed to proceed smoothly through the hiring process.

To start the new hire process in Research, please complete the Research Job Posting Request Form to Daniel.Jin@wchospital.ca, together with the Job Posting Description. If you do not have the Posting Description, please reach out to Daniel Jin, Manager, Academic Operations and Solutions.

Once the above information has been submitted, the Staff Requisition will be submitted for signatures and the job will be posted to the WCH Careers website. Only applications received through the website will be considered.

As the first day of a new employee approaches, Research Operations will manage the request for a new user name/IMIT access, and security ID badge form if required. They can also provide guidance on space, or computer access if needed.

Employees are hired via Human Resources recruitment process and are paid through payroll every two weeks. Trainees are students (undergraduate, graduate, medical) enrolled in an academic program or course which requires them to participate in a practicum/co-op/placement, and who are being supervised by WCH Clinician/Scientist, or a post-doctoral fellow. They may or may not be paid. If they are paid, it is via stipend and paid monthly through Finance.

Students/Individuals not receiving academic credit should be hired via the recruitment Human Resources process as staff and would be paid via WCH payroll, as an employee. Should the individual not meet the requirements of a trainee, they may be considered as a volunteer, however WCH volunteers are not permitted by the hospital to do work that would otherwise be completed by a paid trainee or employee.

Health Information Management provides read-only access to research staff and trainees on a project-by-project basis once they have been onboarded.

Contact Daniel.Jin@wchospital.ca for templated job descriptions for roles in research. The descriptions can be edited to fit the research program, however there should not be many edits made to the qualifications part of the description.

Contact Daniel.Jin@wchospital.ca to access the templated job descriptions for the different roles within research. You’ll be able to determine the level of experience and responsibility you need for your hire by reviewing the different levels.

You may send them the job number, or direct them to the WCH Careers page to apply. Only applications received through the website will be considered.

This would be a considered a Trainee, and their onboarding will follow the process outlined in the Trainee section.