VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (White City, OR) – VA SOUTHERN OREGON

Immunizations Required

• HBV (Hepatitis B)
• Influenza Vaccine
  o Please complete the Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination Form. Influenza by November 30th of each year.
• MMR
• PPD/TB
• Varicella
• Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) – Get either a Td or Tdap booster shot every 10 years after first dose) Student to keep originals of all documents and be ready to submit if requested. Turn in copies of
  verification of immunizations to Admissions and Student Affairs Office.
• Meningococcal
• Covid-19 Vaccine and booster
  • COVID-19 (the last form CDC provided to the VA is form 10-230
    • With your onboarding documents you will need to complete VA form 10-230
    • You will need to provide a copy of your vaccination card
    • The students CAN come to the VA if they choose to exempt. They will have to
      submit to regular testing like VA employees. If they fail to comply, their rotation
      will be terminated.

Immunizations Records Submit to and Date:

• Around 3 months before you start your rotation, you will receive an email from Annette Clark (Annette.L.Clark@va.gov)  with the VA Southern Oregon with instructions for onboarding.  However, the below will give you an idea of the information you will need.  She will provide step by step instructions and a check list in her email to make this process as smooth as possible.  If you do not hear from her by two months before the start of your rotation, please contact her at:  Annette.L.Clark@va.gov.
• Your documents are due 1 month after initially sent, or roughly 2 months before your rotation.

Documentation Required

ATTENTION: You must have a valid United States Social Security Number to rotate with our facility.

Step 1.  Trainee Qualification Credential Verification Letter (TQCVL) Please ensure that your College has sent us the TQCVL before you proceed to step 2.

Step 2. Start Finger Print adjudication. This must be completed prior to beginning your rotation at the VA-SORCC. We prefer for this to be done 30 or more days prior to the day of arrival but no more than 90 days from your start date.

• Contact the HR Security Specialist to make an appointment for fingerprinting. If you cannot do them at the VA SORCC ask a Veteran Affairs facility closest to you, for a set of courtesy prints. Please indicate Security Office Identifier SOI-VAE8, Submitting Office Number SON 1415 on that agencies Form.

Here is a link to a list of VA agencies that do fingerprints. https://www.oit.va.gov/programs/piv/locations.cfm

• You will need to bring two pieces of photo ID with you, which will need to include SSN card or Passport and another photo ID.

http://vaww.va.gov/PIVPROJECT/ID%20Matrix%20(update).pdf

• (1_.) Take your Finger Print Aid Form with you to your Scheduled fingerprint appointment.
• Please take your check list and have the person doing your fingerprints sign and date your check list.

Step 3. Complete  Mandatory Training for Trainees

• Please – carefully follow the attached instructions that describe the process for self-enrolling in the Talent Management System (TMS) from your home computer and complete the mandatory training; this must be completed prior to placement
• From a computer, launch a web browser and navigate to http://www.tms.va.gov/
• Click the “Create New User”link located near the SIGN IN button.
• Select the radio button for “Health Professions Trainee” DO NOT SELECT “WOC”
• Click the “Next” button
• Complete all required fields and any non-required fields if possible.
  • My Account Information:
    • Create Password
    • Re-enter Password
    • Security Question & Security Answer
    • Social Security Number* (If you do not have a Social Security Number, follow the on-screen instructions when registering.)
    • Re-enter Social Security Number
    • Date of Birth
    • Legal First Name
    • Legal Last Name
    • Email Address (Enter your personal email address. The email address will be used as your User ID when you login)
    • Re-enter email address
    • Phone Number (Enter a number where you can be reached by VA staff if issues arise with this self-enrollment process or in other circumstances
  • My Job Information:
    • VA City – White City
    • VA State – Oregon
    • VA Location Code –WCO
    • Trainee Type
    • Specialty/Discipline
    • VA Point of Contact First Name: Dr. Kiana
    • VA Point of Contact Last Name:  Saqr
    • VA Point of Contact Email: Kiana.Saqr@va.gov
    • VA Point of Contact Phone:  (541) 826-2111 Ext. 3112
  • Once you have entered all of the required data, click the “Submit” button. Your profile will be immediately created. Copy and save the “User ID” displayed to you on the confirmation page, as you will need this for future logins to the VA TMS. Once done, click on the “Continue” button and wait until your “To-Do ” list is displayed with the title of the mandatory training course.
  • Launching and Completing the Content
    • Mouse over the title of the “VHA Mandatory Training for Trainees”training course.
    • Click the “Go to Content” button in the pop-up window that appears.
    • Complete the course content following the on-screen instructions.
    • Exit the course and a completion of the course will be recorded for your effort.
    • Click on the “Completed Work” pod on the lower right hand side of your internet browser window.
    • Move your mouse over the title of the course you just completed and choose to “Print Completion Certificate”. Save certificate as a PDF and email to Dr. Kiana Saqr.
• Please contact AHT coordinator when this is completed at Aaron.Severson@va.gov

Step 4. Gather Originals of all documents to bring with you upon arrival at VA SORCC to ensure a completed package.

Step 5. On your first day, you will meet Annette Clark at the Hr Department (Building 200) at 8 a.m.

• You will be accompanied by Annette Clark to the HR Department, PIV Office for your ID card, VAPD, your your parking permit, FMS for your keys and to then to the optometry department to meet your preceptor, Dr. Kiana Saqr.
  • If you are bringing your vehicle on station, please request a parking permit. You will need Proof of Insurance, Driver’s License, and Registration.
• For housing access, you may arrive any time after 5pm the Sunday of your rotation to pick up the keys at your convenience.
  • If you need your keys earlier, please email Dr. Saqr (Kiana.Saqr@va.gov) so she can assist in arranging that for you.
  • Your apartment keys (Apartment # TBD) can be picked up at the Police Station (Building 202)
  • You will register your vehicle at the Police Station. The Police Station is open 24
  • hours/day.
    • As noted in the original welcome letter proof of insurance, Driver’s License and Registration are required.
    • Your apartment is in building 224 (see facility map provided by Annette Clark)

International Students and Social Security Numbers:

• Health professions trainees (HPTs) training at VA medical centers receive temporary
  Federal appointments and personal identity verification credentials. To be properly vetted
  and eligible to participate in training, nonUS citizen HPTs who are temporarily in the
  United States must have:
  • A nonimmigrant F-1 or J-1 student classification; or, an I-20 (or DS-2019)
    certificate of eligibility; AND
  • A US Social Security Number
• Unfortunately the use of a “pseudo-SSN” is prohibited in certain Federal systems. Your
  facility may have found work arounds, however use of a pseudo-SSN, or other 9-digit
  number, will not be permitted after May 1, 2018. Therefore, we are notifying the field in
  advance of this change in the onboarding process for non-US citizen trainees.
• Must provide a letter stating that your are not taking the clinical rotation position of a
  student who is a U.S.Citizen.
• https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10181.pdf

Again, please wait for instructions from Annette Clark. There is nothing that you need to do until you hear from her. If you do not hear from her by two months before the start of your rotation, please contact her at Annette.L.Clark@va.gov as well as Dr. Kiana Saqr at Kiana.Saqr@va.gov.

Documentation Submit to and Date

• Due two months prior to start date.  Follow instructions sent by Annette Clark.

Housing

• Effective 1-25-2023, while housing is still provided for our Health Professional Trainees at no charge, our facility can no longer accommodate any significant others or family members in the apartments. Visitors are welcome from 9am to 9pm, but no overnight guests are allowed. We have also been informed pets are not allowed in the apartments. If you have a registered service animal you were planning on bringing with you, please let me know as soon as possible.
• Additionally the following is prohibited from the campus: Tobacco (outside of designated smoking areas), Alcohol, Drugs, Knives greater than 3” and Firearms.

Absence Policy

• Any leave (except sick leave) must be granted at least 2 months in advanced of the desired day off and be pre-approved by the Optometry Student Program Coordinator. Requested leave will be granted only at the discretion of the Optometry Student Program Coordinator.
• All personal leave days must be approved by the Optometric Student Program Coordinator.
  • Personal leave days require one of the following assignments per day missed.
    • Power Point Presentation (in addition to the 2 presentations required for all
      students)
    • A summary of a journal article
    • An AAO style case report
  • The assignment topic must be approved by the Optometry Student Program Coordinator and should be relevant to a patient you have encountered or a new topic in the eyecare field.
  • NOTE: If the optometry student calls in sick on a previously requested day off that was denied, they must come to their assigned clinic first, be personally noted as sick by the Optometry Student Program Coordinator or assigned Supervising Practitioner, after which they will be sent home. If the trainee fails to come into clinic on that day, they will fail the rotation and be sent back to their school for lack of professionalism.
• Educational leave days include:
  • Optometric Conferences or Meetings – One additional assignment required for the entire
    meeting.
    • American Academy of Optometry Meeting, American Optometric Association
      Meeting, etc. – no additional approval needed but request must be placed at least
      2 months in advanced.
  • NBEO Parts I, II & III – No additional assignment is required
    • Study Days
      • Our clinic offers 1 free study day before your NBEO Part I & II exams to
        use at your discretion. The day must be submitted 2 months in advanced
        and must be approved by the Optometric Student Program Coordinator.
      • For NBEO Part III you are free to utilize our clinical space to practice for
        the examination after clinical hours, including weekends. No additional
        study days that interrupt normal patient care will be granted.
    • Travel Days
      • NBEO Part I & II – As there is a Pearson VUE testing center locally,
        travel days will not be granted.
        • The Pearson VUE testing center closest to us is located at:
          • 3560 Excel Drive Suite 105
            Medford, Oregon 97504
      • NBEO Part III – Travel days are allowed 1 day prior and 1 day after the
        date of the Part III examination. If additional days are needed for travel
        due to the flight schedule from Medford Airport, they must first be
        approved by the Optometric Student Program Coordinator.
    • State Law Exams – No additional assignment required
      • Please discuss any requested study or travel days needed with the Optometric Student Program Coordinator prior to scheduling the examination.
    • Residency Interviews – No additional assignments required
      • All days off must be approved by the Optometric Student Program Coordinator
        as soon as you know about the interview in order to block your schedule
        accordingly.
      • Maximum number of days off is 5.
      • CAVEAT: If you request Match Day off, one assignment will be required.
• Religious Holiday: No additional assignments required
• Sick Days: Additional assignment per day is required after 2 days taken off.