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Welcome to VA Pittsburgh! We strive to hire only the best and we’re glad to have you coming on-board.

For the safety of our Veterans and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, we limit physical access to our facilities and to some areas of our campuses. Certain areas may require COVID screening

and face masks. Please ask your supervisor if a face mask is mandated for your work area. Masks are available at most entrances. If you are sick or have any symptoms, do not report to work.

Reach out to your supervisor and HR specialist for further guidance.

NEO Teams Meeting: Join online or call (conference ID: 846572979).

Please note, there may be specific circumstances where a new hire or transfer may only need to attend HR in-processing or orientation, but not both. Refer to the emailed instructions on

which portion(s) you need to attend or ask your HR specialist for further guidance.

All nursing staff, with the exception of CRNPs, will have additional orientation on days 3 and 4 of the new employee's first week. This orientation will be conducted in the Heinz Learning

Exchange and will last from 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m. each day unless directed differently from the nursing education team. Please see the nurse education SharePoint (VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

Nursing Education (sharepoint.com)) for additional information once you gain full access. If you have questions about this portion of nurse orientation, please contact your Nurse Manager or

Martin Kaasa ([email protected]) or Kara Anderson ([email protected]).

If for some reason you are running late or unexpectedly cannot make it to work, please contact your supervisor immediately by phone and email. 

If you’re stationed at the H.J. Heinz III campus:Enter through the main entrance. Be prepared to stop and show your driver's license or other form of government ID to the officer at the

guard booth. Inform the officer you are a new employee. You can park only in any section marked for employees (see H.J. Heinz III campus map for reference).

If you're stationed at the University Drive campus:Enter the parking garage through the Patient/Visitor Parking entrance (see University Drive campus map for reference). Be prepared to show

your driver's license or other form of government ID to the officer at the guard booth. Inform the officer you are a new employee. You can park only in employee parking on floors B1, B, G, 5

and 6.

Note: New staff may be required to shuttle from an off-site parking lot once orientation is completed. Please check with HR and your supervisor if you are required to park off-site.

New employees will be escorted to the PIV office to get their picture taken and should receive their PIV card within the first week. Please have two forms of ID ready for PIV appointments.

Clinical staff, including physicians, nurses, therapists, etc., will be prioritized during the first two days of NEO. We will attempt to get all new staff their PIV card during NEO, but any

staff unable to receive theirs can go to the PIV office at any time during the first week.

Prepare for your first day with VA Pittsburgh! Make sure to review the attached Smoke-Free Policy and note that smoking is prohibited everywhere on our VA campuses. For those employees whose

positions are in the bargaining unit, information regarding the master agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the local (2028) that represents bargaining

units at VA Pittsburgh is included.

All new staff, returning staff and transfers to VA Pittsburgh must attend NEO within the first 90 days of onboarding. VISN level staff will coordinate orientation separate from VA

Pittsburgh.

NEO consists of multiple presentations from VA Pittsburgh departments and reviews important VA policies and procedures. During NEO, you will also work with HR to finish onboarding documents

and will be sworn in as a VA employee.

NEO occurs the first workday of each pay period. NEO will be one or two days depending on modality. Additional orientation may be required for certain departments or positions.

Each new hire and their supervisor will receive an email the week before NEO. This email will detail the location and modality of NEO along with any further instructions.

HR in-processing and swearing in is required for any account creation and to start employment. The remainder of NEO must be completed within 90 days of onboarding if not completed during the

first week.

We provide a virtual benefits presentation every Tuesday at 10 a.m. and Thursday at 2 p.m. For additional information, see the benefits link above.

For any questions related to virtual new employee orientation, please contact [email protected].