Your First Week

Your first week as a part of CVM will be filled with many introductions, including your supervisor, Integration Host, and colleagues. Additionally, you will begin to get acquainted with the overall structure of the Center.  Our goal is to begin integrating you into the Center and its culture early so that you are able to use these resources to your advantage and become a productive, critical part of CVM and its inner workings as soon as possible. 

The first half of Day 1 will be spent at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (http://www.hhs.gov/) Orientation. Here, you will be greeted by the Center’s Onboarding Coordinator who will welcome you to CVM and direct you to the location of the morning’s activities. That afternoon following the HHS Orientation, you will arrive at CVM where your Integration Host will greet you. Day 2 will be spent at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (http://www.fda.gov/) Orientation. On the afternoon of Day 3, you will attend a two-hour CVM Orientation. As on Day 1, the Center's Onboarding Coordinator will direct you to the proper location for both the FDA and CVM Orientation sessions.

While the rest of that first week may not be as structured as those first 3 days, there are a number of responsibilities you will have and activities you will take part in to kick-off the onboarding process. To help keep track of these, please consult our New Employee Checklist.

One very important activity that will take place during this first week is meeting your Integration Host, as part of the New Employee Integration Program. Your host is a peer who will help to introduce you to colleagues and get you acquainted with the standard processes and procedures within your office. If you have any questions or concerns during this time, feel free to speak with your supervisor or host!

Throughout this time as you actively seek out information on the Center and its people, you should take the opportunity to get to know the many programs and initiatives that CVM offers as a way to enrich employees both personally and professionally.

Some items that you may wish to clarify at this time include:

• Regular meetings you are expected to attend
• Mandatory training courses and when/how to sign up for them
• Projects you will be initially working on and their deadlines
• CVM’s strategic goals for this year
• Specific policies you need to know