Onboarding Postdocs - Don't You Just Love It? A Tool Can Help!

Postdocs are the backbone of lab research that makes the bench to bedside discoveries in medicine a reality. Unlike residents or fellows who enter the system at a specific date, postdocs can join the research enterprise at any day! Most institutions have office of postdoctoral affairs who manage their appointments and other certifications. The complexity of onboarding postdocs is because they can be domestic, or international, with OPT, or extended STEM OPT, J1 visa processing and/or H-1B visa processing. They can normally be appointed up to five years with possible extensions until seven years and can come to the institution any where in between. They can be T32 trainees, F, or K award recipients. The onboarding tool walks the administrator and the postdoc through aspects of sponsorship, mentorship, appointment, visa, benefits enrolment, required trainings, and seamlessly gets them on their way to conduct research. Automated reminders and lock-step calendar movement of the various deadlines ensure nothing is missed! It provides the administrator and the postdoc coordinator peace of mind!