Our classroom orientation will help prepare you for your new position at Waypoint. The length of your orientation will vary depending on your position at the hospital. You will receive an email from the Orientation Coordinator about the dates you have been registered to attend. Please click on the arrow to the right to learn more about our orientation program.
Home Get Involved Join Our Team New Employee Information
We are so glad you have decided to join the Waypoint team as we work together to provide exceptional care to those most needing mental health services.
Check Out Our Orientation Calendars
Have Questions?
Kelly Taylor (she/her), Orientation Coordinator / orientation@waypointcentre.ca
Contact Kelly if you have questions about your orientation or if you would like to discuss/share a physical or environmental concern that may impact your learning. We are here to help.
Laura McBride (she/her), Human Resources Assistant / lmcbride@waypointcentre.ca
Contact Laura if you have questions about the information provided in the pre-employment guide.
New Employee Orientation Information
Participants: All new hires
We need some things from you before you arrive.
Please review the Pre-Employment Guide provided by your recruiter for detailed information.
See the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information about things you need to do before orientation like:
- Submitting your parking application form
- Completing your Criminal Record Check
- Submitting your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Submitting your Occupational Health Assessment
- Completing your OPSEU (union) membership application (if applicable)
- Letting us know whether you speak French or other languages
Participants: Most new hires
This 2-day general orientation program includes:
- 6 Core Strategies
- Data Analytics
- eLearning
- Emergency Codes
- Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
- Ethics & Working in a Faith-based Hospital
- Health and Safety
- Human Resources
- Infection Control and Prevention
- Mask Fit Testing
- Ontario Public Services Union (OPSEU)
- Patient Client Family Council
- Patient Safety
- Personal Safety
- Privacy
- Resiliency & Stepped Care Model
- Staffing Services
- Tour of general areas
- Waypoint Overview
Please see the FAQs for more information about Waypoint Foundations and:
- COVID screening before orientation
- Travelling to Waypoint
- Parking and finding the classroom
- What to wear and bring to orientation
- Waypoint’s smoke/vape free campus
- Waypoint’s scent sensitive campus
- The cafeteria and canteen
- Learning about your schedule after classroom orientation
Participants: Most new hires
This 1-day program includes:
- Crisis Prevention & Verbal De-escalation Skills
- Personal Safety Skills
See the FAQs for more information about Therapeutic Interventions and:
- Parking and finding the Environmental Services Building (ESB) Classroom
- What to wear
- Items to bring with you
Participants: All new hires
Please contact your manager directly for details about your program/department orientation.
See our Navigation Document (PDF) for additional information.
NOTE: THE INFORMATION BELOW IS FOR CLINICAL STAFF ON INPATIENT UNITS ONLY
Participants: RN & RPN, Patient Care Assistant & Allied Health staff working on an inpatient unit (Penetanguishene campus)
This 1-day program for clinical staff includes:
- Physical Intervention Techniques
- Skills for High Risk Scenarios
- Problem Solving Skills
See the FAQs in the Therapeutic Interventions Day 1 section for additional information.
Participants: RN & RPN, Patient Care Assistant & Allied Health staff working on an inpatient unit (Penetanguishene campus)
This 5-day program is provided by the Professional Practice team and includes:
- Electronic Health Record (Meditech)
- Introduction to mental health
- Psychiatric medications
- Code Blue
- Recovery Plan of Care
- Seclusion & restraint
- Therapeutic relationships/boundaries
- Working in a mental health Setting
- Trauma and violence informed care
- Introduction to Safe Wards
- Lived experience of mental health
This training will take place in the IT Classroom, Atrium Level 1, Room 1622.
Please bring the information from the IT envelope you will receive at Waypoint Foundations. This contains your login information for training.
Participants: Nurses & Allied Health staff working in the community & Operational Support Workers
The morning of the first day of the Clinical Orientation program is required and includes
- Introduction to mental health
This training will take place in the IT Classroom, Atrium Level 1, Room 1622
Participants: Nurses, identified Allied Health staff, PCA and Operational Support Workers
This 1/2 day program includes
- Review of Least Restraint
- Safety and Risk Considerations
- Planned and Emergency Restraint Situations
This training will take place in the in the same location as Therapeutic Interventions training.
Participants: RN & RPN, Operational Support Worker, PCA working in the High Secure Provincial Forensic Mental Health Care Programs only
This 1/2 day program includes:
- Review of emergency codes
- Policies for escorting patients internally and externally
- Room searches
- Handcuff training
- Tour
Please note: This training is only required for staff who will be working in the High Secure Provincial Forensic Mental Health Care areas of the hospital.
This training will take place in a classroom in the Atrium Building. More information will be shared during PINEL training.
Please wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing.
Participants: Allied Health & non-clinical staff working in secure areas of the Atrium
This 2-hour component includes a tour of the Provincial Forensic Mental Health Care areas.
Participants: All new hires
Once you have finished your classroom orientation, you will need orientation to your new role and work area.
Please contact the staffing office (RN, RPN, PCA) or your manager directly for details about your program/department orientation. Please see our Navigation Document (PDF) for additional information.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Waypoint Foundations
One of our most effective strategies in minimizing transmission at Waypoint is the strict adherence to our screening tool. Carefully review the screening questions before coming to Waypoint. The questions will be provided as part of your orientation arrival package which will be sent by email. If you are sick or presenting symptoms of COVID or if you answer “yes” to any of the screening questions, you cannot attend orientation. If either pertain to you, please notify the orientation coordinator, via email orientation@waypointcentre.ca and she will contact you to discuss next steps.
Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care is located at 500 Church Street, Penetanguishene.
Arriving from Fuller Avenue, turn left at the Waypoint electronic sign onto Georgian Bay Drive. Orientation parking is in Lot “A” Pineview (beside the brick house on your left). If you don’t park in this location, you risk getting a $30 non-refundable parking fine.
Accessible parking is located in front of the Atrium and Administration Buildings (further down the road).
You will receive your Waypoint issued parking pass at orientation as well as info about the parking program.
From Parking Lot A, turn left and head towards the Waypoint buildings following the path towards the Atrium building.
You will enter the large glass doors into the Atrium Building and follow the orientation signs to the classroom.
Orientation is informal so please dress comfortably. The temperature in the training room can fluctuate so dressing in layers may be helpful.
Your photo for your ID badge will be taken when you arrive.
If you have a physical or environmental concern that may affect your learning (i.e. accessibility, disabilities etc.) or any other orientation-related questions, please contact the orientation coordinator by email: orientation@waypointcentre.ca
Waypoint is a tobacco/smoke/vape-free environment. These items should not be brought with you into a Waypoint building.
Waypoint is on a local bus route. Please visit the following municipal pages for more information. The transit system that services Waypoint is a partnership with both towns.
Please avoid using scented perfumes, aftershave lotions, hairsprays, or other scented personal products when coming to work. Scented products contain chemicals that can cause serious problems for people with asthma, allergies, migraines and environmental illness.
We recommend bringing snacks and packing a lunch for your first day of orientation. A microwave and toaster are available in the cafeteria.
Local community vendors provide lunch service Monday to Friday from 11am-2pm but there are rare occasions when this is not available. We also have a canteen available to purchase snacks and beverages and a Micro Market that offers snacks and beverages 24/7.
On the second day of orientation, nurses, Patient Care Assistants (PCA) and Operational Support Workers (OSW) will have an opportunity to meet with a member of our Staffing Office to discuss our scheduling process and to have questions answered.
If you are not a nurse, Patient Care Assistant or Operational Support Worker, please contact your manager directly for information about your program/department orientation or your work schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Before Orientation
This section is in addition to the more detailed information provided to new hires in the Pre-Employment Guide sent by your recruiter.
Paid parking is in place for staff at Waypoint. If you will be driving and parking at Waypoint, you will need to provide your vehicle information.
If you don’t drive and will not require a parking pass, please fill out and return the opt-out section of form to your Human Resources Assistant.
Please see the Waypoint Foundations section for information about parking on your first day of orientation.
It is a condition of employment that a new hire provide an original and satisfactory police record check prior to being scheduled to work. The Hospital will pay for this pre-employment expense if you obtain your police record check through myBackCheck. A registration link will be sent to you by your Human Resources Assistant. Please follow the instructions to complete your check.
If you already have an original criminal record check, it may be provided as an alternative to myBackCheck, but it must be recent and within three months of your start date.
Please see the Pre-employment Guide for additional information or reach out to your assigned Human Resources (HR) Assistant.
It is a requirement of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that Social Insurance Numbers (SIN) be confirmed by employers for the purposes of T4 slips and eligibility to work in Canada. This means we will need to see your SIN card.
If you are unable to provide us with your card, please go to Service Canada and get a SIN Confirmation Letter. You will need to bring primary and secondary identification with you to Service Canada.
Please click on the following link to learn more about the identification documents Service Canada will accept.
Please complete the Employee Health Review form found in the Pre-Employment Guide provided by your recruiter. The form and documents can be emailed to the Occupational Health Nurse at scrozier@waypointcentre.ca. Questions about your requirements can also be emailed to the same email address.
Please note: TB testing is available at Waypoint.
Please complete the membership application by clicking on the link below.
If you need help, please reach out to one of the contacts below for issues or questions about completing your application form or refer to the instructions that will be included with your Orientation Arrival Package.
- Justin Le Gros
- Sean Hazell
If you would like to receive updates from our local 329, please visit the two links provided below.
Please complete the French Proficiency Template (PDF) to let us know about your ability to speak French or another language to better serve our patients.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Therapeutic Interventions
Therapeutic Interventions training takes place in the Environmental Services Building (ESB) Training Room and begins at 8 a.m.
Keep straight following the 4-way stop next to the electronic sign. Follow the road to the next stop sign. The Environmental Services Building will be on your right.
Please park in one of the two parking lots highlighted on the map and proceed to the front doors of the building, where you will swipe your ID badge in front of the black box on the door.
Once you have swiped in please proceed to the last door of the ESB building, this is the training room door.
- Comfortable clothes (preferably short sleeves to allow for proper hand hygiene)
- Closed toe/heel shoes (e.g. running shoes)
- Please leave jewelry at home if at all possible
- a pen
- water to drink in the training room
- Note: there is no café in the ESB, plan to bring your lunch and tea, coffee, K-cups or snacks for your breaks.
The training requires participation in some hands-on scenarios. If you have physical/medically supported limitations that would prevent you from participating in the physical components of this training, please discuss with trainer prior to class starting.
If you have any questions about this training, please contact our OD Trainers:
Alishia Morris at amorris@waypointcentre.ca or Matt Miller at mmiller@waypointcentre.ca