With a vision to provide each patient with world class care, The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest research and teaching hospitals. Andrée Kaspardlov, Manager, Talent Acquisition, tells us about the organization’s commitment to accessibility and the various career opportunities it offers.
1. Tell us about your organization. What’s the one thing you are known for?
• The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) is a multi-campus academic health sciences centre serving 1.2 million residents of Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, and it functions in both English and French.
• Campuses: The General, the Civic and Riverside Campus
• TOH also has multiple satellite sites including but not limited to the Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Centre located at the Queensway Carleton Hospital
• It is one of Canada’s largest research and teaching hospitals with approximately 12,000 employees, 1400 physicians, 1300 residents and fellows and 1200 volunteers.
2. What types of positions do you recruit for on a regular basis?
• There are a vast variety of positions we recruit for on a regular basis.
• Careers opportunities: nursing; support staff (includes but not limited to patient food service attendants, housekeepers, orderlies; clerical staff, registered practical nurses, logistical services, etc.); and allied health professionals such as social workers, medical imaging technicians, occupational and rehabilitation therapists and pharmacists, etc.
• Note: physicians, residents and fellows are recruited through a separate process and not through human resources.
3. How do job seekers apply for positions within your organization?
• All job opportunities are posted to the Ottawa Hospital Career Site through online application only, it receives over 48,000 CVs per year.
• HR participates in numerous career fairs and networking events affording opportunities to connect directly with talent.
• Share links to TOH opportunities with job seekers who attend these networking events and career fairs.
4. Who is your ideal candidate? (Specifically: what skills/competencies are important to your organization; do you build some of these on the job?)
• Every staff member plays a role in how patients are cared for whether the employee is the clerk admitting a patient, the nurse providing direct care or the housekeeper who ensures patient rooms remain free from potentially life-threatening disease.
• Common goal: working together to care for patients.
• TOH vision is to provide each patient with world class care, exceptional service and compassion that we would want for our loved-ones. The aim is to hire individuals who foster this vision.
5. What’s your best advice for someone who wants to build a career in your organization?
• Determine your interests and create a focused/targeted career plan.
• If you want to build a career from the ‘ground up’ consider an entry level role within the organization.
• Consider volunteering to gain an understanding of how the organization works.
• Talk to your guidance counselor, attend job fairs and networking events. Research the internet and view the TOH career site.
• Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to learn more about us
6. How are you committed to providing employment that includes professional development and progression for persons with disabilities?
• Many in-house professional development courses are held at the hospital; all staff members have equal opportunity to access these courses.
• If accommodations are required to take part in professional development courses there is an Accessibility and Interpretation Services Team in human resources to ensure individual needs are met.
7. More broadly, what policies and practices has your organization developed to create and champion an accessible and inclusive workplace for persons with disabilities?
• The Ottawa Hospital aims to provide a barrier free hiring experience for all and are deeply committed to removing the barriers in the workplace that might affect any employee’s ability to engage, perform and excel in their role regardless of their unique abilities and disabilities.
• TOH has an Accessibility Policy that states that it will establish policies, practices and procedures on eliminating barriers and providing supports and services to people with disabilities consistent with the core principles of independence, dignity, integration and equality of opportunity.
• TOH has a team of dedicated occupational health specialists who specialize in job accommodation.
• TOH also has an Accessibility Committee that includes employees with disabilities along with representatives from the broader community. The committee monitors and informs the implementation of the Accessibility Plan, identifies and recommends improvements to be made and provides recommendations for the work of the Accessibility and Interpretation Services Team.
• Opportunities to create individual emergency plans for staff or volunteers with disabilities are also available upon request.
We extend thanks to Andrée Kaspardlov, Manager of Talent Acquisition for participating in this Meet Our Members interview. To find out more about careers at The Ottawa Hospital visit: https://www.ottawahospital.on.ca/en/career-opportunities/
