UBC’s Gateway Team-Based Care Teaching Clinic is a purpose-built learning environment, where curiosity, reflection, and systems thinking are embedded into everyday work. That same philosophy shapes how new staff and faculty are welcomed to the team.
At Gateway, faculty hold three integrated roles: clinician, educator, and scholar. They provide person-centred care, mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals, and contribute to education, quality, and innovation. Learning and practice happen side by side from day one, creating a framework that guides onboarding, team development, and the clinic’s ongoing work as a learning health system.
What makes Gateway's onboarding process different?
Most onboarding processes prioritize administrative paperwork and systems training. But Gateway builds education, collaboration, and innovation into the operating model from the start.
"Our onboarding begins with building relationships, shared purpose, and psychological safety rather than focusing only on logistics, EMR training, and operational requirements," says Dr. Julie Tipping, Program Director at Gateway Team-Based Teaching Clinic and Assistant Professor of Teaching at the UBC School of Nursing.
This is because learning at Gateway extends beyond formal instruction.
"Learners do not just learn from formal teaching," says Carrie Krekoski, Assistant Director of Education at UBC Health. "They learn from the 'hidden curriculum' –– how teams make decisions, respond to conflict, and centre patient goals in real time."
That’s why Gateway dedicates a full month to onboarding rather than expecting staff to absorb the clinic’s culture in a few days of orientation. That time is used intentionally –– to help people feel accustomed to the team-based and integrated healthcare approach fostered at the clinic.
What does the onboarding process look like?
During the month-long onboarding period, the team learns about each other's strengths, perspectives, and working styles. The goal is to build trust and function as a cohesive unit before caring for patients together.
The process balances practical preparation with team identity development; alongside simulation exercises, emergency preparedness training, and workflow learning, participants engage in discussions about burnout, psychological safety, and person-centred care. The clinic has also dedicated a significant block of time to Anti-Indigenous Racism Training, facilitated by a respected Indigenous educator, reflecting Gateway's commitment to culturally safe care as one of the clinic’s core values.
"The onboarding process encourages reflection, curiosity, humility, and the importance of creating an environment where both patients and team members feel safe, valued, and heard," says Dr. Tipping.
To support continuous improvement, clinicians and staff share formative feedback –– ongoing advice for improvement –– at the end of each onboarding day. This helps identify strengths, learning needs, and real-time adjustments throughout the process.
What happens after onboarding is complete?
Once complete, onboarding becomes an opportunity to evaluate how the clinic will learn, adapt, and improve over time. This aligns with Gateway's mandate to develop, test, and implement models of education and care — with successful elements potentially adaptable to clinics across BC, extending Gateway's team-based and relationship-first approach to communities province-wide.
