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Short-term Research Training Experiences

Minors in Vanderbilt Laboratories

Process for Appointment of Minors in Vanderbilt University Basic Science Research Laboratories

Please note: The Vanderbilt Learning Exchange has migrated to Oracle Cloud Learning. 

To access training, all learners (staff, faculty, students and others with a VUNET ID) will navigate to  https://oraclecloud.vanderbilt.edu and select the “Learning” icon, search for Protection of Minors training, select the appropriate training (Protection of Minors 101 or Protection of Minors Annual Renewal 2024-2025) and “start learning.” The training instructions have been updated on the POM Training webpage. Here’s a quick guide to the Learning platform from the Vanderbilt Oracle team.

 

Considering the number and nature of steps in this process, please allow at least 4 to 6 weeks for minors to be approved.  Lab members who keep compliance up-to-date as a matter of course will certainly speed this process.

Definitions related to this process:

Minor: Any individual under 18 years of age.
Faculty Sponsor: A Vanderbilt faculty member who oversees the activity and involvement of the intern or observer while at Vanderbilt.
Designated Supervisor: A Vanderbilt employee who is directly responsible for overseeing the activities and involvement of the intern or observer while at Vanderbilt. The designated supervisor must be thoroughly familiar with the activities in which the person will be involved and the policies that govern that involvement. The Faculty Sponsor may also serve as the Designated Supervisor.
Observer:  Minors are generally approved as unpaid Student Observers.

  • FIRST STEP: The faculty sponsor, or his/her designee, should complete the Placement of Minor – Lab Personnel List and copy to aaron.w.howard@vanderbilt.edu.  This is a list of ALL lab personnel expected to have interaction with the minor during the course of the placement.  Please complete this as early as possible due to the time required for each lab member to train and the turn around time for a background clearance.  The lab/department Designee is responsible for communicating and tracking compliance for personnel on the list. The Designee will notify the BRET office – aaron.w.howard@vanderbilt.edu – when everyone on the personnel list is compliant. Monitoring individual lab members is not done by the BRET Office.
  • The BRET Office will use the personnel list to enter the specific Research Observational Experience into the Protection of Minor (POM) database.  Training and background clearance dates will auto populate as each person is entered.  The Protection of Minors (POM) system will generate emails regarding training and background checks for personnel who lack compliance dates.  Each individual should follow the instructions in the email.
  • Personnel can check their compliance by logging in with the VUnetID at this POM Compliance Check Website.
  • TRAINING: All individuals in the lab should have both the Basic 101 Minor Training Module and the annual renewal training. These trainings are part of yearly evaluation for the staff, however, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students (and other non employees in the lab) who have not taken these trainings are now required to do so when a minor is scheduled to observe in a Vanderbilt University basic science laboratory. To access training, all learners (staff, faculty, students and others with a VUNET ID) will navigate to  https://oraclecloud.vanderbilt.edu and select the “Learning” icon, search for Protection of Minors training, select the appropriate training (Protection of Minors 101 or Protection of Minors Annual Renewal 2019-2020) and “start learning.” The training instructions have been updated on the POM Training webpage. Here’s a quick guide to the Learning platform from the Vanderbilt Oracle team.
  • BACKGROUND CHECK: All lab personnel who are working with a minor are required to have a background clearance on file. (These clearances are good for four years)  Please complete the following form for HR to initiate background checks for anyone in the lab that has not had one within the last four years. Background Clearance Initiation Form 
  • The laboratory mentor/department Designee is responsible for communicating and tracking compliance with the individuals on the personnel list. The BRET Office should be notified when ALL lab members are compliant.
  • After everyone has complied, the BRET administrator will indicate BRET approval of the observational experience.  Everyone in the lab must be compliant before the minor student may observe in the lab.
  • **NEW in 2024** Youth participation in Vanderbilt programs requires parents to complete standardized medical forms related to the health of their child and to inform program leaders of any critical and ongoing health concerns and conditions. Please provide these documents to the Minor’s Guardians, then have the Faculty Mentor sign the forms in acknowledgment.
  • Meanwhile the below forms should be completed by the department and scanned to the BRET Office (aaron.w.howard@vanderbilt.edu) by the department wishing to host the minor.

SOM Registration Form
Statement of Agreement
POM Medication Policy 
POM Permission for Minor Self-Check In/Out

BRET will email an official approval to the department administrator and/or mentor when all of the above steps have been completed.

 

Considering the number and nature of steps in this process, please allow at least 4 to 6 weeks for minors to be appointed.  Lab members who keep their compliance up-to-date as a matter of course will certainly speed this process.

For any questions, please contact Aaron Howard,  aaron.w.howard@vanderbilt.edu in the BRET Office.