Creating a 30 Day Plan for New Hires

February 25th, 2016

Onboarding new hires remains an important process for businesses in all industries, but it is especially relevant in the world of healthcare. Since patient care is your most important directive, getting new medical employees productive and contributing quickly is a must. Don’t expect to be able to accomplish this task without developing and executing a plan to get fresh workers up to speed.

With a successful onboarding process in mind, here are some ideas for creating a 30-day plan for new hires. Remember, this is something that goes beyond filling out insurance and payroll forms on their first day.

Speaking of Paperwork — Automate the Process

The more time spent dealing with new employee paperwork is less time spent meeting their new coworkers and learning your medical office’s processes and procedures. Consider sending out any insurance and payroll forms with your formal offer letter and ask the employee to fill them out before their first day. With the right technology, you are able to automate this process and handle things electronically.

The employee handbook and other portions of your company’s culture are also able to be delivered electronically, either through email or by providing the new hire access to the company Intranet. The same logic applies to any medical software manuals or other important information they’ll need to perform their job roles. Once again, accomplishing this before their start date leaves more time for hands-on training.

On the New Employee’s First Day

Inform everyone in your office about the new hire through email before their start date. On their first day, make it a point to have their supervisor introduce them to everyone, while ensuring their employment card and computer workstation — if relevant — is ready to go. They should also understand the chain of command at the office and who is available for answering questions.

Set 30-Day Goals and Follow-Up on their Progress

Create a set of 30-day goals for the new hire; 60 and 90-day goals are also a good idea depending on the level of planning at your office. This gives the new employee a sense of your expectations, which helps them feel comfortable and get up to speed more quickly. Encourage them to exceed those goals as they grow in confidence.

In addition to the ideas presented here, ensure your HR team and managers all have input to any orientation plan for new hires. Document the process while keeping the door open for improvements as things mature.

If your company needs help in building a winning team in the healthcare industry, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the country’s top medical staffing agencies, we offer great insight — and great candidates. Meet with us at your earliest convenience.

Understanding Employee Burnout and How to Address It

February 18th, 2016

Keeping your office staff operating at its highest efficiency is a must, especially in the somewhat stressful world of healthcare. Sometimes, there’s a fine line between your employees working with their utmost effort and suffering from workplace burnout. It is up to you and your managerial team to recognize the signs of employee burnout, so you are able to solve the problem before it adversely impacts patient care.

Here are a few ideas to help you better understand employee burnout and ensure your medical team doesn’t suffer from its effects.

Watch for a Loss of Spark or Enthusiasm

If you or any of your managers notice employees who seem to be going through the motions — a loss of enthusiasm for their work — make it a point to hold a one-on-one meeting with them. Absenteeism is another sign that something might be up. So pay attention to anyone on your staff arriving late or taking an unusual amount of sick days.

Be Proactive with Stress in the Medical Workplace

Additionally, encourage your staff to reach out to their managers or yourself if they feel things are getting out of hand. It is better to nip things in the bud before they grow to become performance issues. Dedicate a portion of your employee manual to work-related stress issues, as your staff needs to understand you won’t immediately pass out pink slips when job burnout arises.

Appreciate and Reward Your Employees

Your employees need to be properly matched with job roles related to their experience level and skill set. This helps to lessen their stress levels. Additionally, consider rewarding exemplary members of your staff for a job well done, as building a positive company culture is another good way to prevent employee burnout.

Encourage Employee Wellness

Make sure your employees are aware of the steps they can take to improve their own mental and physical well-being. Consider holding meditation classes at your office as mindfulness can play a major role in keeping your staff on an even keel. Work with your company’s health insurance provider to develop a wellness program to help stave off the effects of workplace stress.

If your company needs additional advice on developing the best possible team at your medical office, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top staffing agencies in the healthcare industry, we offer the insight to help your company succeed. Meet with us at your earliest convenience.

Tips on Treating a Patient Who Has a Nurse Family Member

February 11th, 2016

Providing quality patient care while showing empathy is the prime directive for anyone in the nursing industry. Things become more interesting when the patient is a family member of yours or someone else on your team. Is it possible to still offer the same level of care without becoming distracted or conflicted in some other way?

Here are a few tips on staying focused when treating a family member as a patient. Let’s check them out.

Staying Objective is Vital

It is vital you or your coworkers remain completely objective when treating a family member as a patient. Loss of objectivity is a main reason why some experts don’t recommend providing medical care to a family member. While it is difficult to temper one’s emotions, always staying in a clinical frame of mind is important.

Keep Any Assessments or Treatments to a Medical Office Setting

In some cases, it is acceptable to offer informal medical advice or opinions to a sick family member no matter the current location, any real assessments or treatments should take place in a hospital or medical office. This is a case where family members deserve the same level of care as the public, and a home setting just isn’t the same thing. Encourage the sick family member to make an appointment with their primary care physician if necessary.

Don’t forget about HIPPA Regulations!

Sometimes in the relatively informal setting of treating a family member, it becomes easy to forget about patient privacy issues. Make it a point to never forget about HIPPA regulations whether you are seeing someone from your family or a complete stranger. Any patient retains the right to private medical care — no matter their relationship to the provider.

Encourage the Patient to seek a Second Opinion when Necessary

When looking at the situation from the patient’s point of view, they might not feel right rejecting medical advice or refusing treatment from a family member. Encourage them to get a second opinion if desired. This is another example showing the importance of empathy for the medical professional. Make them feel comfortable whatever their final decision.

About Pinnacle Workforce 

Pinnacle Workforce is tailored specifically to the needs of a dynamic healthcare industry—providing qualified professionals to the companies and organizations where they are needed most. If you need any additional insight on developing your healthcare workforce, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce.

As one of the nation’s top medical staffing agencies, we can help you grow your professional life. Talk with us as soon as possible.

Three Signs it’s Time to take a Vacation

February 4th, 2016

There comes a time where the daily grind of work begins to take a toll on your positive attitude and ultimately your on-the-job efficiency. Considering the stressful nature of the healthcare industry, any work-related tension and pressure can become exacerbated. With quality patient care as the prime directive of most medical companies, healthcare employees need to ensure they are getting enough vacation time lest their workplace performance suffers.

Here is a look at three signs that it might be a good time to take a vacation. If you are suffering from any — or all three — some rest and relaxation needs to be on your docket. Let’s check them out.

Overtime Pays Bills, but Possibly at the Expense of Your Well-Being

There’s no denying that working extra hours benefits your household by putting some extra cash in your monthly budget. On the other hand, all this overtime might be costing you significantly when it comes to your overall stress levels. Burning the midnight oil at work on a consistent basis is a sure sign you need to take a break.

Make sure you take every vacation day available to you each year. Additionally, consider asking for comp time in lieu of payment for your overtime. This ensures you’ll have the down time you need to keep stress at a minimum.

Relationships at Home begin to Suffer

Don’t let the personal relationships in your life suffer due to work stress. If you feel this is the case, make it a point to schedule some needed vacation time. A stable home environment is a must for any successful career.

Finding a meaningful work-life balance needs to be your ultimate goal — one where your home life and office life compliment each other.

Making Mistakes while On Duty

Making mistakes at the office is arguably the most egregious sign that a vacation needs to be on your schedule… stat! Your professional reputation and — more importantly — the quality of patient care both suffer if your stress levels are causing you to perform poorly when on duty. Talk to your superiors about using a few vacation days to get your professional focus where it needs to be.

About Pinnacle Workforce 

Pinnacle Workforce is tailored specifically to the needs of a dynamic healthcare industry—providing qualified professionals to the companies and organizations where they are needed most. If you need any additional insight on developing your healthcare career, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the nation’s top medical staffing agencies, we can help you grow your professional life. Talk with us as soon as possible.

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