Onboarding: Build cornerstone for productivity

Q. What are some tips to get new employees productive quickly?

A. In a sector as critical as health care, a swift transition to productivity is essential for employees because it directly impacts patient care and overall operational efficiency. To achieve this, health care institutions should employ effective onboarding strategies. Here are four valuable tips to ensure that new health care employees are productive quickly:

Build an onboarding strategy around your work process 

The foundation for expediting productivity is crafting an onboarding program that aligns with your health care organization's work processes. Tailoring training to your unique workflows ensures that new hires comprehend their roles in the larger picture. From patient care procedures to administrative tasks, mapping out a step-by-step integration process is crucial for a smooth transition.

Assign mentors to new hires

A mentorship system can significantly accelerate onboarding. By pairing new employees with experienced colleagues, you provide a valuable resource for guidance, clarification and support. Seasoned mentors can offer insights, answer questions and impart institutional knowledge that may not be found in manuals or training materials.

Standardize your training process

Streamline your training materials and modules. A standardized training process, with the help of a centralized learning system, ensures that all employees receive consistent, comprehensive instruction. Incorporate video tutorials, interactive simulations and hands-on experiences to cater to various learning styles. This way, new hires can quickly grasp essential skills and knowledge.

Teach your culture

The culture of a health care organization plays a pivotal role in helping new employees align with the institution's values, mission and objectives. Integrate cultural orientation into your onboarding process. Emphasize patient-centric care, compassion and teamwork, highlighting the core values that define your health care facility. 

A well-structured onboarding process is the cornerstone for accelerating the productivity of new employees. The result? Enhanced patient care, improved team cohesion and a more efficient health care environment.  

Cindy Diehl Yang is vice president at VGM Education. Reach her at Cindy.diehlyang@vgm.com.