The first and best reason for onboarding any new employee is that the statistics show that 69 percent of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience a positive onboarding experience. Given that the cost of replacing a new employee is about 20 percent of that employee’s salary, anything you can do upfront to improve the candidate experience on their first few days is worthwhile.

HealthStream says, “There are many challenges facing a new nurse trying to transition from academia into their first hospital position. Among them are fear, culture shock, lack of confidence, role confusion and others.” However, even seasoned healthcare workers can be nervous on their first day on the job. A good onboarding process can set the tone for a successful short- or long-term tenure in a new position.

Healthcare Onboarding Tips

Onboarding is often a neglected part of the employment process, no matter the field. In healthcare, employee onboarding should be more than reviewing compliance with HR, filling out paperwork or receiving training. Healthcare organizations that fail to think about employee onboarding as part of their employment lifecycle are missing a relatively easy way to improve employee retention.

Some of the best orientation processes in healthcare or any other type of organization should include:

• Formalized onboarding. Employees should be both welcomed and educated. Generally, the more information they receive, the more successful they’ll be – faster. These onboarding activities should be face to face if at all possible; studies show it is better than onboarding via a computer.
• Socialization techniques. These should include organizing a group activity such as a lunch, so existing employees can welcome new hires. Taking the time to interact with the team can forge new collaborations while moving the new employee into their role within the group of established employees. This can help improve the cultural fit while keeping employees motivated. It can also ease the way for workplace friendships, and studies show people are more likely to stay in the job if they have friends.
• Give them a mentor. A mentor can continue the onboarding process through their first year. Having that one-on-one relationship with someone internally will help employees feel like their voice is heard and questions answered. Research shows that having a mentor is a great way to assimilate new employers into the corporate culture.

Healthcare organizations need to work harder to onboard clinical and support staff. Proactively onboarding can improve employee retention and help motivate and engage staff. While these are just three simple suggestions, in fact, many organizations fail to even apply these basics to help acclimate new employees.

While onboarding won’t solve the employee retention problem, it will go a long way toward setting new employees up for success while improving job satisfaction in the healthcare field. Given that the demand for healthcare staff is at an all-time high, and demand is expected to exceed supply for the next few years, taking a close look at your healthcare facilities onboarding process could help both with recruiting and retention of your clinical teams.

Talk to MAS Medical Staffing about your next assignment – we’ll make it a great fit.