An Individualized Approach to Onboarding Matters For Your Employees and Your Reputation

Updated on February 7, 2023
https://www.healthcarebusinesstoday.com/staff-satisfaction-the-key-to-patient-health-and-experience/

For more than 30 years, HealthStream has been the leading provider of healthcare workforce development and training solutions. Together with its network of thought-leading partners, the company has been reimagining the industry’s approach to onboarding. 

According to a 2019 Ivanti study, 85% of new employees lack the resources on day one to properly do their job. In the healthcare space, an effective onboarding process not only provides necessary training but also helps new teammates feel integrated and motivated, which can often result in a longer commitment with their employer. In fact, it has been shown that an effective orientation program can increase early productivity by 70% and retention by 82%. With employee turnover on a rapid incline, costing healthcare organizations millions, it is critical to take another look at your onboarding program and give it the attention it needs.

Personalize Competency Development

A key indicator that an onboarding program has been effective is the confidence expressed by each team member in their ability to provide safe care. The nursing workforce is vast and diverse. Whether your new hire is a seasoned pro or a recent graduate, offering a more personalized experience will ensure your learning plan meets them where they are and minimize costly risk.  

Since your team likely carries very different knowledge and experience, personalized lessons are a great way to maximize a nurse’s time while ensuring the highest possible impact. HealthStream’s SafetyQ and ComplyQ are safety and compliance training programs that leverage micro-learning content, videos, infographics and more, all tailored to each member of your team. Both programs are geared toward reducing cognitive overload while still meeting the overall goal of coaching your clinicians to the highest standard.

Automate Education for Increased Flexibility

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to see nurse managers have more than 40 direct reports versus most other industries who see a span of control averaging 10. Because of this, it is absolutely necessary for healthcare leaders to adopt technology and automation to manage, engage and educate their staff. Nursing is also a fast-paced, unpredictable field where you may be required to cross-train at a moment’s notice. This occurred even more frequently during the pandemic. 

HealthStream’s Jane® is in use at hundreds of U.S. healthcare organizations who are looking to personalize and accelerate onboarding of new hires, cross-train existing staff, improve employee satisfaction by recognizing what each nurse already knows, and reduce costly time in seat. In healthcare, knowing your clinical employees’ strengths and key risk areas is paramount to optimizing your unique reputation and bottom line. 

Inspire Clinical Confidence With Specialized Programs

It’s equally important to recognize that nurses working in specialized areas need specialized education. These areas are often the revenue and/or risk drivers of a healthcare system, and not considering an evidence-based program backed by national experts may leave you vulnerable. For example, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and HealthStream collaborated on the development of an annual maintenance of competency program, specifically developed for perioperative nurses. It engages the nurse on an ongoing basis with a targeted approach to mission-critical competency development and maintenance. 

My background is in child and maternal health, so I’ve seen firsthand the passion that my colleagues have had in this specialty area. We’ve been able to partner with the top thought leaders in the country to offer a portfolio of onboarding and professional development programs to help improve declining maternal mortality rates.  

For example, clients who use HealthStream’s Quality Obstetrics (OB) program experienced a 22% decrease in negative events versus the national average. Hitting the mark in delivering excellent patient care can empower clinicians and fuel their excitement for a long-term career in their chosen field. 

Better Retention Starts with Effective Onboarding

Last year, hospital turnover increased 6.4% and ranged from 5.1% to 40.8%. In the past five years, the average hospital had 100.5% turnover of its workforce, costing healthcare systems millions. 

Onboarding is a process and great content is never enough. We also need to consider how we operationalize and track employees through the onboarding process. One HealthStream tool used by many nurse managers across the country is called My Team, which centralizes insights on employee learning and assessment progress, certification expiry dates, CEs earned, and more. Not only has it saved time for both leaders and learners, but it has improved compliance when time to bedside is a particular challenge.

Together with our network of industry-leading associations and thought leaders, HealthStream’s mission is to help healthcare leaders support a clinician’s journey from school through retirement. The first step in retaining great talent is to set them up for success from Day 1.  

About Trisha Coady, Senior Vice President, Workforce Development

Trisha Coady started her career as a registered nurse working in long-term care, cardiac intensive care, neonatal intensive care, and flight nursing. Through her clinical experience, she discovered her passion for education and transitioned to organizational development. She furthered this passion into the healthcare business space to make a broader impact on the education and development of practicing nurses. She developed her business skills as the Founder and CEO of MedSenses through its eventual acquisition before joining HealthStream in 2014. Here, Trisha blends her clinical knowledge and sharp business skills to lead HealthStream’s suite of workforce development solutions, which includes competency development, resuscitation, quality & safety, and revenue cycle solutions.  

About HealthStream

HealthStream, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSTM) provides workforce and provider solutions for healthcare organizations in the United States. It operates through two segments, Workforce Solutions and Provider Solutions. The company offers workforce solutions, including software-as-a-service (SaaS) based services and subscription-based solutions, to meet the range of its clinical development, talent management, training, education, certification, scheduling, competency assessment, performance appraisal and other needs, as well as implementation and account management services. 

For more information, visit healthstream.com

Trisha Coady headshot copy
Trisha Coady

Trisha Coady started her career as a registered nurse working in long-term care, cardiac intensive care, neonatal intensive care, and flight nursing. Through her clinical experience, she discovered her passion for education and transitioned to organizational development. She furthered this passion into the healthcare business space to make a broader impact on the education and development of practicing nurses. She developed her business skills as the Founder and CEO of MedSenses through its eventual acquisition before joining HealthStream in 2014. Here, Trisha blends her clinical knowledge and sharp business skills to lead HealthStream’s suite of workforce development solutions, which includes competency development, resuscitation, quality & safety, and revenue cycle solutions.