Physician Relations: Your Welcome Mat for New Talent

By:?Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA?|?[email protected]

Sitting on a plane recently, I overheard two passengers talking about the “new, young team members.”

They’d been at a conference and were frustrated that so many sessions were for those new to their industry. That’s concerning, but there was more. They went on to discuss how the new people need to earn their stripes. It was a version of that familiar conversation “back when I started…”

I was beyond disappointed to hear that this sentiment still exists. While I likely will not change those passengers on the plane, it caused me to reflect on those elements of how we welcome the new staff joining our ranks. Leaders and those who hire, are often invested in creating a welcoming experience for new staff. And while leaders matter, team members can really make a new person feel welcome.

What are you doing to make sure your newest teammates feel a part of the team? Here are a few ideas:

• Be proactive in connecting. They can’t feel your good intentions, so just do it! Put times on your calendar that you text, call or offer a cup of coffee to check in with them.
• Let them know what to expect.?Early on, share those times, people or conversations that required you to dig deep.
• Orientation to all the clinical offerings in a health system can be overwhelming, so let them hear how you parsed out the learning process.
• Likely, once they are in the field, the gatekeepers will be a bit more challenging as will the process of advancing the relationship. Talk about your experiences.
• Be a resource
• Mark your calendar for the time when bumps in the road might occur for them. Send along a note and offer a call to share some of your ideas for success. This is all about helping them avoid the pain you may have experienced in your early days.
• Let them know the what and the how for efficiently managing the full days in this role. The routine matters, so giving tips for keeping afloat will be much appreciated.
• Offer introductions. There’s standard onboarding but perhaps you’re meeting with a service line leader during the new members early orientation. With the leader’s OK, take your new teammate to the meeting to listen, observe your interaction and learn.

Space out your connections so the new member has regular connections. What a difference a friendly voice can make during those early days of getting out into the field.

Verbal or emotional beat-downs have no place. Work is so much more fun when you have team members who share your passion and pain, and it starts early. This is the stuff that sets the entire team up for success and a good team culture starts here.

If you are a new team member, sound off on what else worked to make you feel welcome. If you are a leader is there anything I missed?

Onboarding and then training new talent can be a challenge in the busy environment we live and work in. If you are interested in improving your process please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email me at?[email protected].