OR Manager - November 2019 - 16

Human resources
Continued from page 15
of didactic information at once, break it
up and allow time for those working with
the new employee to talk about what he
or she is bringing to the organization.
Tulgan points out that the first day
on the job is the most important day
for the new employee. Small things
like managers taking the employee to
breakfast or lunch and posting a welcome
sign on the employee's locker
can make an impression, but McLeod
emphasizes the need for a splashy,
memorable welcome. " If you have hired
a great person and 'rock star,' you
need to outdo that great party somebody
had for them when they left their
previous position, " she says. " You
want them to feel that this is more than
work; it's a family and a tight-knit community. "
She
adds that it's also important
not to assume the new employee can
navigate the hospital. " People may
come to work on their first day without
ever having made it farther than
the bathroom, the cafeteria, and the
human resources department. "
Off-duty connections also play a role
in onboarding. McLeod has borrowed the
concept of " welcome wagons, " which
provide information to new members of
a neighborhood, to deliver information to
new employees. That might include best
daycare centers, locations of churches,
and favorite local restaurants, along with
social activities and groups such as wellness
clubs and new mother clubs.
Sherman suggests managers ask
the following questions at the end of
the first week:
* Has our team made you feel welcome?
*
Did you receive what you needed
to begin work (eg, ID badge, email
access)?
* Do you have questions that have not
been answered?
* What challenges do you see in your
new role?
16
OR Manager | November 2019
* Is there anything we should change
to help new staff better adjust to
the unit?
McLeod recommends that at 30, 60,
and 90 days, managers meet with employees
and ask questions designed to
assess socialization. Wilson says that
the data obtained from those types of
meetings can be used to adjust orientation
and onboarding as needed.
Pick the right preceptor
The skills and competencies of orientation
also require planning. " Don't
make assumptions about what a nurse
knows or doesn't know, " Sherman
says. This can be a particular problem
with staff who have OR experience.
Beth Ulrich,
EdD, RN,
FACHE, FAAN
The right preceptor can
make or break orientation.
" Pick your preceptors
wisely, " says Beth
Ulrich, EdD, RN,
FACHE, FAAN, author of
Mastering Precepting: A
Nurse's Handbook for
Success, 2nd ed. She
notes that years of experience
should not be the sole criteria
because some nurses who are excellent
clinicians may not be good
teachers. Managers should provide education
for new preceptors and evaluate
them on a regular basis through
strategies such as orientee feedback
and retention of new employees.
Ulrich adds that everyone has to
" own " a new nurse's orientation. For
example, the charge nurse needs to
know the new employee's competency
and experiential needs for learning so
that appropriate assignments can be
made.
Preceptors play an important role
in communicating that competency,
including when formal orientation is
complete. For example, the manager
needs to know if a new employee has
not yet had the experience of resuscitating
a patient because the situation
did not arise.
Celebrating
employees
Jane McLeod, MS, RN, co-founder/
principal for Capstone Leadership Solutions,
Inc, in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan,
recommends asking new employees
for input so celebrations can be
tailored to individual preferences. For
example, managers could ask employees
to list their favorite color, snack,
fruit, lunchtime meal, nonalcoholic
cold beverage, everyday coffee, upscale
coffee, flower, and music genre.
Other questions include:
➤ What is the best way you calm
yourself?
➤ If you have had a personality style
assessment, what was your type?
➤ Where is your happy place?
➤ What creates a sense of " awe " in
your day?
Ulrich recommends that managers
be particularly sensitive to the " firsts "
for a new employee, such as first
death, first code, and first confrontation
with a physician.
Providing support during these key
times can help reduce turnover, particularly
during the first year, when new
staff are more vulnerable. (For more
about staff retention, see " Supportive
leaders boost staying power of staff "
on page 1.)
Wilson says a new IU Health mentorship
program provides support
in addition to the preceptor. For the
launch, those who had started within
the past 6 months were offered the
opportunity to be part of the program,
but moving forward, new hires will automatically
be enrolled.
The mentor selection process
is unique. " We set it up similar to
a speed dating experience, " Wilson
says. The new employees have a
2-minute conversation with each potential
mentor.
www.ormanager.com
http://www.ormanager.com
OR Manager - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OR Manager - November 2019
