Tips for a Successful Beginning

Getting off to a good start is crucial in efforts to retain physicians and other CHC staff members, and a thorough and effective orientation is essential. The new employee's efficiency and sense of belonging will be enhanced by a good center orientation.

Introductions to Community Health Centers (CHCs), your community and your organization should be provided in a combination of pre-hire visits and initial work days.

Please click or scroll down for:
Understanding the CHC World
Getting to Know the Community
Getting to Know the CHC

Any new CHC staff member, from physicians to front desk, should have a thorough understanding of CHCs. Be sure to provide information and resources on the Community Health Center system in this country, related Federal and State agencies and a list of commonly used acronyms (especially those specific to your site).

For an explanation of Community Health Centers, you may link to our About CHCs page.

Click HERE to link to our CHC Terms & Acronyms page.

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) offers an excellent introduction to the history and practice of CHCs on their CD-ROM entitled “The Community Health Center Network: Information Guide to Programs & Partners”.

To order this resource, please contact:
Publication Department
National Association of Community Health Centers
7200 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 210
Bethesda, MD 20814

Consider asking another member of your staff to give your new employee (and his or her family) an introduction to your community. (Often, a portion of this type of introduction will occur during pre-hire site visits.)

Be sure to include both:

• Local conveniences (grocery stores, malls, movie theaters, recreation centers, schools, appropriate religious service sites, etc.)
  
• Work-related sites (hospitals, specialists, etc.)

Don't assume that new staff will gradually get to know where everything is located, who the support/clinical staff is, or even who his/her professional colleagues are.

Be sure your new staff member has an ample amount of time to meet with personnel from all sections of your site, which may include:

• Human Resources: complete paperwork/forms, including for compensation package, beeper, long distance calling code, lab coat, etc.
• Medical Director or other Department Head: tour of
  site(s), (re)introductions to medical colleagues, review of medical and administrative policies and protocols, how to request leave or equipment, etc.
• Pharmacist: overview of resources, formulary, and free indigent drug programs, etc.
• Director of Nursing: policies and protocols, etc.
• Director of Social Services: referrals, resources, eligibility, and charges, etc.
• Billing Department: coding, billing paperwork, etc.
• Office Manager: site orientation, keys, etc.

Note for new physicians:
Introductions to the rest of the medical staff are vital. A new physician will need to build a practice and will rely to some extent on referrals from other physicians. A new physician can become disillusioned quickly if he/she feels that no referrals are occurring; often the reason is that other physicians are not aware of the presence of the new physician in more than a passing way.