Click below or scroll down to learn more about:
The First Year
Tips for Retaining CHC Staff
Tips for Retaining Clinicians
Sample Retention Workplan
If They Leave

Getting off to a good start is crucial in your efforts to retain new staff. All the options they had when they chose your practice are still there, but a disgruntled employee can readily move in the early years before many patient or community ties are built. It makes sense to actively participate in retention activities to help assure that your recruit does not become unhappy to the point of moving.

While the first item to consider after hiring is an excellent pre-planned and organized orientation to your organization, the best possible retention technique is a careful match of the candidate to the opportunity during your initial recruitment process. Careful attention to compatible backgrounds and personal goals will go far toward assuring that the new employee will feel at home and be easily integrated into professional and social settings.

“Ironically, people are hired for their competence and skill,
but fired a few months later for their attitude.”
Jason Young, founder of Texas-based corporate training firm
Ascendium Inc.

For answers to Frequently Asked Physician Recruitment Questions, please click HERE.

For a step-by-step Physician Recruitment Plan, please click HERE.

For tips on Orientating New Staff, please click HERE.

Turnover is expensive, and while much time is focused on retaining clinicians, organizations often overlook some simple techniques that can increase the likelihood of retaining other staff as well. Here are a few suggestions that can help create a cohesive and dedicated staff “family”:

• Develop a recruitment/retention committee or assign this task to one individual
  o Scroll down for a sample retention workplan that can be modified to match your organization
  
  
• Connect everyone to the mission
  o Make sure each staff member understands the importance of their contribution
  
  
• Provide a thorough training during initial orientation to avoid frustration
  o Do not assume that people will pick it up as they go along
  
  
• Provide opportunities for continuing training and professional development, including opportunities for collaboration with colleagues through PCAs, conferences, regional training, listservs, etc.
  o Invest in the individual so they will invest in the organization
  
  
• Create measurable goals so that success (or the need for improvement) is obvious; provide rewards for meeting those goals
  o An environment of supported growth will…support growth!
  
  
• Guard against concerns that may arise due to any unmet expectations
  o Implement conflict resolution plans
  
  
• Provide incentives to boost confidence and morale
  o These can be more than monetary; consider awards, event recognition (birthdays, anniversaries), etc.
  
  
• Consider increasing monetary compensation; often the staff that “takes the most grief” from the public are those with the lowest pay
  o Many organizations find that incremental pay raises cost less than turnover in the long run
  
  
• Encourage open communication between all sectors of the organization, including sharing future plans
  o Involve employees in their present and their future
  
  
• Give positive feedback when due and ask for suggestions
  o Employees that feel they are appreciated and have meaningful opportunities to contribute are more likely to be loyal to the organization

All CHCs realize the importance of retaining clinicians. Keep in mind that clinicians look for quality, and often weigh both professional environment and lifestyle factors when deciding whether or not to stay with an organization. Here are some examples of each:

• Professional Environment
  • Availability of medical colleagues
  • Staff and professional support
  • Adequate call coverage
  • Quality facilities, equipment, and personnel
  • Access to referral physicians
  • Access to continuing medical education
    
• Lifestyle
  • Availability for spouse employment
  • Recreational opportunities
  • Quality schools
  • Cultural activities
  • Adequate housing
  • Adequate shopping facilities

Since new clinicians are often brought into the community from elsewhere, many of these factors will be considered during the initial recruitment of a clinician. Be sure to keep them in mind even after the clinician has been working at the organization for some time; continued consideration will encourage long-term retention.

When developing a retention plan specifically for clinicians, consider including the following:

• Periodic checks of the clinician’s on-call responsibilities to ensure they are realistic
• Ample opportunities for continuing medical education
• Monitoring the clinician’s patient load - is it overburdening?
• Checks to make sure referral patterns are established and appropriate
• Personal interactions with clinician; is he or she happy and content? (Consider setting up monthly breakfast meetings to discuss a variety of issues.)
• Awareness of how well the clinician and his or her family are being integrated into the community; are they included in social events? Do they have a sense of belonging?

CHAMPS has developed a sample Retention Workplan based on these suggestions; you are encouraged to alter the document to serve the individual needs of your organization.

Please click HERE to view, alter, save and print the Workplan.

No matter how comprehensive and thoughtful your retention plan is, some of your staff will leave the organization. When this happens, try to conduct an exit interview to find out why he/she is leaving. The answers you receive may enable you to resolve previously unknown problems or help in recruiting the next time. Consider having the departing employee complete an Exit Interview Questionnaire as an additional resource.

Please click HERE to view, alter, save and print a sample Exit Interview Questionnaire followed by some tips for a successful exit interview.