Orientation: Take the Time. It’s Worth It
When I started my first lab, it was a 2 bed operation. My first hire was my dear friend with whom I had trained, Robbie Williams, RRT, RPSGT. She and I trained back when the earth was still cooling and with machines which produced paper tracings. My department worked under the direction of Pulmonary Services.
The second person I hired, I did not know from Adam, he was a tech....said he was trained...remember, if you read my introductory blog...I had no management training. He seemed nice enough, had some experience, and was also trained in EEG. Our Human Resources Department said he was cleared for hire, so guess what? I hired him. I stuck the poor guy on nights and he started running tests. No orientation, nothing...Just stuck him on nights.
I can't remember now, I might've let Robbie work with him a night or two, but certainly not more than that. He actually did OK, worked for a few months, then left and went on to start a very successful neurodiagnostic intraoperative monitoring company-last I heard he was living in a mansion by a lake somewhere. I guess I left no permanent scars.
I went along with my "lack of orientation program" for probably a couple of years until suddenly an idea occurred to me. It happened about the 20th time a Respiratory Therapist was being toured through my department. They were being "oriented". Since clearly I am a quick study, I asked, "How long do you guys spend on orientation?"
The response was 2 weeks on days and 2 weeks on their shift or something to that effect.....HMMMM. Maybe, just maybe, I should spend more time orienting my technicians. After all, no disrespect intended here, but my revenue numbers (cost/expenses) were actually better than theirs. Perhaps, I should invest more in my employees.
Effective orientation does more than assure skills competency, it can also build lasting relationships. Studies have shown if employees are happy and have good relationships at work, they are more likely to stay at their place of employment. Of course, there are other contributing factors, but relationships are important. It also lessens the pressure on an employee and allows staff time to adapt to a new environment in a non-threatening way. Chances are your lab is different from their last employer, and this practice will further their opportunity to adjust and learn the new policies which will reduce costly errors and inadequate testing or titration practices.
Over the course of my tenure as the Coordinator, Manager, and ultimately Director of my Department, my orientation program evolved to allow new night shift hires to spend 2 weeks on day shift and 2 weeks on night shift prior to working solo with patients. Next week, I'll share the details of the program with you.