3 Secrets to Staff Retention

In the current healthcare environment, the biggest challenge is employee retention. There have been shifts in the economy and federal policies that aim to cut healthcare costs while trying to increase the quality of care. The culture in a medical practice is that everything should be centered toward the patient, but with a decline in the staff in your practice, you can’t retain patients. 

A lot of medical practices have a high turnover and while this is not just because of the advertisement costs and fees for recruitment, it does take a lot of time, money and effort to train new people every few months. The cost of lost business doesn't bear thinking about in the current climate, so the important thing is to bring on staff that are in it for the long haul. When running a private practice, it’s the norm for physicians to put money forward as a buy in, but regardless of private or public medical practices, you need to retain your most valuable asset: your doctors. Below, you’ll find three secrets to staff retention in healthcare:

1. Incentives. Bringing new people into your practice is important and you need to give them a reason to buy in to your business. Sometimes, this is going to happen when you’ve advertised that you just bought a new portable ultrasound machine for sale, and other times it’s going to be about the premises refurb you’ve been blogging about for a while. Attracting new physicians depends on the quality of care that you can offer your staff, and equipment, appearance and location all count here. If you also offer new staff the chance to talk about what they want for the business and aim to get it for them, that’s a big deal, too.
2. A Sense Of Purpose. As an effective healthcare leader, you need to recognize that new doctors in your practice are going to be committed to your company and the future. Part of this is giving them a sense of purpose in the role and allowing a certain level of control. Ensuring that you communicate your gratitude to your staff is vital to their beginnings and staying in the company, so work out your plan to keep your new staff on board. Rewards and recognition will develop the right environment, one of trust, pride and deep commitment to the cause.
3. Flexibility. If you advertise to doctors that they can take control of their own schedules, you’ll have a much better time recruiting. Rigid hours can be an issue when there are plenty of patients out there who need scattered hours, and the goal is bringing in more patients. Your new recruits may like the idea of choosing their schedule, and being able to offer this can make them feel like a part of the team.

Retaining staff can be difficult, but if you can offer them efficiency and support, you’re going to have a better time of it.