The cost of provider turnover can amount to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in lost revenue. Retaining top talent in a competitive provider recruitment market is more important than ever. Here are five strategies your organization can implement today.
Review Your Onboarding Process
A positive onboarding experience can be critical to a provider’s long-term relationship with an organization. Statistics show that providers make the decision to stay in the first 90 days of a job, so use it well. Onboarding goes beyond the HR paperwork and IT training, past the first week of employment, through the first year of employment. It ensures that a new provider integrates into the culture of an organization and community. Ensuring providers understand and connect with the company’s mission, vision, values, and colleagues can contribute to a sense of purpose and engagement and build loyalty. If your organization struggles with an onboarding process, AAPPR offers a Certificate course in Onboarding and Retention you can explore.
Plan For Support Staff
A huge driver of provider stress and burnout stems from a lack of support staff. Front desk representatives, RNs, and MAs help visits go smoothly for patients and providers. These support staff ensure a practice is well run, and when fully staffed, it can make a significant difference in the day-to-day satisfaction of a provider. In a 2022 survey conducted by AAPPR, adequate administrative support staff ranked number one in importance in retention strategies, followed closely by clinical teams to support call coverage.
Use Stay Interviews
A stay interview is a process conducted by employers to engage and retain their current providers. Unlike exit interviews, which are conducted when a provider leaves a company, stay interviews are carried out while providers are still working at the organization. A stay interview aims to gather feedback and insights from providers about their job satisfaction, career aspirations, and overall experience within the company. This information helps employers understand what motivates their providers, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes that can enhance provider engagement and reduce turnover. If stay interviews are new to your organization, AAPPR has a simple guide to help you get started.
Mentorship Programs
Mentorship programs offer significant benefits to both the mentee and mentor. Provider mentees can work to develop skills through the guidance of a mentor. They can also generate insights into career paths and strategies for advancement. Most importantly, they can build a professional network through mentor/mentee connections. Provider mentors can polish their skills, gain a fresh perspective, and increase professional satisfaction by working with colleagues. These programs play a pivotal role in personal and professional development, creating a ripple effect that extends to individuals, organizations, and communities by fostering growth, learning, and collaboration.
Recognition
Let’s face it: the last three years have been extremely hard on healthcare workers. Being recognized and thanked for your work feels good, but public recognition helps others know when team members are appreciated. Studies have shown that providers who are recognized for their work and their efforts are not only more likely to stay long-term but will also work harder and be more productive.
Provider retention is critical to maintaining a stable and productive workforce and ensuring quality care in the community your organization serves. Retention programs don’t need to be costly or complicated to be effective. To learn more about what drives turnover in the provider space, check out AAPPR’s white paper on Increased Provider Turnover and Inadequate Retention Programs.