Contractor induction is not necessarily a part of the new client induction course, per se; however, we do feel it's important to mention this aspect of the induction for the client. If your contractors are not on board with your approach, (maybe because you're introducing this after they've started or because they feel as though they've worked in the field long enough they don't need any help with their client journey) then it will be incredibly difficult for you the practice owner, to make dramatic changes. What we suggest is providing a new induction for your contractors /employees/clinicians.
Provide your expectations around what the client journey should look like for your practice.
While we are not suggesting that you tell your clinicians how to practice, we are indicating that you have specific training about what the practice expects around Client Engagement and ways to discharge clients. Set up clear checks and balance process to assist your clinicians in understanding due diligence with their clients. A few key things: the discharge letter, client attendance, and internal/external case coordination.
Take your time. Induction should not be a quick process. When we work with practices and their induction process, we encourage and set the structure to allow the induction process to take 6 (six) month. Clear communication and expectations and the needs of both the practice and contractor is paramount to ensure the longevity of the working relationship between the practice and the clinician.
Provide a knowledge base When you have a new clinician (and/or administration team member), an important aspect is to document the practice needs. When you provide a knowledge base for your team, they can reference it when needed. There will be aspects that you cannot cover during a short induction period. Having a knowledge base allows you to document aspects of the role(s) that may only happen a few times during the job. A few knowledge bases we suggest would be Guru or Fresh Desk. Each has its pros and cons and have a variety of features. Depending on the size of your business, you should assess your needs. We do not suggest you use saved word documents or PDFs as they go out of date quick quickly, are not fluid with practice and are difficult to find when feeling pressured to get assistance.
No matter how you look at it, your contractor/clinician/employee induction has a large part of the impact on the new client journey. When you assess your practice from a fresh point of view, what aspects do you feel are your weakest. On the flip side, what elements are your strengths?
