HealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsBe confident in your staff’s ability to reduce risk by providing compliance training that changes behavior.
View All ProductsDevelop next-level people for next-level care by prioritizing quality and safety improvements.
View All ProductsEstablish a culture of belonging with education supporting DEI, wellness, engagement, and leadership development.
View All ProductsDeliver custom or industry designed product training directly to patient and resident care environments to reinforce proper use.
View All ProductsStop wasting money on RCM issues. Learn how to Provide your team with expert-led revenue cycle training to help them reduce denied claims, reimbursement mistakes, and more.
View All ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ProductsOur competency development solutions personalize learning for clinicians to bridge the gap between theory and practice for your nurse residents.
View All ProductsEnhance maternal & child nursing care with solutions focused on improving the quality of care for mothers, infants, and children.
View All ProductsAddress staffing orientation challenges to easily achieve and maintain certification with our emergency and acute care training solutions.
View All ProductsAs a premier provider of healthcare education, we are committed to promoting safer, more successful surgical and sedation outcomes for each and every patient.
View All ProductsOur solutions are designed to cater to the needs of patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations dealing with illnesses or chronic conditions.
View All ProductsHealthcare workforce management is essential. We provide advanced scheduling solutions for organizations to solve issues such as nurse retention
View All ProductsTackle all the challenges of provider directory management within a health plan with a single solution tailored to your specific needs.
View All ProductsOur affordable CVO credentialing services establish patient safety by enabling primary source verification for your healthcare organization.
View All ProductsFinally, a comprehensive resource to support collecting, storing, and sharing credentialing data with ease.
View All ProductsIntegrate with Epic to validate and add new providers directly to your provider master file.
View All ProductsMitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.
Learn MoreNurses work diligently to deliver care to patients despite staffing shortages. This demand to provide high-quality patient care with fewer and fewer resources, including staff, creates the perfect environment for burnout, especially for new grads. Ill-equipped preceptors can also increase the risk of new nurses leaving their positions. These six key steps to improve the nurse onboarding process will turn the tide on turnover rates.
In recent years, staffing shortages and burnout have taken the lead in problems facing nursing leadership. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses were in high demand because of aging nurses retiring and limited enrollment into academia due to a lack of nursing faculty. After the pandemic, many nurses retired early or left healthcare altogether. This staff shortage has led to remaining nurses being morally squeezed, many past their breaking points, creating some of the highest rates of burnout the profession has ever seen. A recent study noted that 91% of nurses surveyed reported burnout, specifically due to inadequate staffing and low job satisfaction.
The high turnover rates in nursing create immense performance and operational strain on the healthcare system. The many current job openings beckon new and seasoned nurses into an already stressed healthcare paradigm. Reevaluating the onboarding process for new nurses will develop a supportive environment for career growth and longevity while helping staff create the work-life balance needed to combat burnout.
Nurse onboarding has historically been a uniform format without individualization. Implementing these six steps can make the process enjoyable and successful, reducing staff turnover.
Preceptors guide and teach newly hired nurses various aspects of the position. Unfortunately, inadequate preceptor training can be a recipe for disaster. A formal plan to educate preceptors is imperative to developing a foundational workforce to train and sustain nursing staff. HealthStream’s Preceptor Development program's interactive modules and online skills/competency checklists equip preceptors with the necessary skills while assessing their ability to communicate and collaborate with preceptees effectively.
Many new hires come to the organization without knowing the system or the staff. Take time to welcome new hires before their first day of work. Nurse leaders emailing new hires with a welcoming message and even a brief statement from the senior nursing leadership can make for a warm and inviting presence. A short meeting or lunch with the intended preceptor before the start date establishes the relationship early and eases first-day anxiety.
Communication is essential in all areas of the onboarding process. Effective communication sets clear expectations for both preceptors and new hires. Communicate clearly defined job descriptions, expectations, and responsibilities to preceptors and new hires. Staff can feel overwhelmed and distracted without clearly defined roles, leading to ineffective and inefficient onboarding.
The onboarding process is dynamic and will change over time. Regularly check in and inquire about the process. Getting feedback from preceptors and new nurses can foster new ideas and workflows. This feedback will create a successful onboarding process, reducing turnover rates. HealthStream offers tools like online skills and competency checklists. These competency evaluations will also assist in identifying any barriers to onboarding.
A successful onboarding process creates a supportive environment. Individualized learning plans will help determine the amount of education and support nurses need. After the onboarding process is complete, both new and seasoned nurses require ongoing support. Create a plan early in the onboarding process for identifying mentors as resources or sounding boards for nurses.
Due to the significant increase in burnout, supporting the preceptor and new nurse's mental well-being should be a top priority for nursing leadership. Establishing an effective and efficient onboarding process can reduce dissatisfaction and frustration. Communicate to preceptors and staff the available peer-support options within the organization. Educate preceptors on signs of burnout to watch for in new hires and intervention strategies. Respect the preceptor and nurse's time away from the organization, as over-scheduling an already strained staff can increase nurse turnover.
Nursing leadership and healthcare systems can utilize these six key steps to transform the nurse onboarding process. Using a validated tool for preceptor development creates confident and well-trained preceptors. Welcoming staff and continual communication with preceptors and nurses can reduce anxiety and frustration. Receiving feedback from both nurses and preceptors allows for evaluation of the onboarding process and opportunities for improvement. Planning for ongoing education after the end of onboarding ensures peer support from seasoned nurses. Honoring staff’s time away from the job will enhance nurses’ mental well-being during onboarding and beyond, creating a more resilient nursing workforce.
Contact Healthstream to learn more about how the Preceptor Development program can improve onboarding and reduce nurse turnover.
HealthStream’s learning management system and healthcare training solutions support medical training initiatives and allow for the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceBe confident in your staff’s ability to reduce risk by providing compliance training that changes behavior.
View All ProductsDevelop next-level people for next-level care by prioritizing quality and safety improvements.
View All ProductsEstablish a culture of belonging with education supporting DEI, wellness, engagement, and leadership development.
View All ProductsUtilize patient access solutions and advanced reimbursement solutions to manage clinical denials and improve your organization’s reimbursement strategy.
View All ReimbursementExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ProductsOur competency development solutions personalize learning for clinicians to bridge the gap between theory and practice for your nurse residents.
View All ProductsEnhance maternal & child nursing care with solutions focused on improving the quality of care for mothers, infants, and children.
View All ProductsAddress staffing orientation challenges to easily achieve and maintain certification with our emergency and acute care training solutions.
View All ProductsAs a premier provider of healthcare education, we are committed to promoting safer, more successful surgical and sedation outcomes for each and every patient.
View All ProductsOur solutions are designed to cater to the needs of patients, healthcare professionals, and organizations dealing with illnesses or chronic conditions.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare workforce management is essential. We provide advanced scheduling solutions for organizations to solve issues such as nurse retention
View All ProductsComprehensive, industry-leading provider onboarding and credentialing software that validate health outcomes and support provider assessment.
View All CredentialingOur affordable CVO credentialing services establish patient safety by enabling primary source verification for your healthcare organization.
View All ProductsIntegrate with Epic to validate and add new providers directly to your provider master file.
View All Products