Onboarding vs. Orientation in Healthcare: Facility Guide

Once a job candidate accepts a new position within a healthcare organization, they must complete onboarding and orientation. While these terms are often used interchangeably to describe an employee’s introduction to a facility, each process is unique and describes different stages of employee induction. Understanding the key components of onboarding vs. orientation is essential to ensure a smooth transition process for your new hires.

At a basic level, orientation takes place first and introduces company goals and policies, whereas onboarding is completed at the unit level and is clinical in nature. Successfully implementing these two processes within your hiring practice can help you improve staff retention, engagement, and satisfaction. In this article, we’ll introduce employee orientation and onboarding, identifying key differences between the two. Then, we’ll review the types of tasks that are often completed during each step to help you streamline your healthcare hiring efforts.

What Is Employee Orientation?

During orientation, clinicians are welcomed into their new workplace for the first time. While they might not meet with their clinical manager or clinical colleagues, they often collaborate with human resources representatives to complete essential paperwork and review the company’s employee code of conduct. The orientation process usually takes place in an office or classroom setting and is completed over one or two days.

Why Is Orientation Important?

Developing a well-structured employee orientation is essential to long-term organizational success. Not only can it promote high-quality care, but when executed appropriately, orientation can also:

• Improve regulatory compliance.
• Boost employee engagement and retention.
• Enhance employee satisfaction.

What Are Some Orientation Best Practices?

Curious about how to develop orientation processes that are helpful and meaningful to new employees? Facility leaders looking to enhance their organization’s hiring policies can follow these three best practices.

1. Set Clear Expectations

During orientation, it’s important to review company guidelines and establish realistic expectations for care quality. This can ensure employees understand what’s required moving forward.

2. Verify Employee Credentials

Fraudulent practice can place your patients at risk. During orientation, be sure to verify each clinician’s license, certifications, and educational transcripts to ensure your patients receive the professional care they deserve.

3. Provide Clarity on the Healthcare Chain of Command

New employees will be curious about your organization’s hierarchy and who they should ask for help. Provide contact details for clinical managers, HR representatives, and facility executives and explain the role and scope of each team member. This can help establish trust between new clinicians and their leaders.

What Is Employee Onboarding?

Employee onboarding introduces new staff to their clinical unit or department. During onboarding, they meet with their manager to learn about their new role, duties and responsibilities as the newest member of the healthcare team. During this stage, employees often participate in a walk-through of the clinical unit and are introduced to other members of staff. The onboarding process takes place in the patient care setting and is completed over weeks to months, depending on the clinician’s confidence and level of experience.

Why Is Onboarding Important?

Employee onboarding is the final stage of the hiring process. After the clinician has completed their clinical competency check-offs and has received hands-on training for facility-specific devices, machines, and supplies, they’re ready to begin providing patient care as a fully-trained employee. Organizations that develop well-structured onboarding programs can:

• Enhance employee productivity.
• Boost employee confidence.
• Reduce clinical errors and improve health outcomes.

What Are Some Onboarding Best Practices?

The main goal of employee onboarding is to help clinicians feel prepared and confident to provide high-quality patient care. Here are three strategies that can help you optimize your facility’s onboarding processes.

1. Develop a Standardized Onboarding Checklist

After an employee accepts a job offer, provide them with an onboarding checklist. A well-made checklist outlines tasks to be completed along with scheduled dates for each training or seminar. These checklists can empower new hires to take charge of their own professional practice and provide clarity on the steps ahead.

2. Avoid a One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Each new employee will have a different level of experience and preferred learning style. While it can be helpful to have a checklist outlining the skills and rules that need to be reviewed, administrators should allow flexibility during the onboarding process. This ensures that each employee learns in the style and rate that’s best for them.

For example, if a new graduate nurse needs additional practice initiating IV drip medications, allow extra time during onboarding to help them develop the skills required. Other nurses who have experience administering IV medications may prefer spending their time reviewing scheduling policies or rules for delegation. Adapting your onboarding schedule to meet the needs of each new employee ensures everyone gets the information they need.

3. Provide and Receive Employee Feedback

During the onboarding period, unit managers and preceptors should provide feedback on how a clinician is performing on the unit. Does a new nurse need to focus on improving their time management skills? Should they spend time reading up on new or unfamiliar procedures? Most employees appreciate receiving feedback during orientation and like to know that they’re meeting company expectations.

Additionally, it can be helpful for administrators to receive feedback on how a new employee believes their orientation is going. Results from employee surveys can help administrators improve the orientation process in the future.

What Are Key Differences Between Employee Orientation vs. Onboarding?

Now that we’ve introduced the concepts of employee orientation and onboarding, you may be looking for clarity on how to differentiate the two. In the table below, we review important distinctions between employee onboarding vs. orientation in the healthcare setting.

When considering onboarding vs. orientation, it’s crucial to remember that both stages are essential to successful hiring, as each complements the other. Some organizations may find it appropriate to fit all induction tasks into one session. However, this can leave employees feeling confused and unprepared. Companies that have distinct orientation and onboarding programs are able to provide a comprehensive introduction to their facility and clinical team.

What Are Some Examples of Orientation and Onboarding Tasks?

Even after learning about key differences between employee onboarding vs. orientation, you may be looking to understand key differences between the types of tasks completed during each stage. In the table below, we list examples of the types of tasks that are completed during onboarding vs. orientation to give you a better sense of how to plan and schedule your induction sessions.

Kickstart Your Hiring Process by Connecting With Qualified Professionals Today

As you refine your onboarding vs. orientation processes, you’ll want to make sure you have the best candidates going through them. Ready to start your recruiting process? IntelyCare can match you with industry-leading professionals who are actively searching for work, starting today.