Training HR Candidates in Rural Areas

HR candidates with training and experience in healthcare settings can be hard to come by in rural areas across the United States. This guide will touch on ideas regarding how your facility is compensating and recruiting employees, how to train employees in the healthcare industry, going through HIPAA Privacy Rules,

Compensation and Benefits in the Healthcare Industry for Recruitment and Retention

Stay up to date on the healthcare industry’s standards for compensation programs. Compensation and benefits at your facility are good to be aware of to attract top talents, retain your facility’s core employees, encourage a lower turnover rate, and to ensure you are using your financial resources efficiently. These issues are influential in decision-making processes for job candidates. As the healthcare industry grows, the compensation and benefits should be at least on target with the standards of the industry. The administrators of your facility should be aware of these growths within the industry and be able to assist new and existing employees with understanding their options and benefits policies. These benefits are huge selling points when you are interviewing prospective employees. Understanding the compensations and benefits that your facility has to offer will help you attract high-quality applicants and promote your organization well.

With the turnover rate in the healthcare industry increasing, finding ways to expand employee retention and boost morale is imperative. The key to maintaining a healthy work environment and a happy staff is to actively look for way to keep your staff engaged by showing them that their work matters to patients, the community, the hospital, and to the other employees of the facility. This should be one of your hospital’s top priorities.

Employee Training for the Healthcare Industry

Employee performance in every level of the hospital impacts the well-being of your patients. A solid training foundation can create a positive work environment for employees, whereas a negative training experience can have a direct impact on the participating employees and the hospital. Training your employees to meet patient expectations is crucial and can positively affect your hospital’s reputation. When new employees are met with top-of-the-line preparation for their new job, it keeps their morale high, makes them feel like a member of the team, and can provide them a great foundation to build a successful career and relationship with the hospital and community. As an administrator, you can promote a positive work environment by leading discussions, encouraging participation, and giving thoughtful feedback throughout these training sessions. See New Employee Integration for ideas on how to welcome new employees of your hospital to your community. See HIPAA Training- Security Privacy, and Breach Notification Rules PowerPoint here.

Hiring Legally for Healthcare

Evaluating job applicants based on job-related criteria and conducting all phases of the hiring processes to avoid discrimination is vital. It is also important to understand the various fair employment laws and why handling these aspects of your hiring practice appropriately will go a long way to improving the success of your hospital.  Hiring legally for healthcare matters because the competition for quality healthcare employees is fierce and spending the time to really vet your prospective employees can lead to finding gold nuggets for your hospital’s future. Good hiring practices can reduce or eliminate many legal risks, reduce costs, improve morale within the hospital, and increase net productivity, while poor hiring processes can result in high turnover, unnecessary/excessive training, and missed opportunities.

Overview of HR Laws in Healthcare/ NRLA and Unions in Healthcare

Not complying with HR laws in healthcare can lead to expensive lawsuits and noncompliance fines. Read and understand the facts regarding the primary law related to employees taking a leave of absence: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and understand that healthcare facilities are subject to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Licenses, certifications, and registrations for healthcare facility administrators are important considerations in health care, as they play a crucial role in helping their facility comply with employment laws.

Unions can have a large impact on the healthcare industry, so it is important that those in HR as well as administrators/supervisors understand the employer rights and restrictions under the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA). There are certain rights of employees and employers under the Act that will need to be differentiated.

• “Employees must be allowed to discuss the union on nonwork time and in nonwork areas.
• Employers are bound by low-level supervisors’ illegal conduct regarding union organizing even if upper management had nothing to do with it.
• If a supervisor looks at a union authorization card and acknowledges that the signatures are authentic, an employer could be required to recognize the union without an election.
• The NRLA gives workers the right to organize and join a union without your facility retaliating in any way; all employees except managers and supervisors are covered under the NRLA.
• Even nonunion employees are covered under the NRLA if they wish to demand changes; and
• There are things you can do to keep your staff satisfied and avoid unions if you choose to do so.”- Simplify Training

Performance Evaluations for Healthcare Workers

Conducting performance evaluations is one of the most valuable instruments to provide feedback, clearly define goals for the staff members, and to help them grow and develop. These evaluations can also guide training and development needs, help identify your best employees who are targeted for bigger and better things, pinpoint areas of improvement, and provide legal protection by providing documentation. By providing a system that creates motivation and recognition based on performance, there is incentive for your staff to be active members in their development.