2024 Lightning Talk: Physician Orientation/Onboarding, Dr Sienna Bourdon (photo), Saanich Peninsula Physician Society

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The Saanich Peninsula Hospital (SPH) MSA has optimized physician orientation by creating a site-specific, comprehensive onboarding document for new medical staff.

It details necessary information and steps that new medical staff need to take before their first shift, such as:

• An introduction to MSA Executives, Island Health Leadership and Site Administration
• A list of specialists and services, including how to access them
• The MRP payment model  
• Documentation for standards of practice for all MRPs who provide inpatient care at SPH
• A step-by-step processes for urgent physician absences  
• Cultural safety information with orientation to the four local First Nations communities 
• Workplace bullying and harassment policy

From there, new medical staff are given one-on-one site tours around the hospital to enhance their familiarity and comfort with the environment. 

Support for new medical staff: comfort, more time for patients

• New medical staff are able to quickly integrate into the hospital, reducing the time it takes to become fully productive and engage in clinical work.
   
• They feel welcomed, supported, and prepared for their first day on the job, which in turn fosters that positive engagement contributing to overall job satisfaction as part of the team.
   
• They are more likely to understand and align with the organizational and facility culture is, which fosters a sense of belonging and shared values.
   
• The process creates strong colleague connections, and contributes to reduced turnover. 

Lessons and success factors 

• Small projects can definitely have a large impact on the facility and the team.
   
• It’s helpful to have the information documented so when individuals leave or transition roles, the information doesn’t leave with them.
   

“There are many steps in the onboarding process and a lot of information was being held in the brains of individuals, and now we have in a document for knowledge translation and succession planning.” – Dr Sienna Bourdon
 

More resources

• Lightning Talks presentation slides
• Example: Saanich - Physician Orientation and MRP Standards - Jan 24, 2024.pdf
• https://medicalstaff.islandhealth.ca/ms-onboarding-getting-started