Career Planning
|
Starting With Your New Practice
Ensure an Effective Onboarding
One of the most exciting aspects of finding a job after fellowship is the transition into practice with your new program.
Depending on your new practice setting, and especially if you leave academics, it can also be stressful as the realization sets in that you no longer have the cocoon of attendings, cofellows, and battle-tested academic NICU nurses surrounding you.
One of the most exciting aspects of finding a job after fellowship is the transition into practice with your new program.
Depending on your new practice setting, and especially if you leave academics, it can also be stressful as the realization sets in that you no longer have the cocoon of attendings, cofellows, and battle-tested academic NICU nurses surrounding you.
You now own your decisions completely, and lives literally depend on them.
Rest assured, your clinical training will serve you well. But there will undoubtedly be items that emerge that you never even thought about during fellowship.
Hopefully, your new program has already oriented you to their onboarding process and you have a good idea of what the first year will look like for you. Different programs may be more or less thorough in their processes. When in doubt, take ownership of the process to ensure your success.
Onboarding should introduce you as a new physician within the provider community and integrate you into your new group, practice, medical staff, and health system.
Here are several areas to consider and incorporate into your new role:
Designated Contacts
Have point persons designated to ensure you know where to turn to quickly address issues that arise. You want to minimize distractions and maximize efficiency when you are learning about your new patients and establishing new workflows in those first days on the job.
Ideally, you will have access to an administrative assistant to answer any tactical or logistical questions, a physician mentor to help you learn the ropes and understand local clinical norms and standards, and regular connections with physician leadership to ensure expectations and practice needs are met.
Make sure you schedule regular check-ins with each of these roles to provide a designated time to ask questions, ensure adequate understanding, and create a support system for your transition.
Staying Connected
Be sure to remain in regular contact with your new practice between your acceptance and your start date. It’s common for all of the excitement and enthusiasm during the interviewing and job offer to wane as you complete your training. Depending on when you sign, this period could be a year or even longer. Make sure you connect early and often with your new group.
Schedule a couple of phone calls with physician leadership and any of your new colleagues during this time to stay connected and to maintain the momentum of these new relationships you’ve just established. Your new colleagues can be a great resource as you search for homes, schools, neighborhoods, and houses of worship. It’s also great to share any projects that your training facility may be working on that can provide benefit to your new group, such as clinical guidelines and pathways. It’s a great way to show what a valued resource you will be to the group and sets you off on a positive path.
Orientation to the Practice
Becoming familiar with the practice and how things are done is a critical aspect of the onboarding process. This includes everything from the EMR and clinical documentation requirements to the admission and discharge process, and everything in between. And yes, someone should tell you where the bathroom is.
There should be a checklist of items you need to learn how to do and manage on your own as a new provider in the group.
It will likely include the following items:
- Admissions / Discharges
- Daily Notes
- Rounding
- Sign Out
- Codes
- Call System
- Equipment
- Call Coverage
Support from Your Colleagues
Here is another opportunity for you to leverage those relationships you established during your interviewing process. Make sure you identify a couple of your colleagues to create a few informal touch points and to casually connect during your transition period.
These relationships will help you feel connected and integrated into the group. You will likely be able to engage in community, networking, or informal events or opportunities to become acquainted with others, so take advantage of as many of these as possible.
Meeting Other Providers
Early in your new role, be sure to engage with other providers outside your immediate group. Subspecialists, general pediatricians, OBs, and others will all assist in making your transition smoother, but only if they know you.
Making connections with the larger medical staff will ensure you integrate into the provider community and establish solid relationships and meaningful connections.
There are several opportunities to connect with other providers:
- Medical Staff Meetings
Be sure to inquire about any medical staff meetings you can attend within your first few months. These are usually on a monthly rotation and should include several within a 3-month period. Ideally, you can join a colleague, your mentor, or physician leader, and be formally introduced to your new colleagues. Consider attending an OB department meeting as well to make introductions.
- Spend Time in the Doctor’s Lounge
Not only is this where the free food is located, but you can also meet many other providers outside the world of neonatology and pediatrics. Don’t hesitate to actually spend time in here to informally and casually meet several medical staff members.
- Facilitated Meetings
Early in your new role, there may be a few scheduled and facilitated meetings with certain providers that you are likely to work with often. MFMs, Pediatric Surgery, or other groups may appreciate having the opportunity to meet you prior to your first interactions at the bedside.
Plan to schedule a few of these within the first few months of your start date.
- Community Events
There are likely several opportunities in the local community to engage with other providers. There are often local medical societies that host functions intended to help you network and recreate with your new physician community. These can be a fun way to make new acquaintances.
- Networking Opportunities
Be sure to ask about local or state professional organizations and memberships. State AAP chapters are often well-connected with other pediatric advocacy organizations and are a great way to get involved with broader issues that can help our patients. Try to attend a meeting or two early on to meet other members.
Regular Check-Ins
It is important to schedule regular touch points in your first 90 days to 6 months. A recurring meeting with physician leadership should be on the calendar. A monthly cadence is likely sufficient to learn the expectations of the role, obtain any feedback, and secure the support you need for an effective transition into the group.
It’s usually better to put something on the calendar proactively and if you do not need the time, it can be canceled. Plan to schedule regular discussions with your mentor and even another colleague or two informally.
Again, be proactive and get on people’s calendars. You will likely have questions and need support whether you realize it or not. At the very least, you can use this time to connect with your peers and continue to develop rapport and meaningful relationships with your new colleagues.
