Boosting Retention with Tailored Home Health Onboarding: A Conversation with Well Care Health
Home health agencies are seeing an increasing diversity in the experience levels of new hires for nursing roles, ranging from fresh graduates to seasoned professionals transitioning from different settings. In particular, an increasing number of new hires are coming directly from nursing school. This shift underscores the need for targeted onboarding programs designed for different experience levels.
I recently sat down with leaders from Well Care Health, a 5-star rated agency, to learn more about their innovative and successful approach to onboarding, which includes running multiple onboarding tracks to meet new hires where they are. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from that conversation with Well Care Health Manager of Education Samantha Morrell, RN, COQS, and Education Coordinator Kristina Simmers, BSN, RN, COQS, HCS-O.
Challenges of a One-Size-Fits-All Onboarding Approach
The learning needs of new hires in home health are varied. New graduates often need extensive foundational training to build their skills and confidence, while experienced nurses may need focused training that builds on their existing knowledge with refreshers in key home health-specific areas like OASIS. A generic onboarding program can lead to misalignment with these needs, contributing to frustration and burnout among new hires. A one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding fails to address the distinct needs of new graduates who require foundational training and seasoned professionals who may need advanced or specialized onboarding.
Without addressing these differences, agencies risk frustration, burnout, and higher turnover rates among employees—a problem that Well Care began to recognize several years ago. “At Well Care, we faced a nurse retention problem during and after the pandemic that caused us to reevaluate our onboarding program,” said Morrell.
How Well Care Structures Its Onboarding for Different Experience Levels
Accelerated Orientation for Experienced Clinicians
After redesigning its onboarding program, Well Care now offers an accelerated orientation track for clinicians who have two or more years of home health and home-based care experience. The track is designed to efficiently onboard experienced professionals by focusing on advanced topics and organizational practices. This approach saves time, allows for customization, and helps maintain high retention rates by reinforcing existing skills while introducing new protocols.
Standard Orientation for Clinicians New to Home Health
New graduates—or those new to home health—require a more comprehensive and structured onboarding process that focuses on topics like compliance, specialty care, OASIS, and soft skills. Well Care’s standard orientation for the majority of its new hires includes a hybrid format that combines classroom education, independent modules, and preceptor-led field visits. This thorough approach ensures that new hires without extensive experience receive the foundational knowledge they need to excel in their roles.
Asynchronous Orientation for PRN and Part-Time Nurses
Flexibility is essential for PRN (on-call) and part-time nurses who might not be able to commit to a full orientation schedule. Well Care addresses this with an asynchronous orientation program that accommodates varied schedules. This flexibility helps integrate these clinicians into the team without disrupting their existing commitments.
How to Implement Tailored Onboarding at Your Home Health Agency
Assess the Needs of New Hires
To effectively tailor onboarding programs, it’s crucial to assess the background and experience of new hires. This approach ensures that training is personalized, efficient, and meets the specific needs of each clinician. “Through our interview process, we gain a lot more information to determine if that new hire is a good fit for our accelerated program,” said Simmers.
Leverage Online Education Platforms
High-quality online education platforms can be an enormous asset in helping organizations tailor flexible, easy-to-access onboarding programs for busy nurses. Well Care has been able to leverage MedBridge’s home health ecosystem, which offers resources like our Home Health Staff Retention & Onboarding Solution, Knowledge Tracks, Clinical Procedure Manual, industry-leading OASIS education, and preceptor training modules that can be easily customized to meet different experience levels. These tools provide valuable support in both onboarding and ongoing education for home health clinicians.
Monitor and Adjust the Onboarding Process
Continuous evaluation and feedback are essential for optimizing the onboarding process. Regular touchpoint meetings help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the onboarding experience remains effective for all experience levels. “During our weekly touchpoint meetings with nurses we have the chance to find out how things are going with them. Talking with them and knowing where they stand has been extremely helpful in nurse retention,” said Simmers.
Optimize Your Onboarding with MedBridge
For home health agencies, effective onboarding not only helps new hires acclimate to their roles but also significantly impacts job satisfaction and long-term retention. By assessing current onboarding processes and implementing tailored programs to better support their staff, agencies can improve clinician satisfaction, retention, and overall effectiveness.
Find out more about our Home Health Staff Retention & Onboarding Solution or request a demo.
