Determine if applicants are well-fitted for job

When interviewing applicants for patient access positions at Children's National Medical Center in Silver Spring, MD, Keisha Byam, MPH, training manager and safety coach, asks detailed questions about the person's ability to adapt to change.

Byam's other questions focus on handling multiple tasks, setting priorities, being accountable, working as a team, and having positive interpersonal interactions. She also asks applicants to observe patient access employees at work.

"Candidates are provided with a real-life picture of job expectations, via watching other employees conduct daily activities," says Byam.

Here are other ways she ensures new hires do well:

New hires sign an agreement.

Ambulatory services created a Standard of Employee Behavior form, which specifies expectations for attitude, communication, and commitment to co-workers.

"All employees sign this document, indicating awareness of the standards and a commitment to comply with each action step," says Byam.

Realistic goals are set.

For example, it would be unfair to expect an employee to perform registrations in the emergency department or schedule follow-up appointments for patients if he or she didn't receive adequate training on these skills, says Byam.

Inconsistent messages are avoided.

"Make sure it's the same message from the VP to the frontline," says Byam. "When employees hear different expectations, this leads to confusion in compliance."