1. Be clear about your scheduling policy. Sandy Berreth, administrator of Brainerd Lakes Surgery Center in Baxter, Minn., says you should be clear when you first hire staff about your scheduling policies. Many ASCs use a flexible scheduling model that means if there are no patients, staff members don’t come in. For staff members who are not used to the ASC environment, this “no patients, no work” policy might come as a shock. Make sure your staff understands that patient volumes may fluctuate from week to week based on acuity levels and scheduled cases.
From: 13 Things to Know About ASC Operations
2. Ask about EMR. Beverly Kirchner, owner and CEO of Geneseo Associates, says every ASC should ask every ASC job candidate who would have to use EMR if hired about their EMR familiarity. She suggests asking every candidate about their experience using EMR and their willingness to learn the ASC’s system. This will be an essential question over the next few years, as ASC members unwilling to cooperate with EMR implementation will lose your center money and hurt morale.
From: 5 Traits to Look for in an Anesthesia Group
3. Look for positive answers. Lynda Simon, administrator of St. John’s Clinic: Head and Neck Surgery in Springfield, Mo., says the best question you can ask a candidate during an interview is, “Tell me about a problem you had with your previous boss and how you handled it.” By asking a negative question, you’re seeking positive answers, Ms. Simon says. She says your candidates’ answers will most likely run the gamut from negative to nurturing. Look for employees who handled problems with bosses with mature discussion and collaboration. It’s a bad sign if a candidate criticizes his or her former boss and refuses to accept responsibility.
From: Best Interview Question to Ask ASC Staff Candidates
4. Assess interest in pursuing education. According to Theresa Palicki, administrator of Eastside Surgery Center in Columbus, Ohio, candidates should want to push themselves to improve and learn. “Our very best nurse is constantly trying to teach herself additional skills,” Ms. Palicki says. “She started as a scrub tech, put herself through nursing school, became an OR nurse and then wanted to learn how to do pre-op and PACU,” she says. “She became the material manager, and then she wanted to learn how to be in charge of all the other nurses.” She says your best nurses will want to understand how each of the clinical areas functions and how they are interrelated.
From: Key Traits to Look for in ASC Nurses, Anesthesiologists and Medical Directors
5. Engage physicians in hiring staff members. Freida Toler, administrator at Amarillo (Texas) Endoscopy Center, says ASCs can improve the hiring process by getting input from physicians about staff candidates.
“The physicians here have 100 percent input as to who gets hired and who doesn’t,” Ms. Toler says. “I interview the candidates along with my charge nurse and introduce them to everyone else in the facility. At the end of a 90-day probationary period, we get feedback from every single physician and other staff about how the new applicant [performed] in the surgery center.”
From: 5 Practical Tips on Building a Cohesive Team at Your GI/Endoscopy-Driven ASC
Read more advice on operating a successful ASC:
–5 Ways to Ensure a Great Patient Experience in Surgery Centers
–3 Success Factors for Orthopedic-Driven ASCs
–5 Critical Surgery Center Mistakes
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.