52% of You Do Not Have A Structured Onboarding or Orientation Program for New Employees

Yes: 48%

• It’s a two day, two hour paid theory training of clusters of 4-6 people. Followed by a 2-day paid working interview/shadowing to apply what they learned and observe their attitude towards patients and staff. If congruent with our culture and values, we do a 2-week trial period and on board them. Once onboard, we do a two week check in and a two month check in. They have performance reviews twice a year afterwards. — Diana Canto Sims, OD, Buena Vista Optical, Chicago, IL
• Two weeks going over how we like to treat people, procedures, products, and prices. — Marc Rosenberg, M&J Optical, Brookhaven, PA
• We have an employee manual that must be read and signed. The new staff member will then shadow the position that he/she was hired for. — Sonja Franklin, OD, Modern Eyes, Austin, TX
• A new team member would spend a day shadowing the role they will play prior to accepting the position. They will float for a few days to learn who their co-workers are and get a feel for the flow of the clinic. Employment paperwork is completed at this time. The length of training time depends on the position and their level of experience. — Deb Jaeger, Eye Center of the Dakotas, Bismarck, ND
• Initial working interview to check suitability. Then one-on-one with their manager during the first day. Read and sign Policies and Procedures handbook. Then have new staff member shadow an employee doing the job responsibility for which they were hired. When comfortable, the new employee will work with patients, while shadowed by seasoned employee, until they feel comfortable. — Maury Kessler, OD, Eyecare Plus Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ
• We have a program called Foundations after our new team member has been selected to join our team. The process in a nutshell is a three day onboarding program over three weeks. There is a follow up briefing on day 21. We do everything we can to get all the paperwork done before the first day so we can really focus on the new team member and how important they are to us. — Ted A. McElroy, OD, Vision Source Tifton, Tifton, GA
• Although still in development, we have a training pathway spreadsheet to make sure everyone gets a similar start. — Tina Smrkovski, OD, Reed Optical, Claremont, NH
• We are in a university setting so we have safety orientation, we require certain immunizations, we have HIPAA training. — Denise Robertson, Washington State University Vision Clinic, Pullman, WA
• It’s a half day when all HIPPA/OSHA/Security/policies are reviewed. There is a training manual and proficiency checklist with their first six weeks of training planned out. — Bryan Hartgrave, Vision Solutions, Lamar, MO
• The first day is usually an orientation of how our business functions and filling out paperwork. They are assigned a ‘Buddy’ to show them the ropes. — Pam Housley, Texas State Optical of Nederland, Port Arthur, TX
• I would say it’s semi-structured. The first couple weeks are usually about the same – going over the basics and starting with adjustments and simple glasses dispenses. After that it depends on the person. Usually for a while they are shadowing, then they are shadowed or have someone available to answer questions for the first couple months. We also use a training checklist to make sure everything is gone over. — Elizabeth Knaus, A to Z Eye Care, Arcata, CA
• Every staff orientation begins with reading the staff manual. 2. Shadowing a member who is training the new staff. 3. New staff will pretest or frame style a staff member before working with patients. — Sonja Franklin, OD, Modern Eyes, Austin, TX
• The new hire process is a series of training manuals and online testing. — Jocelyn Anderson, National Vision Inc, Riverdale, GA
• 30 days teaming up with another to help in day by day acclimation. — Monique Begin, BJ’s Optical, Manchester, CT
• We have a one week orientation at our corporate office that covers our operating system, culture and basic optics. — Michael Dunn, Henry Ford Optimeyes, Troy, MI
• Two weeks of orientation and training mostly on our systems and paperwork. The first week they are also shadowing, the second week they are being shadowed. — Elias Awad, OD, Invision Eyewear, Overland Park, KS
• Breakfast on start day and then bring in to meet everyone in office, folder with all paperwork that needs done, quick check in at end of first day, make sure they have at least one achievement first day, follow-up one week, one month, and then 90 days. — Heidi Hipsher, Northland Eye Care, Flagstaff, AZ
• We have a new trainee manual that we check off as we go through each section and they display an understanding of. — Cynthia Sayers, OD, EyeShop Optical Center, Lewis Center, OH
• It’s always a work in progress, but there is a pre-work “welcome package.” What to expect the first day, first week, first month. Then we have expectations and training set for Day 1, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 and then monthly up to 6 months and then at year one. It’s detailed to the specific job but this way the new employee knows what to expect and what is expected of them. There are tests along the way to evaluate progress. — Selina McGee, OD, Precision Vision, Edmond, OK
• Product training, role playing, product knowledge, overcoming objections, using current terminology such as “non-glare” instead of “anti-reflection.” — BJ Chambers, Carrera Optical, McQueeney, TX
• We have an employee handbook, 30 pages, that describes their position and the policies of the office. They must sign that they have read and understood the handbook before they are hired. Probation time is one month. If they do not fit, or the employee is not happy, the employee is let go. — Robert M. Easton, Jr. OD, FAAO, Oakland Park, FL
• It’s lonnnng. Two months of webinars (medical & EHR), shadowing, training. Most of the two month period they are working, under supervision, and expanding their skill set through practice. The first month is largely reception area and medical practice (check-in, check-out, scheduling, referrals). The second month they become glasses experts (measurements, frame manufacturers, orders, manual lensometry). And then they get a raise once they’ve reached the end of the checklist at the end of two months. — Jen Heller, Pend Oreille Vision Care, Sandpoint, ID
• We have new staff shadow before being hired, we also have a work book that outlines their job duties and responsibilities. Lastly they are required to be signed off by a manager for those tasks before being able to engage with patients. — Adam Ramsey, OD, Socialite Vision, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
• We have a list of all the various responsibilities the employee will have and a checklist to mark for each when training is completed in 60 to 90 days. — Sarah Jerome, OD, Look+See Eye Care, Minneapolis, MN
• We do a 90 day orientation. Training is 6-12 weeks depending on the position. There is a check list the trainer checks the new employee of. The first day is spend with administrator setting expectations. — Cindy Bruner, Professional Family Eyecare, Coldwater, OH
• 60 intensive training, online education, job shadowing and education in every process in the office. — Bethany Cassar, Complete Eye Health, Holland, MI

No: 52%

• New practice, so we’re still figuring some things out. — Pablo E. Mercado, Optima Eyecare, Alpharetta, GA
• We have such a small staff and we find that the on boarding can be accomplished simply by immersing new employees in our culture. We have them shadow different members of the staff all day and they usually learn on the fly. — Harris Decker, Eye Designs Of Westchester, Scarsdale, NY
• Working on it though! — Pam Peters, Midwest Eye, Downers Grove, IL
• The reason I don’t have a structured orientation program is because things are constantly changing, improving and growing at my office. We usually hire on personality and then have another staffer bring the new hire around for the day but nothing that is formal. — Marc Ullman, OD, Academy Vision, Pine Beach, NJ
• Orientation programs are expensive when utilizing formal structure and our practice is not large enough to justify the cost. — Leisa Lauer, Westcliff Optometry, Newport Beach, FL
• We just go right to training for the position. Before being hired a new candidate will come in for part of a day and shadow everyone working in the office to see if they like it. — Lindsey Pulford, Insights Eyecare, Manhattan KS
• It’s tailored to the individual, how much experience they have, how familiar they are with our collections and our software. — Paula Hornbeck, Eye Candy & Eye Candy Kids, Delafield, WI
• We have an outline of what needs to be learned and we train hands on for the majority of it. We also utilize OpticianWorks from Laramy K. We’ve discussed getting a more detailed program for new employees but haven’t had time to dedicate to it yet. — Travis LeFevre, Krystal Vision, Logan, UT
• We have tried a couple of things, but we are so busy and run a very small staff, that the new employee, unfortunately, is the last to get attention. — Nichole Montavon, Oskaloosa Vision Center, Oskaloosa, LA