DIY Training
Let’s face it. Most of you don’t have the funds to bring in top trainers or to send your entire staff to trade shows. Even online programs can be costly. One solution? Do it yourself.
Tip: “Review ‘example’ interactions in the office as part of staff training and develop protocols for responding to difficult patients.”
Here are just a few examples of how your peers have done just that.
SELECTING YOUR TRAINERS
How do you pick your trainers? At Clarke EyeCare Center in Wichita Falls, TX, practice manager Joely Anderson explains, “We look for specific characteristics. It’s important that they’re knowledgeable and consistent, but also open, friendly, and approachable.” The training itself needs to be consistent, as well. To help both the trainer and the trainee, the practice follows a training outline.
CONDUCTING REGULAR STAFF MEETINGS
“I’ve always wanted for everybody to overlap,” says Laura Miller, O.D., owner of Northwest Hills Eye Care in Austin, TX, “so in our office we all meet together. We close for lunch every Tuesday for staff time. The fourth Tuesday of the month is totally geared toward training. Everybody is part of it so that everyone can understand.”
MIMICKING REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS
Lisa Frye, optician and director of optical at InVision Ophthalmology in Greater Birmingham, AL, says it’s important to “review ‘example’ interactions in the office as part of staff training and develop protocols for responding to difficult patients. Create protocols and appropriate responses, coach and train your team, and inspect what is expected. The point? Always strive to improve patient and team relations.”
How does your staff help train in-house? Tell us about it and share in the conversation on Facebook here.
Erinn Morgan
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