| Physicians
Practice's
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is a question-and-answer forum featuring
leading practice management experts who may or may not be
employed by Physicians Practice. On average, Physicians Practice
receives 250 questions per month from physicians, office managers,
office administrators and others. Have a question about the
operation of your practice? Visit www.PhysiciansPractice.com.
Your question will be answered within three business days.
For more practice management resources and tools, visit www.yourpractice-online.com.
Q
How should I develop job descriptions?
A You can pick generic job descriptions
from a resource book or hire a recruiter to help you develop
descriptions for present and future employees. However, the
best source for this information may be right under your nose:
your staff. Ask these “in-house experts” to make
detailed lists of the tasks they do. This may not be a total
solution, but it will give you a good start.
Next, review the lists objectively. For instance, are you
paying a nurse to pull files? If so, make that task part of
the job description for a lower-paid employee. The idea is
to match training and tasks as closely as possible. And review
all procedures, even the ones that have “always been
done that way.” With your revised task list in hand,
you can set clear standards for each job, so you’ll
have a basis for performance review in the coming months.
Finally, review the finished product with each employee. Make
sure you haven’t overlooked something. Are there ways
to make the person’s job easier? Is there opportunity
for advancement? Most important, make sure each person understands
what’s expected and how he or she will be reviewed.
Q
If I fire an employee, do I need to
escort him or her out of the building?
A Although firing an employee
can create problems in an office, there is usually no cause
for drastic measures. You may want to remove the employee’s
password from the computer systems and collect keys, but there
is usually no reason to escort the employee out of the office.
You might recommend he or she takes a few minutes to collect
belongings, then go blow off steam elsewhere. But don’t
add insult to injury by treating the person like a criminal
or refusing to let him or her make a few calls to get a ride
home.
However, if the employee seems violent, your priority must
be to look out for the safety of other employees and yourself.
Don’t take the situation into your own hands. Immediately,
call security or the police and have them escort the potentially
harmful person out of the building. |
