Therapy:
Combat Therapy Blues With Mentoring Program
Published on Wed Nov 04, 2009
Tap your A+ players to lead new hires. Tired of a high therapist turnover or frustrated, unproductive new hires? A mentoring program for new recruits may have crossed your mind. But is it just feel-good fluff that takes up more time? The experts don't think so. "Mentoring is absolutely necessary for a new graduate entering the work force," says physical therapist Ron Barbato, administrative director of rehabilitation services for Ephriam McDowell Health in Danville, Ky. "There really is no substitute for experience when it comes to navigating the dynamics of providing therapy in the challenging healthcare environment." "When a therapist graduates, he is expected to be an expert; however, expertise requires knowledge and experience," points out PT Steve Passmore of Healthy Recruiting Tools in Murray, Ky. "The graduate should not be coddled and led along," but having someone to "discuss difficult patients with" is very beneficial, he says. Mentoring programs [...]