CHAPTER 15: Employee Recruitment, Selection, Placement, and Indoctrination

Sequential steps in Staffing:

1. Determine the number and types of personnel needed to fulfill the philosophy,
meet fiscal planning responsibilities, and carry out the chosen patient care
delivery system selected by the organization.
2. Recruit, interview, select, and assign personnel based on established job
description performance standards.
3. Use organizational resources for induction and orientation.
4. Ascertain that each employee is adequately socialized to organization values
and unit norms.
5. Use creative and flexible scheduling based on patient care needs to increase
productivity and retention.
Leadership Roles and Management Functions Associated with Socializing
and Educating Staff for Team Building
1. Plans for future staffing needs proactively by being knowledgeable regarding
current and historical staffing events.
2. Identifies and recruits talented people to the organization.
3. Seeks diversity in staffing, which reflects the diversity of the population being
served
4. Is self-aware regarding personal biases during the preemployment process
5. Seeks to find the best possible fit between employees' unique talents and
organizational staffing needs
6. Periodically reviews induction and orientation programs to ascertain they are
meeting unit needs
7. Ensures that each new employee understands appropriate organizational policies
8. Continually aspires to create a work environment that promotes retention and
worker satisfaction
Management Functions
1. Ensures that there is an adequate skilled workforce to meet the goals of the
organization
2. Shares responsibility for the recruitment of staff with organization recruiters
3. Plans and structures appropriate interview activities
4. Uses techniques that increase the validity and reliability of the interview process
5. Applies knowledge of the legal requirements of interviewing and selection to
ensure that the organization is not unfair in its hiring practices
6. Develops established criteria for selection
7. Uses knowledge of organizational needs and employee strengths to make
placement decisions
8. Interprets information in employee handbook and provides input for handbook
revisions
9. Participates actively in employee orientation
Strategies for Retaining Older Workers

Offer flexible shifts: options of 4, 6 and 8 hours as well as job-sharing

Cluster patient assignments, and keep supplies and equipment in central
locations avoid extensive walking.
Use lift teams, special beds, and equipment to curtail work-related injuries and
physical strain.
Review and adapt benefits packages to accommodate different needs.
Use older nurses and other allied health professionals into areas and positions
maximizing their expertise while minimizing physical stress.
Use older staff as mentors and preceptors.

Interviewing Tips for Applicants

1. Prepare in advance for the interview.

2. Obtain copies of the philosophy and organization chart of the organization to

which you are applying.
3. Schedule an appointment for the interview.
4. Dress professionally and conservatively.
5. Practice responses to potential interview questions advance.
6. Arrive early on the day of the interview.
7. Greet the interviewer formally, and do not sit down before he or she does unless
given permission to do so.
8. Shake the interview's hand upon entering the room and smile.
9. During the interview, sit quietly, be attentive, and take notes only if absolutely
necessary.
10.Do not chew gum, fidget, slouch, or play with your hair, keys or writing pen.
11.Ask appropriate questions about the organization or the specific job for which
you are applying.
12.Avoid a "what can you do for me?" approach, and focus instead on whether your
unique talents and interests are a fit with organization.
13.Answer interview questions as honestly and confidently as possible.
14.Shake the interviewer's hand at the close of the interview, and thank him or her
for his or her time.
15.Send a brief, typed thank-you note to the interviewer within 24 hours of the
interview.
The Selection Process
1. Adequate applicant pool
2. Preemployment screening
3. Completion of application
Reference checks
Preemployment testing
Physical examination
Employment interview
4. Employer decision
5. Notification of applicants
Indoctrination
- refers to the planned, guided adjustment of an employee to the organization and
the work environment.
3 Phases:
1. Induction-takes place after the employee has been selected but before
performing the job role. It includes all activities that educate the new employee
about the organization and employment and personnel policies and procedures.
2. Orientation
3. Individual orientation for each department and/or socialization of employees.

CHAPTER 16: Socializing and Educating Staff for Team Building

Leadership Roles and Management Function Associated With Socializing
and Educating Staff for Team Building
Leadership Roles
1.
2.
3.
4.

Clarifies department norms and values to all new employees

Infuses a team spirit among employees
Serves as role model to all employees and mentor to select employees
Encourages mentorship between senior staff and junior employees

5. Observes carefully for signs of knowledge or skill deficit in new employees and
intervenes appropriately
6. Assists employees in developing personal strategies to cope with role transition
7. Applies adult learning principles when helping employees learn new skills or
information
8. Coaches employees spontaneously regarding knowledge and skills deficits
9. Is sensitive to the unique socialization and education needs of a culturally and
ethically diverse staff
10.Continually promotes aspects of the learning organization to employees
11.Assists nursing staff in overcoming organization barriers to effective evidencebased practice
Management Functions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Is aware of and clarifies organizational and unit goals for all employees
Clarifies role expectations for all employees
Uses positive and negative sanctions appropriately to socialize new employees
Carefully selects preceptors and encourages role modeling of the senior staff
Provides methods of meeting the special orientation needs of new graduates,
international nurses, and experienced nurses changing roles
6. Works with the education department to delineate shared and individual
responsibility for staff development
7. Ensures that there are adequate resources for staff development and makes
appropriate decisions regarding resource allocation during periods of fiscal
restraints
8. Assumes responsibility for quality and fiscal control of staff development
activities
9. Ensures that all staff are competent for roles assigned
10.Provides input in formulating staff development policies
11.Ensures that the organization provides resources to promote evidence-based
nursing practice
The Key Characteristics of Senge's Model(Learning Organization)

Open systems thinking

Improving the capabilities of the individuals
Team learning
Updating mental models
A cohesive vision

Training versus Education

Training may be defined as an organized method of ensuring that people have
knowledge and skills for a specific purpose and that they have acquired the
necessary knowledge to perform the duties of the job.
Education is more formal and broader in scope than training.

Theories of Learning
Adult Learning Theory
Androgogy- adult learning- are mature, self-directed people who have learned a
great deal from life experiences and are focused towards solving problems that exist
intheir immediate environments.
Pedagogy- child learning
Obstacles and Assets to Adult Learning
Obstacles Learning

Institutional barriers
Time
Self-confidence
Situational obstacles
Family reaction
Special individual obstacles

Assets for Learning

High self-motivation
Self-directed
A proven learner
Knowledge experience reservoir
Special individual assets

Social Learning Theory

-builds on reinforcement theory as part of the motivation to learn and has many of
the same components as the theories of socialization. Suggest that people learn
most behavior by direct experience and observation.
Other Learning Theories
The following learning concepts may also be helpful to the leader-manager in
meeting the learning needs of staff:

Readiness
Motivation to learn
Reinforcement
Task learning
Transfer of learning
Span of memory
Chunking
Knowledge of results

Evaluation of Staff Development should include the following four criteria:

Learner's reaction
Behavior change
Organizational impact
Cost-effectiveness

Prevost suggests numerous strategies that the organization can use to encourage
best practices:

Develop and refine research-based policies and procedures.

Build consensus from the interdisciplinary team through the development of
protocols, decision trees, standards of care and institutional clinical practice
guidelines and such mechanism.
Make research findings accessible through libraries and computer resources.
Provide organization support such as time to do research and educational
assistance in showing staff how to interpret research statistics and use
findings.
Encourage cooperation among professionals.
When possible, hire nurse researchers or consultants to assist staff.

Role Theory
- the behaviors that accompany each role are learned socially and by instruction,
observation, and trial and error.
1. Socialization occurs during nursing school and continues after graduation.

2. Occurs when individuals are forced to learn new values, skills, attitudes, and
social rules as a result of changes in the type of work they do, the scope of
responsibility they hold, or in the work setting itself.
Clarifying Role Expectations Through Role Models, Preceptors, and
Mentors
Role Model is defined as someone worthy of imitation. Role models in nursing are
experienced, competent employees.
Preceptor is an experienced nurse who provides knowledge and emotional support,
as well as clarification of role expectations, on a one-to-one basis.
Mentors take on an even greater role in nursing education as a means for role
clarification. It is a distinctive interactive relationship between two individuals,
occuring most commonly in professional setting.
Stages of the Mentoring Relationship
1. Initiation- relationship is established
2. Cultivation- coaching, protection, and sponsorship as well as counseling,
acceptance, and the creation of a sense of competence.
3. Separation
relationship takes on a new from or ends
4. Redefinition
Positive Sanctions can be used as an interactional or educational process of
socialization.
Negative Sanctions, like rewards, provide cues that enable people to evaluate
their performance consciously and to modify behavior when needed.
4 Phases of Role Transition from Student Nurse to Staff Nurse:
1. Honeymoon phase
2. Shock
3. Recovery
4. Resolution
Specific orientation needs arise for Experienced Nurse in a New Position:
Transition from expert to novice
Transition from the familiar to the unfamiliar
Coaching is one person helping the other to reach an optimum level of performance.

Short-term coaching- for dealing w/ short term problems

Long-term coaching- tool for career management and dealing with
disciplinary problems