See Clearly Vision Group clearly sees the value in keeping the practice’s 30-plus employees happy. Happiness generates employee loyalty, which has translated into superb patient care and, as a result, practice growth, says Bryan Ross, administrator of the 26-year-old practice with locations in Virginia (Tysons Corner and Arlington) and Rockville, MD. (See “Keys to superb care,” p.14.)

 

 

“When you treat your employees with respect and actively recognize their contributions, they want to stick with you and do the best they can for you,” he explains. “I think that’s why we have low staff turnover.”

Dawn Williams, OD, optometric director, confirms this approach: “When you’re treated well, that definitely incentivizes you to want to stay and go above and beyond in your job performance.”

Current staff have worked at See Clearly Vision for an average of nine years, with five employees working in the practice for more than 20 years. In addition, three employees who left for another employer have returned to the practice.

See Clearly Vision Group’s low staff turnover is something to heed. For one, health care organizations experience 16% to 30% of skilled worker turnover rates — more than four times that of any other industry, according to recent data from the Brandon Hall Group, a Del Ray Beach, FL research and analyst firm. Further, staff turnover may compromise customer service, which, in turn, can hurt the organization’s ability to retain and attract customers. (See “Hire for customer service,” below.)

So how does See Clearly Vision Group create elated employees? Through a staffing model that includes the following four steps:

1. Comprehensive training

Extensive training, via a stepwise approach, for each employee begins with two days of education on See Clearly Vision Group itself, says Mr. Ross.

“I explain the practice’s history, mission, and values,” he says, “so new employees know what is expected of them.”

From there, the new employee works with a specific manager, who commences training in one of the four practice departments for which they were hired: patient relations, clinic, surgery, or finance.

For example, in patient relations, the practice’s entry-level department, new employees shadow an experienced patient relations employee for a few weeks to learn check-in, check-out, and patient triage before they take on these duties solo, explains Kathrin Sarker, an office manager and surgical counselor. Another example: In the clinic department, a new tech first spends time with a co-worker to learn patient history acquisition, ocular anatomy basics and patient flow, says Dr. Williams.

“After that, the new tech works with a seasoned tech to either hone their skills, if the person is an outside hire, which is a rarity for See Clearly Vision Group, or learn new skills, such as how to use a tonometer,” she says. “Next, the tech sits in on exams with a veteran tech. The final step is independently working up patients, which takes about three weeks from the outset of training.”

Audrey Carr, the practice's operations manager, adds that the medical staff members are cross trained for every position and rotated “constantly” to keep their skills sharp and fill in where needed. Should staff require additional training at any time, they just have to ask, she says.

For example, Ms. Carr says that when she first started, she had difficulties understanding keratoconus, as her background was in internal medicine and orthopedics. Mr. Ross arranged for a representative of Glaukos, which offers an FDA-approved corneal cross-linking procedure to treat keratoconus, to visit the practice to educate her. Mr. Ross also provided her with an opportunity to observe cataract surgery after she expressed an interest in learning more about the procedure, Ms. Carr says.

2. Employee support

In addition to the assistance given through comprehensive staff training, See Clearly Vision Group’s tiered staffing model, from entry level to supervisor and manager positions in each department, is specifically designed to help its employees excel, notes Ms. Carr.

“From that entry-level position on, there is always someone there to help you master your job responsibilities, learn additional skills, troubleshoot, and fill in for you if needed,” she explains.

For example, when childcare challenges prevented Ms. Carr from making it into the practice during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, she says one of the practice’s patient relations supervisors stepped in for her.

3. Growth opportunities

When mid- to senior-level positions open, the practice first calls up staff from its current roster to fill those spots, says Mr. Ross. For example, See Clearly Vision recently promoted four staff members into mid-level and management positions due to practice growth and two staff members who will attend medical school this summer.

“We seek to promote our entry- and mid-level personnel whenever possible because they already know all the doctors, other allied staff members, the details of our practice and the care we provide, our EHR, and the protocols for doing things, all of which facilitates patient care,” he explains. “Additionally, we have found that promoting from within creates staff loyalty, because we’ve recognized their accomplishments and have rewarded them with more pay, responsibility, and influence on the practice’s success, which results in increased job satisfaction.”

In fact, Mr. Ross started at See Clearly Vision Group 22 years ago as a billing specialist before promotions to billing manager and, most recently, practice administrator. Also, Dr. Williams was a student intern at See Clearly Vision Group in January 2011 before accepting a fellowship job with the practice and then an offer of employment in July 2011.

Irina Price, COA, lead ophthalmic technician, who joined the practice seven years ago, adds that See Clearly Vision Group also is open to having staff try different jobs.

“I was hired as a tech. Six months into that job, I was given the opportunity to join surgical scheduling and coordinating, because I expressed a desire to help those processes move smoothly,” she explains. “I successfully worked in this job position for about two-and-a-half years, before the clinic requested I return to working as a technician. I’ve also begun to train as a laser assistant and surgical assistant.”

4. Recognition

See Clearly Vision Group recognizes its employees’ contributions through:

Employee referrals. “Before working at the practice, I worked at a healthcare company that ended up closing, but I stayed in touch with a bunch of people who were great workers,” Ms. Sarker says. “See Clearly Vision Group ended up hiring six people I used to work with. To be asked to weigh in on hiring for the practice means a lot because Bryan, among others, recognizes your contribution to the success of the practice.”

Monetary rewards. When an online review mentions a staff member positively, the practice presents that individual with a $25 gift card, says Christine A. Tagayun, MD, a medical director.

Complimentary meals. Throughout the year, the practice orders pizza and buys donuts for staff. To recognize a staff member’s birthday, See Clearly Vision Group orders cupcakes, says Mr. Ross. Ms. Carr adds that for the practice’s most recent holiday party, staff were invited to “order anything they wanted” from The Cheesecake Factory. (Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the practice replaced its in-person holiday party, normally held offsite at a private location, with a video conference party where the staff ordered for delivery.)

Outings. Staff has attended baseball games, escape rooms, Cirque Du Soleil, happy hours, wine tastings, and more, says Mr. Ross. For these outings, the office closes early — around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.

“This way, staff aren’t being asked to participate in work-related events after hours, and they’re excited about getting paid to do something fun,” he says.

Staff meetings. Ms. Price says See Clearly Vision Group has regular staff meetings, during which employees are invited to provide feedback and ideas for practice improvements. In addition, work anniversaries are announced and education is provided on various eye care-related topics, such as managing patients post-surgery.

Happiness is the difference

“I think the biggest difference at See Clearly Vision Group is the people who run it work so hard to create and maintain staff happiness through respect, education, support, and recognition, all of which leads to motivation. That starts from the very top with the practice’s founder, Rajesh K. Rajpal, MD,” explains Ms. Carr. “The practice truly provides an environment that makes you want to come to work, and that’s not something myself, nor I think many of my co-workers have experienced anywhere else, so we want to continue to contribute.” OP