Too much knowledge to absorb; so many new rules, processes, and workarounds to understand. Everyone who has ever begun a new job will appreciate how hard it is to get settled in. It is downright stressful to adapt to a new job environment.
Before you begin your new adventure, you may want to think about ways to adapt to your new work culture, whether you move to work in a new hospital or move to a new country to seek a locum health care job as part of your working holiday. Of course, no two environments are the same, particularly when the geographical gap between what you’re used to and what you’re getting into.
While you can feel disoriented at first, there are a few things you can do to shorten the time of adjustment and glide through the learning curve. Here are tips on transitioning to your new job, whether you are joining a hospital or a community-based practice:
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1. Don’t get overwhelmed.
In the first few days of your locum work, there’s just no way you’re going to maintain every bit of data thrown your way even if you have experienced working in different hospitals many times. Different healthcare means different rules and protocols, and it may challenging to adapt to a new one every time.
Expect it to take a while to adapt. If you don’t feel on top of your game for a moment, don’t worry. You’re going to be on time, so go easy on yourself.
2. Absorb and use your induction training
Induction training can be a little boring in any workplace. And this is generally because the information is being told to you that it is surely just common sense! But during the induction, there may be valuable knowledge available to you that you may not have learned before as a locum. Also, the most common policies can be radically different from what you use.
We suggest you pay careful attention during your induction and ask as many questions as you can to be prepared and secure in your new Locum role.
3. Be open to change
Your current placement is not going to be similar to your previous experience in any way. Being open to it is the best way of adapting to change. Everyone has to start somewhere, and as a locum, in a short period of time, you have to take on a lot of responsibility, and being open to change will make it easier for you to work.
It could just make this worse by opposing reform or arguing against the processes. Change your mindset, then, such that you are open to learning and acquiring new abilities. By this, you will not have a hard time processing everything every time you are in a new assignment.
4. Sign up for non-compulsory training
Within a new workplace, every healthcare worker undertakes training. But non-compulsory training can be provided to you, too. If so, through these openings, you would be wise to learn as much as possible. Anything from data management to sharp leadership can vary from what you are used to back home.
Going to these training sessions will give you the insights you need in your new workplace to make informed choices and relate more to the team in which you work.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Don’t be timid. Ask questions when you don’t know something. Your colleagues know that you do not have all the answers and expect you to speak up and be curious. They would much rather ask you questions than do something wrong.
Although there is some hope that you will hit the ground running as a locum, you are not a mind reader. It’s best to inquire, even though you may feel dumb if you have concerns about strategy, procedures, team dynamics, or team processes.
It’s not always going to work with how you worked back at your previous task where you’re working now, so it’s only normal that questions would come up. Note that knowledge is power, and the essence of your question is quite unlikely to be judged.
6. Use your supervision
While you are in your locum job, your supervisor is there to direct and help you. Although using supervision sessions to please the boss may be tempting, there is no harm in voicing vulnerabilities. If you have any trouble adapting to the new atmosphere, speak up! This is your opportunity to be heard, to obtain advice, and to address any minor problems.
Now that you have some ideas how you can easily adapt yourself to a new environment every time you have a new assignment as a locum, it is time to find a trusted staffing agency to work on you. If you are thinking of working as a locum tenens, just contact locumtenens.org today to find out more about their locum tenens staffing agency.
