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Analyze costs to adjust and improve your orientation program

Nurse Leader Weekly, July 31, 2006

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Before updating your orientation program, you must first analyze your present orientation format.

Start your analysis by determining the cost of your orientation program. To do this, work with the HR department to analyze costs in relation to turnover. Select a specific time period within which to gather data. If your organization hires large numbers of employees, and you offer orientation frequently, six months' worth of data may be sufficient. If your organization hires less frequently, you may need at least a year's worth of data.

For the given time period, determine the following:

• Actual time spent delivering orientation. Be sure to include not only classroom instruction, but also the time spent grading tests, answering e-mail questions, and conducting health fairs or other means of providing orientation in conjunction with various types of mandatory training. Take the average hourly salary of those involved and multiply that figure by the number of hours spent directly teaching/facilitating learning.
• Actual time spent interacting with managers, preceptors, HR, and orientees about schedules, concerns, etc. This figure will obviously vary from month to month, so you'll need to obtain an average amount of hours and multiply by hourly salaries.
• Actual time spent preparing educational materials for orientation, including clerical assistance. Keep your own records. Preparation time varies depending on the complexity of the project and the experience of the educator.
• The cost of office supplies. This includes items such as handouts, pre- and posttests, etc.
• Travel costs. Do you or other members of the staff development group travel to other geographic sites to provide orientation? For example, does your organization consist of both outpatient and inpatient facilities located in different geographic locations? If so, include mileage reimbursement as part of orientation costs.

The preceding data should be obtained directly from the staff development department. For a thorough analysis, you also need to include the cost of the preceptor's time and the time of anyone else involved in orientation (e.g., guest speakers from other departments). However, information about salary is both sensitive and confidential. The HR department should work with you to at least estimate these figures. The HR staff should also be able to provide information concerning the costs of advertising and interviewing candidates.

Editor's note: This excerpt was adapted from HCPro's book Designing Nursing Orientation: Evidence-Based Strategies for Effective Programs by Adrianne Avillion, DEd, RN

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