Recruiting physicians for your practice is clearly important, but arguably more important is being able to retain those same physicians. High turnover rates are undesirable in any industry; this is especially true in the healthcare industry, where lack of consistent staffing can result in loss of patient trust and losing patients to other clinics.

Many physicians report that a sense of engagement is key to deciding whether to stay with a practice or leave. The less engaged the physician feels, the more likely they are to leave.

Here are three tips for retaining physicians once you’ve recruited them.

Work-life balance is a chief desire amongst most workers in any industry. An ability to engage in work you love without sacrificing personal time is high on most people’s priorities.

Flexible scheduling for your physicians will be paramount to retaining them. Keep in mind not everyone will want, or feel the need for, flexible scheduling. Simply letting them know it’s a viable option can be enough to create a pleasant working environment.

Four day work weeks, part-time schedules, job sharing, and reduced calls are all forms of flexible scheduling you can offer your physicians.

It’s important, however, to also ensure you’re clear with the expectations you have of part-time and flexible schedules upfront. Being vague or unclear will only make matters worse if you ever have to pull someone up for not meeting expectations they weren’t aware you had.

2. Establish a Healthy Work Environment

“Cultural fit” is an interesting concept that’s been developing in business over the past few years, but an important one to be aware of. Every workplace is different, regardless of the industry. The way you run a practice and the staff you choose all contribute to the feel and functionality of your practice.

When recruiting physicians, you should have systems in place for determining whether they’re a good fit for your practice. Conflict management, teamwork, communication skills — these are all important attributes that you must examine and assess during the recruitment phase to avoid problems later.

Once a physician is recruited, incorporate these desired traits into your performance appraisals to incentivize these behaviors in the future.

3. Don’t Rush the On-boarding

Your on-boarding procedures should begin the minute an employment contract is signed. Don’t wait until the start date to keep communication flowing; maintain contact with the physician even before they begin. This all goes back to the feeling of engagement that’s so important.

Assign an on-boarding specialist to be your new physician’s single point of contact for questions and concerns. They should be in charge of keeping track of the physician’s progress through the process.

Make sure your milestones and expectations are clear. Give the entire process up to 12 months to fully develop the physician’s practice and ensure they’re fitting in and providing the best care possible.