Job Descriptions 2010 Update

With the new year here, it is a good time to update your job descriptions and start preparation for your staff annual reviews.

Relevant and current job descriptions are the basis for developing employee accountability and the foundation for all aspects of employee evaluations, e.g., promotions, dismissals, etc. Having good job descriptions just make good business sense. Steps to designing, writing or updating job descriptions can be a time consuming chore for your office manager. There are some good job descriptions available to medical providers through various vendors, but they can be expensive. One internet vendor is charging upwards of $400 for a CD of various medical office job descriptions.

Steps to creating relevant job descriptions are:

• Careful consideration to the actual job function requirements, and not necessarily what your employee does.
• Establish 3-4 key measurement areas and the activities required in each of these areas.
• Determine the relative importance of each measurement area and assign a percentage weighting to that area, e.g., Medical Assisting, 80% weight.
• Gather input from employees to the functions performed each day. If an employee reports a function they perform, but is not truly their responsibility, reassign that function to the proper job description.
• Once you job descriptions are complete, make sure you employees review their own job description and sign off that they have read and understand their daily job function.

Primoro, Inc. provides its clients with complimentary job descriptions as part of the comprehensive consultation process. In addition, Primoro, Inc. works with medical practices on establishing employee annual review processes that meet the needs of individual clients. Should you have questions about job descriptions, or are interested in implementing a formalized employee annual review process, please give Primoro, Inc. a call.