Orientation

Orientation

If the registrar is new to your practice, a well-planned, comprehensive orientation to the practice and the local environment is an essential task for the practice manager, supervisory team and other practice staff to undertake together. It helps ensure the safety (including cultural safety) of the registrar, the practice and the community.

Other benefits of orientation include:

• The registrar feels a sense of inclusion and improved confidence.
• The risk of misunderstandings is minimised when clear expectations are communicated.
• Basic questions are covered during orientation, avoiding the need for staff to provide piecemeal information throughout the working day
• Mistakes or omissions in billing and administrative tasks are reduced.

Orientation is particularly important for registrars starting their first practice placement who will be unfamiliar with most of the systems and processes of general practice. They need to learn about billing, prescribing, medical software and referrals. For these registrars, orientation activities should be scheduled for at least the first two days, and they shouldn’t have patient consultations for at least the first day.

A recommended orientation checklist will help to guide your orientation activities.

Time needs to be set aside for supervisor teaching of one hour per day for the first two weeks of the first FSP term. Some of this time can be used for orientation activities.