5 Ways To Motivate Your Medical Team

Have you considered how you motivate your medical team without having to spend an egregious amount of money doing so? Healthcare is usually a very busy industry but with all the new advances in technology, changes in regulations, and political agendas, there have been many more changes in the past few years.

Your medical staff has likely needed to work a little harder to keep up with the changes and ensure a smooth transition for everyone. This can feel like a thankless job sometimes but that doesn’t have to be the case. We’ve compiled a list of our top five ways to motivate your medical team without breaking the bank. 

Do performance reviews

These tend to get a bad reputation but that doesn’t have to be the case. Performance reviews are a great way to motivate your medical team and exchange feedback. They are typically given once a year and can be viewed as more of a check-in. Use this opportunity to not only give constructive feedback but also praise and motivation.

Make sure your staff is aware of when to expect their performance reviews and the criteria they will be evaluated on. Some people even offer their staff a self-evaluation before the performance review so that they can have a better understanding of where staff are doing well but also where they may need more help. This in turns allows the experience to be more collaborative and less scary. 

Promote a team environment

Research shows that your medical team will be more motivated if they feel like they’re part of a team. When there is a sense of understanding that everyone is working towards a common goal and rely on one another productivity goes up. For that reason, it’s important to foster this type of environment within your medical team.

Find ways to increase team bonding through office outings, retreats, happy hour, or a hosted lunch every now and then. Go the extra mile and make it a point to celebrate birthdays and special occasions. This can be something budget-friendly like a hosted potluck or extravagant like a spa day for everyone.  

Schedule one-on-one meetings

All staff meetings are great for disseminating information out to everyone but don’t underestimate the impact one-on-one meetings can serve as a motivational tool for your medical team. As a leader, give your full undivided attention to your team members and simply check in on how they’re doing, find out if there’s anything they need, and ask how you can be a better resource for them.

This will greatly affect employee morale by making your staff feel heard, prioritized, and valued. Schedule them ahead of time like you would any other meeting set them up to be as formal or informal as you’d like. Typically these range anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour.  

Praise, praise, praise

A little praise can go a long way. We all know no two days in healthcare look the same. Often we are facing difficult patients, tricky insurance loops, and busy schedules. Be sure to thank your medical team when they tackle some of these out of the ordinary situations.

A private compliment is nice but acknowledging their contributions in front of the whole team at a team meeting or via an email will send a wave of positive reinforcement around. In addition to praise coming from management to staff directly, also encourage staff to praise one another.

At my old job management would encourage us to send in “kudos” when a colleague went above and beyond the call of duty at work and that individual would then be recognized at the monthly staff meeting. It always felt good getting a kudos, in addition to praise from management, because I knew it was coming from my colleagues which made me feel even more motivated at my job. 

Encourage your staff’s input

You don’t just want your staff to feel like they’re part of the team, you want to give them an opportunity to make an impact too. Motivate your medical team by asking for their input on upcoming changes, strategic directions, or suggestions for solving problems.

Chances are they’ll give back great input but also this gives them ownership and buy-in to the organization as a whole. Regardless of their role or hierarchy on the team, asking for everyone’s input will show your staff that you respect their opinions. Besides, this makes things easier for management as they now have a pool of options to consider and maybe even some perspectives they didn’t consider in the first place. 

There are so many creative ways that you can show staff that they are valued and appreciated that will fit any budget. The key to motivating your medical team could be as simple as being appreciative of their hard work and communicating that you respect them. These are truly the fundamental values that help motivate team members and improve productivity.

Subscribe to MEDIjobs newsletter to get more articles like this, directly in your inbox.