5 Dos and Don’ts for ASC Succession Planning

When the topic of succession planning in an ASC is broached, conversations often center around recruiting new physicians to replace physicians who are winding down their practices or preparing to replace an administrator or other key manager nearing retirement. While these efforts are important to helping ensure an ASC's continued success, truly effective succession planning goes well beyond them.

"Succession planning may be more than what you think it is," says Ann Geier, MS, RN, CNOR, CASC, chief nursing officer for Surgical Information Systems. "Taking a narrow view of succession planning can lead to significant problems for an ASC."

Geier shares the following five succession planning dos and don'ts.

1. DON'T just focus on physicians and managers. These positions get the most attention concerning succession planning because they are the most important generating revenue for an ASC. But ASCs also have staff members who play critical roles which may not be easily replaced.

   "You might have a key nurse or tech, for example, that scrubs with your most difficult physicians or for your most complex cases," Geier says. "What would happen if that person stopped showing up to your ASC one day and you had no plan for how to fill their shoes? That happens frequently, and can greatly impact physician, staff and patient satisfaction. In any of these critical roles, you should never have just one person who does the job or has the knowledge to do that job."



2. DO plan for the unexpected. In an ideal world, an ASC would have ample advanced knowledge of departing, essential team members. This would allow for a smooth transition from exiting team members to their replacements, with plenty of time for one-on-one training and even the occasional question or request of departed team members. But such a scenario, Geier says, seldom happens.

   "Think about all of the different ways your ASC could lose a team member, either permanently or for an extended period of time," she says. "Death, serious illness or injury, sudden dismissal, a relocation, hired by a competitor — the list goes on. Rarely will the stars align perfectly for when you lose someone. Your succession planning must take such potential developments into account."



3. DON'T wait to find replacements. Succession planning requires the mindset that an employee that's here today might be gone tomorrow.

   "Be proactive in finding the people who can step up and fill your essential positions in the event that one or more suddenly opens up," Geier says. "Always be looking for these people — the potential leaders already within your ASC. These are the people who show initiative, love to learn and will eagerly run with a new project or assignment."

   She continues, "If you cannot find someone within your ASC who you believe could fill an essential role were it to become open, that tells you there is a talent gap in your facility. Now you need to be looking to replace people in your facility when they leave with individuals who can fill the void."



4. DO focus on mentorship. Once you have identified individuals who will fit into your succession plan in all the different critical scenarios, these individuals must receive mentorship, Geier says.

   "Make sure they have the skills necessary so that when a position becomes open, they can smoothly segue into it," she says. "This will require those individuals in manager and key staff positions to provide training to people who may eventually fill their positions. Some mentors may hesitate to share their knowledge for various reasons, including concern about being replaced. It's vital that mentors understand that they are not training their replacements, but rather helping prepare the ASC for the unexpected or eventual changes while strengthening the overall performance of the facility."



5. DO let your efforts be known. Succession planning efforts should not be a secret, Geier says.

   "Let everyone at your ASC know what you are doing and why," she says. "Encourage staff who are interested in learning new skills and eventually moving up in the facility to come forward and identify their interests and desires. But also make it clear that doing so is not a requirement. Some staff members may be happy in their position and not looking to make a change."

   Also make sure your owners and governing board know about the focus on strengthening your succession planning. "You will want their support for carving out time for mentorship and investing in resources that can help with training. You may need to educate them about the reasons for increasing succession planning efforts, but they should come on board. After all, good succession planning will help an ASC maintain efficient operations even in the face of unexpected staffing developments."

Learn more about succession planning by attending Geier's presentation at AORN's Global Surgical Conference & Expo, April 6-10 in Nashville, Tenn. She will be speaking on "ASC Succession Planning: Prepare Today for Surprises of Tomorrow" on Monday, April 8, from 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm.