Succession planning in remote can be tricky, mostly because the turnover of remote area staff in all positions can be high, so nurturing someone to follow you may take some time to become a reality. This can be complicated by the fact that the workload can be so overwhelming that it’s difficult actually to bed down what the role entails.
Traditionally, managers and leaders, particularly in remote areas, fell into roles because they had been in the clinic for the longest period of time. Or they moved up the ladder because they were the best clinician, or alternatively, they took on the role because there was no one else.
Occasionally nurses have actually been groomed for the role ahead of them.
The key elements to effective succession planning, as I see them, include but are not limited to:
- Knowing what the role is. Often, our work is so diverse and widespread or has grown to such an extent that it can be difficult to actually understand what the role is or the type of person that is needed. This should be discussed with other managers or peers. Others often have a different view of the job that is to be done.
- Identifying talent. There are always people who seem to shine from the first day, they step up and assume responsibility, and while they may say they don’t want to be a leader or manager, with the proper support, they will often step up.
- Providing support and development and giving opportunities and encouragement. There are a lot of potential managers who have been disappointed by a lack of support and encouragement.
- Providing honest feedback and mentoring. Work side by side for a period of time, answer questions and be prepared to share information.
- Stepping back. When handing over the job, it’s important actually to step back and let your successor do the job.
Lesley Woolf
OAM, RN, RM, FCRANA+
Succession planning in poorly resourced remote settings with a highly transient health workforce is challenging but essential.
Effective succession planning involves identifying critical roles, cross-training staff, and fostering a culture of knowledge sharing. This ensures continuity of care, minimises disruption and enables unexpected changes to be accommodated.
A core tenet of remote area nursing is knowledge sharing and collaboration. Every remote area nurse can share some knowledge to support incoming nurses or local Aboriginal Health Practitioners to grow and develop.
Succession planning can be as simple as making sure the incoming nurse knows how to navigate the telehealth system so patients can still access virtual outpatient appointments.
Succession planning involves teaching colleagues how the ordering system works so pharmacy, general stores, and pathology supplies arrive in a timely manner and aren’t reliant on the long-term staff member. These essential remote clinic tasks are often overlooked in the pressure to provide best practice clinical care for complex conditions and the stress of filling the daily on-call roster. Incoming staff can be proactive in offering to learn new roles and sharing knowledge.
Lyn Byers
RN, RM, NP, FCRANA+
There are lots of challenges, some related to the increasing preference for FIFO/DIDO and locum contracts, others related to the specialist generalist nature of our roles.
I would describe myself as a ‘stayer’. I tend to work for long periods of time with one particular community or one organisation, which enables the development of a depth of knowledge and understanding about systems and processes, the local population health profile and key needs, but also the development of long-term therapeutic relationships with clients.
The strategies I use in terms of passing on this knowledge and expertise I put in two buckets: the joyful ones and the mundane ones.
Joyful strategies include thinking about the whole pipeline and where are the areas
I can influence the growth and development of a remote and rural health workforce with specialist generalist skills – not just for nursing but all health professions, from school students through to the colleagues in my workplace.
I look for ways to open doors, connect others or support learning experiences for those around me or those I know are interested in rural and remote health. I think about the ways I can promote the benefits of longer-term commitment (years vs months) to a particular community or organisation.
Often it’s the little things, nudging someone to follow an area of interest, giving others
the opportunity to be involved in more decision-making, encouraging opportunities for team members to advocate internally or externally on issues that matter to them and supporting them when they do.
Those that fall into the mundane bucket include ensuring that systems and processes are appropriate, clearly documented, communicated and understood. It is mundane and slow but important work because strong systems and supports create the safe foundations that learning and sharing can grow from.
Katie Pennington
RN, FCRANA+
