August 4, 2026
How to Make New Providers Comfortable
By Leslie Eber, MD, CMD, FPALTC
I have always been passionate about supporting new providers in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) medicine. We continue to see significant workforce challenges and turnover in PALTC. The first year, first month, and even the first day for a new provider can be a critically defining moment for their experience in PALTC.
Here are 8 tips I’ve found helpful in welcoming new clinicians to transition and thrive in PALTC.
- Make new providers feel comfortable, wanted, and seen. Practicing medicine in the PALTC setting is truly unique. We see patients in their homes and practice in a community of care. This model signifies a cultural shift in how we deliver medical care within PALTC. Warmly welcome new providers into our setting, where collaboration and integrated care are not just a standard of practice but also a reflection of our integration into the community. It is one of the joyous parts of practicing in PALTC and something to share with new providers.
- Introduce the idea of working with an interdisciplinary team (IDT). This adds value not only to resident care but also to our workspace and our work life. As part of this process, walk the new provider around the facility and introduce them to the members of the IDT—the director of nursing (DON), administrator, nurses, CNAs, and therapists—to help them feel welcome in the facility. This can foster interactive and trusting relationships and elevate the quality of care residents receive. It also sets the expectation of collaboration.
Introduce the basics. When I first started practicing in PALTC, it was a really challenging transition. Everything was different. I had to learn how to place orders, obtain lab results, and figure out how to effectively collaborate with the interdisciplinary team. Even finding the residents can be a challenge at times, which many of our readers can probably relate to.
It is helpful to explain how things are done in your facility. For example, share whether the DON wants to be notified if an antipsychotic medication is started on a resident or if nurses appreciate being notified of any new orders that are placed. One useful habit to promote communication and collaboration that can be shared with new PALTC providers is to check in at the nurses’ station when you arrive and before leaving to ensure all issues have been identified and addressed.
- Invite them to establish best communication practices with the team. Discuss how you would like to be contacted in response to changes in medical conditions or urgent situations that will need follow-up. Learn preferences such as email vs. text and reaching out immediately or at a particular time of day. In my group, we often send a short email to each other if there is anything that needs follow-up or any situations we want each other to be aware of. This is a great way to ensure new providers have effective ways to engage and do not feel isolated or siloed.
- Consider a weekly check-in, especially at the beginning. This can provide an opportunity to discuss the nuanced care processes in PALTC and build a team approach to care. It can also help address any barriers that providers might be reluctant to bring up during a situation-specific phone call, and helps providers know they have a safety net—and that you want them to be comfortable sharing any concerns with you.
- Share current priorities. Did the facility just have a survey, and are now focusing on falls? Or is the facility really struggling to get providers to sign their orders? If the new provider is given this information, they can be proactive and part of the team solution.
- Emphasize the 4Ms to frame high-quality care in the PALTC setting. Medication, Mobility, Mentation, and what Matters most is a paradigm that can be the cornerstone of care in PALTC. Understanding these priorities can help providers listen and balance these essential elements when providing care. You can read more about it here and here. Viewing care through this lens can help providers increase listening at the bedside and elevate residents’ priorities and goals of care.
Finally, share a few tools that you lean on and are most useful in your day-to-day practice. You don't want to share too many tools, as it can be overwhelming. I usually share my two favorites. First is PALTmed’s Choosing Wisely, which explains 20 things prescribers and residents should question in PALTC. This tool provides essential information for new providers, including references and standards of care.
I also like to share a tool that explains when it is appropriate to order a urinalysis (UA). Asymptomatic bacteriuria is so common in PALTC that it is essential to order a UA only when it is indicated.
Antibiotic stewardship is so important, and many of the “UTIs” treated in our space are not a true infection. This is an opportunity to give clear guidance and share one of the many evidence-based tools to help promote the standard of care. I use the suspected UTI action tool developed by the Colorado health department for PALTC, which is based on the published work of Dr. Nimalie Stone and the Loeb criteria.
These are just a few ways we can provide a pathway for success for new PATLC providers. The secret sauce is to authentically invest in our new colleagues and build trusting relationships where we learn from each other, and everyone feels they are a valued member of the team.
Dr. Eber is president of PALTmed.