Statistician onboarding at a glance

Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.

Before day one

Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
Verify required credentials: PStat, SAS certifications (as applicable)
Prepare equipment and access: r; SAS; python; SQL
Assign a buddy or preceptor
Enroll the new hire in Statistician training so foundations are covered before or during week one

Week one: orient and protect

Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
Protect patient data
Follow research ethics
Avoid p-hacking
Disclose limitations
Shadow an experienced statistician through a full shift
Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)

Days 1–30: learn

Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.

Supervised practice: calculate sample size for a study
Supervised practice: write a statistical analysis plan
Supervised practice: explain a p-value correctly
Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins

Days 31–60: contribute

Goal: handle a regular workload independently.

Design studies: independently
Choose methods: independently
Analyze data: independently
Build models: independently
Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
60-day check-in

Days 61–90: own

Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.

Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
Begin cross-training on a secondary task
Agree on a credential goal (for example, PStat)
Discuss the career path: Statistical Analyst → Statistician → Senior Statistician
90-day review

Competency checklist

Skill or task	Trained	Observed	Signed off
Calculate Sample Size for a Study
Write a Statistical Analysis Plan
Explain a p-Value Correctly
Statistical methods
Experimental design
R and SAS
Modeling

How to measure onboarding success

Time to independent work on instruments or projects
Documentation or data corrections required
Rework, out-of-spec results or failed audits
90-day retention

How Statistician training maps to this plan

Introduction to the Statistician Role
A Day on the Job
Essential Statistician Vocabulary
Core Duties and Responsibilities
Common Tasks, Step by Step
Tools, Equipment and Technology
Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
Skills Employers Look For
Launching Your Statistician Career
Final Knowledge Check

Get team pricing

Statistician Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)