I have a swim platform and swim ladder so it wouldn't be hard to get an uninjured person back on board.
As was mentioned, getting someone aboard can be incredibly difficult, and having a mechanical method to assist is critical, but also consider that folks are far more likely to fall overboard in less than ideal conditions. Trying to bring someone back aboard using the swim step can be deadly in any kind of seaway. As you get them close to the swimstep, it's likely it will be heaving up and down a lot. Should it come down on someones head, it's likely it will cause severe injuries. Retrieval methods are just one part of the entire process. Drills should start with a discussion of how to even determine if someone has fallen overboard. If it's just you and the wife, you need to be aware anytime someone goes on deck (wearing a life jacket in any but flat waters) The way we teach MOB drills in our training classes go something like this:
The person who sees someone fall overboard yells as loudly as possible "MAN OVERBOARD, MAN OVERBOARD, MAN OVERBOARD PORT SIDE" While doing this it's critical to do two other things, first throw anything that might float overboard to mark the spot and give the victim some to grab. Secondly, that person points to the victim at all times, until the driver has a clear view of the person in the water. Why? The average person floats with just a few inches of their head above the water. In anything but flat water, that person is only visible perhaps half the time, and pointing to them continuously is a big help in keeping them in sight. Once the driver has them in sight and is maneuvering the boat back to them it's time to get ready to bring them aboard. How you do that is dependent on your particular boat, but you must have this figured out prior to actually needing to do it, and you need to have more than one method if the first doesn't work.
So, what does the captain need to consider? Upon first hearing Man Overboard, he should hit the MOB button that's on most GPS units. Secondly he needs to determine the best way to reverse the course. On many twin screw boats boats it's quicker to stop, twin screw around and return to the victim. Simultaneously, he needs to broadcast a "Mayday" call if there is any chance the recovery phase will take more than a couple minutes. Calling for help ASAP is critical, you can always cancel the call later, but getting additional search boats in the area cam be the difference between life and death.
Once you have the person back aboard, what's your plan? Are they hypodermic? All wet clothing needs to be removed first thing. A warm sleeping bag will help rewarm them, but rapid rewarming can be deadly when cold blood from the extremity's reaches the heart it can cause a heart attack. Avoid heat packs or other rapid heating methods.
At all times it's good to be thinking about how you would react to different problems. What will I do if someone falls overboard, we have a fire, we begin flooding, or we go aground. Plan ahead..............Arctic Traveller