Got my evaluation today...

[NurseCard]

And let me first just say, that NEVER, in 18 years of being part of the working world, have I ever had a 90 minute evaluation. It should never take that long. It's not just me either; everyone's evals have been taking that long.

Anyway, I learned that I am throughly... average. That's fine and dandy. What I hated about the eval, what I was dreading most of all, was having to hear what my coworkers said about me. There were about six comments that I got to hear; one of them was really nice, the rest of them weren't nasty or anything but not exactly flattering. One person said that I let the floor environment get to me too much; I internalize it and let things get to me and get too stressed out. Another person said that I would do better in a slower paced environment. I tend to agree with that, but I tend to get into a slower paced environment and get bored! One person, all they said was that I don't talk to my coworkers very much when I am working! I'm bothered by that because yeah, I do tend to be on the quiet side, but most nights any more I do talk quite a bit more than I used to. It really just depends on what group of people I am working with that night.

Then one person from day shift said that I give spotty reports and leave out information. I hate to hear that but I guess now that we have new report sheets (which I hated at first but now I have to admit that I like them), I'm finding it easier to organize my information.

Overall, I'm slightly depressed because there just wasn't much said on the positive. It was all, I'm too quiet, I get too stressed out, I don't give good reports. =(

[pooh54]

Hmm, had to think about this one long and hard. Just got my own eval, wost one I've ever had. Trying to get some perspective on it and can say one thing, only one way to go and that's up! Well, at least I can hope. Honestly the thing about peer review is that it is handled in so many ways, it's hard to get a grasp on what way is superior to others. The last 2 places I've worked have handled in in 2 differing ways. One thru a peer review panel with the manager having last say, the other was everyone on the unit had a say with outliers being thrown out. Just remember, these are usually confidential peer reviews so things can and as human nature dictates, someone can have a cross to bear with you and can influence the whole situation. I have noticed that in quite a few places, the manager has never had formal training in the eval process and is flying by the seat of his/her pants. Best thing to do is ask for concrete suggestions of how you can improve your performance, pick yourself up,dust yourself off, take a deep breath and continue to be the best nurse u can be (shades of Army speak!) Continue to ask your manager to meet to see how your performance is, remember that you came into nursing because you care. Hope things get better!:kiss Oh and keep smiling, for those who just had it in for u? They'll have to keep wondering what you have to smile about!

[RN1982]

Just think of the "Rocky' theme song when you go back into work. Don't let one eval get you down.

[pooh54]

Oh yeah, I forgot to say one thing. I truly believe the evaluator should be held responsible to the idea that they've written it don't just put it on the peer review team! In asking for last years eval I asked some members of the eval team what I had done in regards to my rating on one issue, they both said that it had never been brought up, manager kept telling me my peers were complaining! If you have something to say (managers) then have the brass ones to take on the responsibility to say it!

[missjennmb]

I'd disagree that peer input is fruitless in all cases.

I used to do this with my employees, 3 positives and 3 "needs to work on" for all in the department. Coupled with my own observations, I was better able to see who had the team concept and who didn't, I was also able to see if my view matched their view. But that was military where evals are much more formal.

I've noticed since going into the "real world" that evals are seen by many managers as a necessary evil rather than a tool for personell developement.

I would like to read them as a supervisor, but I would look into any that were negative and reword it so that it was me taking the heat instead of coworkers (or somehow make it less personal...less attached to the person saying it and more about the person being analyzed)

My concern would be that you just don't know the whole story with this kind of thing, and I would not want someone to get a negative out of their review based on something where it is in question as to the truth or extent of the matter.

IMO you should walk out of an evaluation pumped up and ready to make changes for the better, or work harder, or give more of yourself. I've never had an eval in my life where I walked out feeling badly. My husband gets a raise at the end of his eval every year, and a nice pat on the back for the good things he has done over the year. He also gets some feedback on things that his boss would like to do for the upcoming hear (think of a positive change for the future, not a beratement of the things that have already happened) Its really telling him what he has done right and wrong and what needs to change, but its worded in a way that makes him feel great and pumped up about making the necessary changes. yk?

[debthern]

Don't feel bad I went in to talk to my boss about moving up the clinical ladder and she used it as an opportunity to tell me that others were complaining to her about my negative attitude...nothing she had seen mind you just that I was negative and the department has too much negativity...I am one of the main precepters in our department as well as the head team leader so I asked around and no one would admit to it but I do have my suspicions as to who it was if it really happened...this is a new manager and she definitely plays favorites with the people she has hired but that's life and I wear my big girl panties most days...this has nothing to do with my evaluation and she said it was counseling she just wanted me to know cause she doesn't want other people to say look she's got a bad attitude and she's an RNII...this from the same manager who found one of her buddies asleep and did nothing