performance eval not fair-- !

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Hi everyone,

I really would like some advice. I have been a nurse for 31 years. I have been in the same job for 19 years, in a nursing home in a very small town in Florida.

I have an excellent reputation among my fellow workers and with the patients and family members.

I got my eval yesterday, (7 months after it was due!!) The eval was done by the DON who rarely ever comes to the halls where we work and truly doesn't know much about how we do our jobs.

She gave me average on nearly all sections. Then she recommended I get a 3% raise. Of course, it is a very long story, impossible to completely tell here, but I promise you, I am not an "average" nurse! Most especially when compared to the performance of the majority of our other nurses.

My RN supervisor vehemently disagreed with the eval and said that she would be willing to tell the administrator so. The same DON recommended other nurses for a 4% raise.

As I said, this is a small town and people can be very petty when you disagree with them.

Any suggestions on what I should do? By the way, she was in such a hurry to get my eval done that she filled in my section on "self-eval" too!

Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I would consider it an invalid document since she completed her section wrong. I would go to HR or whomever is responsible for administration. You might ask what objective measures did she use to come up with "average".

I hate performance evals.

I would consider that DON to not know her job and to not know YOU as a nurse. I think I would let the nurse supervisor take it up with the administrator, after all that is what she is there for. I would find that document invalid.

Small town or not, I would fight for my rights.

Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

I would fight it too. You didn't sign it, did you?

I think the fact that you have been at the same job for 19 yrs should count for something. In this day and age it is hard to find people to stick around. I'm assuming that you are a great nurse too (Hey...you come here) I haven't had a performance eval in yrs (at least 8 or so) I have been at the same place for at least 12 and have seen my share of DONs come and go so it would be hard for them to eval me.

I would have that meeting with the DON or ADM and review the eval with them. Have specific examples ready to share on your +s and see if the RN super would be willing to add to the eval. Who is your direct super?

Thanks so much! I guess I really needed some support. This really hurt me, a lot.

Suzy 253

Thanks for answering! No, I haven't signed it yet. The DON told me yesterday that she HAD to turn it in by tomorrow. I don't know if she got a hard word because the eval was 7 months overdue or what. Some of the other nurses I work with said that I should go to work today ( I'm off) and speak with the DON and tell her my feelings. I am torn between talking with her or talking to the administrator. Unfortunately, they are all very cliqueish. It is very hard to describe to others how this place is. There is another nurse here who is the most appalling excuse you can imagine for a nurse. She blatantly takes MANY Xanax while at work, doesn't pass a lot of her meds, and is generally awful! The administration LOVES her! They refuse to hear a word against and actually put out a newsletter praising her and telling us that she is an example for us all!!!!

Maybe you can see why I'm a little nervous. I need my job. I can't get another at comparable pay since I have been here for so long.

Michelle126

I am going to have a meeting with them. Unfortunately, since my supervisor and I are off fot the next 2 days she can't accompany me. She lives a good distance from here. You don't know how much I appreciate the input. Something like this can just knock the wind out of you, especially when nursing has been so much a part of who you are.

robo, what have your previous evals been like?

if excellent, use it as a leveraging tool.

you certainly do not have to sign your eval.

you also have the right to add a statement and have it attached to your evaluation.

there's a good chance the admin will agree w/the DON.

if it means that much to you, bring it up the chain.

even the admin has someone s/he reports to.

wishing you the best.

leslie

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

Also, if you have to add more of your rebuttal in writing and it may go on an additional sheet of paper, make sure that you say "Continued on seperate page" so that it is indicated that you had more to say (in case it goes into the 'circular file').

Earle58,

Excellent point! My prior evals have all been great, most of them done by this same DON! I actually have copies of many of them. I'll try to find them to take along with me.

Thanks so much!

Pagandeva,

This is another good piece of advice, which I wouldn't have thought of. I should have though because we know for a fact that many of our CNA write-ups HAVE gone into the circular file!

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