Starting my 40th year

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Apr 11, 2018

Take it as an observation, thank her for the feedback and continue what you have always been doing!

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2018

Hi gang!

So I just have my yearly eval, which was over-all exceptional. But ...and there always is one...my manager who is half my age seems to me to be hung up on one particular thing....at times I appear anxious. Now granted this is not new to me even with this level of experience. I am admittedly a perfectionistic person...I often am assigned challenging clients. I love what I do most days and would like to continue.

Suggestions.

Congrats on 4 decades of nursing! Did she give specific instances? Is she implying that this is harming the patient or hampering your job in any way? No? Follow MMJ's advice above!

OldDude · Apr 11, 2018

Forget about it. I think if I don't get fired I'm doing a good job. Those evaluations are just to make others feel important.

Congratulations!!

JKL33 · Apr 11, 2018

"Thank you for sharing that feedback."

This is not true for every single nurse obviously, but my general observation has been that people who lack the ability for internal alarm bells and just a slight bit of "productive anxious-ness/anxiety" don't do so well with critically-ill patients. They can often be found doing something like clicking boxes in a situation where the rest of us would take one look and think, "Oh [you-know-what]!" and then take action to turn things around.

She had to come up with something; they're told to do that, you know. If that's all she's got I have no doubt you are likely an excellent nurse.

Ultimately the question is whether you have an actual difficulty that someone could point to that negatively affects patient care. For instance, a care flow is delayed because you're turning in circles or perseverating over meticulous charting at the wrong juncture when you should be doing something hands-on. If you haven't been counseled about such things and you know of no discrepancies in your care, then her comments about appearing anxious are pretty close to being below the belt territory.

Smile and nod, say thanks, let it go. As others said above.

klone, MSN, RN · Apr 11, 2018

Forget about it. I think if I don't get fired I'm doing a good job. Those evaluations are just to make others feel important.
Congratulations!!

Actually, they're required by CMS and Joint Commission. Believe me, I hate giving them just as much as most nurses hate receiving them. I can guarandamntee that 99% of managers HATE doing them and would just as soon they go away. They certainly don't make me feel important.

OldDude · Apr 12, 2018

Actually, they're required by CMS and Joint Commission. Believe me, I hate giving them just as much as most nurses hate receiving them. I can guarandamntee that 99% of managers HATE doing them and would just as soon they go away. They certainly don't make me feel important.

Yea, you're right...I'll back off that remark. Thank you. I just get very bitter when the "customer " satisfaction surveys and employment reviews replace real time, on site, eye witness management, especially in a case like this where kitty29 has forgotten more about nursing than her evaluator knows.

kitty29 · Apr 12, 2018

First of all thanks for all the kind remarks regarding the longevity of my career....this has been in a NICU.

I have worked all in the NICU....level 3 sometimes floating to level 2 or PICU, even Travel Nursing.

No never an issue with anything safety...in fact I am very much a perfectionist. I have been a

preceptor, transport nurse, charge nurse, bereavement coordinator, and now just reg. bedside

care. Great career. Love my job...just wondering why in the last couple of years all of a sudden

to do your best (as always) is not "good enough" you know what I mean??

JKL33 · Apr 12, 2018

Love my job...just wondering why in the last couple of years all of a sudden
to do your best (as always) is not "good enough" you know what I mean??

Yes.

I'm curious now.

Did she write down comments on the evaluation regarding the fact that you seem anxious sometimes, or was that just passing conversation?

Davey Do · Apr 12, 2018

Wayne Dyer said something like, "If you can please 50% of the people you deal with, you are doing a good job".

And right up there with Dr. Dyer is the OldDude:

I think if I don't get fired I'm doing a good job.

Amen, bro!

Davey Do · Apr 12, 2018

my manager who is half my age seems to me to be hung up

Damn kids.

JKL33 · Apr 12, 2018

Actually, they're required by CMS and Joint Commission. Believe me, I hate giving them just as much as most nurses hate receiving them. I can guarandamntee that 99% of managers HATE doing them and would just as soon they go away. They certainly don't make me feel important.

I've never minded them, myself. It's kinda nice to just have the opportunity to hear feed-back and talk about how things are going if one doesn't routinely get personal feedback during the year.

But they have definitely taken a downhill dive recently, for non-problem employees. They're not genuine any more. The instrument has changed, so that even if the conversation itself is a puke-worthy love-fest, the ratings don't reflect that this employee does an great job and has never caused one second of trouble. They're now putting in a fake rating if an item doesn't apply to the role being evaluated. And the person said, These ones that don't apply, we just mark them [middle of rating scale] since there's no "N/A."

AYFKM??? That's what I wanted to say. I wasn't raised this way. I'm sure "the computer" made them choose something and they couldn't just put a line through it, but mark them at the top then, if you're telling me they don't apply and you don't have any better way to indicate that. Or at the BOTTOM/zero/whatever. But not some pretend crap score.