Nursing: Performance Evaluation / Peer Review

Had a performance evaluation last week.

It was all positive. 

The week before that, I had a peer review of my work where myself and another nurse sits down and discuss several cases that I have handled.  It took about an hour and a half out of my working day, which in of itself is an amazing thing.

Can you believe that management even provided staffing to cover this time?

It was with trepidation I anticipated the evaluation because the person assigned to do it was not someone with a normally positive outlook.  It was my experience - in the past - that she was quite judgmental of other nurses' performances.

I was expecting, as is usually the case in nursing, that all the bad points would be found  - with glaring examples of everything I had done wrong.  Not that I could really think of anything critically wrong....but you know how these evaluations go......

Pleasant surprise.

I was told at the interview start that there was enough negativity in nursing - that we didn't need more of the same.

The management wanted  the positives highlighted....that each nurse does a good enough job of self-flagellation when reviewing her own work....and that encouragement and praise goes further to improve morale and thus perhaps improve nursing care.

The questions at the review end were:

1. What did you feel you did well in this instance?

2. What was your "takeaway" from this patient interaction?

It was a refreshing and positive experience and so unlike other performance reviews in the past whilst working in hospitals.

Apparently they are arranging monthly reviews.

I am actually looking forward to the next one - and at that time, I won't have so much of a knot in the pit of my stomach.