Know the Standards

“First, you must know what you’re being rated on,” says Joan Orseck, RN, nurse recruiter at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. “It’s amazing how many nurses don’t know the standards. We all hope that we’re doing a good job, but what exactly are we expected to do according to our performance evaluation?”

If your employer uses a special evaluation tool, ask for a copy of it ahead of time. If your evaluation is based on your job description, make sure you have a current copy. Some nursing departments develop department-wide or unit-specific goals, and all nurses, regardless of their position, are expected to contribute to these goals. Other employers expect nurses to accomplish individualized goals.

Regardless of the method of evaluation, make sure you fully understand the terms. For example, if you’re being evaluated for your “professional behavior” or “patient satisfaction,” know in advance how these concepts will be defined and specifically measured.

Take Stock

Before your review, carefully think back over the entire period since your last evaluation. Many managers and the staff nurses they are evaluating only remember the recent past and assume that the same work behavior applied for the entire evaluation period. “Too many people feel a performance evaluation is based on their efforts during the final 30 days before the review,” says Terry Braun, director of human resources, Boca Raton Community Hospital, Boca Raton, Florida. “Remember that it’s like a photograph of the entire review period, and it includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

If you are preparing for an annual review, sit down with a calendar and remember at least one significant event during each month. This will spark your memory to include the best examples of your performance during the entire evaluation period.

Better still, Braun recommends keeping track of your performance along the way: “Be honest with yourself, and document your accomplishments as they happen, then you’re prepared to present them positively at the time of your review. Also list what you have learned from your mistakes and how you have used this as a personal performance review period and a period of growth.”

Jill Roemer, RN, MSN, past-president of the Illinois Organization of Nurse Leaders, suggests that nurses also come prepared to discuss the goals that they haven’t achieved: “Remember to give some of the reasons why the goal wasn’t attained. Frequently, the goal became less of a priority because something came up that was more important.” According to Roemer, knowing when to change goals demonstrates a high level of professional judgment; and explaining why you changed goals focuses the evaluation interview on your skills, rather than on a lack of accomplishment.

Use Examples

Be prepared to describe examples that illustrate how you met your employer’s standards. “Do your homework,” says Roemer. “RNs are professional people, meaning that we’re goal directed. So you want to go into the interview with a professional approach, a plan of how to focus on the goals you achieved during the year.”

Especially recount instances when you exceeded expectations or acted as an informal leader to accomplish unit goals. Also give examples of ways that you worked in teams, helped train new employees, or consulted with other nurses about difficult cases. Think of ways that you practiced well and saved your employer money. If you use broad, general statements to describe your performance, be prepared to back up every statement with specific examples that tell a story. Also be prepared to explain why you acted as you did. Keep the discussion focused on your performance or your contribution to the group’s performance. Portray yourself as an active player who makes a difference, rather than a passive follower who can perform well only when coached by others.

Roemer advises, “Focus the interview on your goals and give specifics with examples. Also include goal outcomes you want to achieve in the next year.”

Remain Positive

Describe your accomplishments, rather than apologizing for your mistakes or for not doing more. If your manager raises an instance when you demonstrated poor judgment, acknowledge your error and show what you learned from the incident. Every nurse makes mistakes, but only good nurses learn from them. “Defend yourself,” says Braun, “but not defensively. Have an open mind and receive constructive criticism well. Also ask questions — we are never too old or too good to learn.”

Roemer agrees: “Receive constructive feedback without becoming defensive. Calmly ask for examples, then ask ‘If I had done (fill in the blank), would your perception of my performance change?’ It clarifies their expectations and turns it into a positive. Also, end the interview on a positive note by saying, ‘I appreciate your feedback.’”

A performance review isn’t the proper time to air your grievances about poor working conditions or less-than-stellar coworkers. Avoid criticizing others, or giving the impression that you could have done a much better job if only you didn’t have so much dead wood to drag around. Making other people look bad doesn’t make you look good by comparison; instead, it backfires by branding you as a crank or “not a team player.”

Accept praise with humility — but accept it. When complimented, too many nurses respond inappropriately by saying, “Anyone could have done that,” or “It was nothing.” Instead, say “Thank you.” Or explain why the issue was important to you, or how it exemplifies your professional goals. Always take the opportunity to share praise with others. How did your coworkers contribute to your success? How did you work with others to accomplish goals that would have been impossible to achieve by working alone?

When You Disagree

If you think you have been evaluated unfairly, respond professionally, but always respond. By doing nothing, you’re tacitly agreeing with a poor evaluation that will follow you throughout your tenure with your employer. An unfair evaluation hurts emotionally, but don’t vent your pain with your direct coworkers. Instead, talk to a professional colleague outside your work area, or better yet, look to your friends and family for unconditional support.

Know your employer’s policy. Are you entitled to make a written response to your evaluation? If so, provide specific examples of how you met your employer’s standards. Stick to your performance and avoid commenting about the competency or possible hidden agenda of the person who conducted the evaluation. Does disagreement over an evaluation constitute a grievance? If so, follow the rules exactly. Can you request an interim evaluation before your next scheduled review? This may allow you the opportunity to demonstrate improvement, but make sure you understand the standards by which you will be judged and how the standards will be measured.

Finally, use even an unfair evaluation as an opportunity to hone your professional skills. Although it may be painful, examine your work performance under a hard light and see if there are ways to improve or to better respond to your employer’s goals even if they diverge from your own.

Jeffrey Zurlinden, RN, MS, ACRN, is a contributing editor for the Chicago/NE Illinois & NW Indiana Edition of Nursing Spectrum