NSG 6620 Week 7 Discussion Question 2: Performance Appraisals and the Nursing Leader

Performance appraisal is a mechanism or strategy for sharing performance feedback with all employees based on a defined set of performance criteria. Nurses need feedback to flourish and grow as well as develop career goals and a career trajectory. Typically, there are organizational policies guiding time for and methods of performance appraisal. Performance appraisals must be conducted on a regular basis applying the organizational policy and performance appraisal guidelines. They should not be conducted as a punitive process but as a formative process to assist employees in learning and growing to become even more valuable to the healthcare organization. There are a variety of formal and informal processes for performance appraisal. The key purpose of a performance appraisal is to support and assist in professional growth. Using the readings for the week, the South University Online Library, and the Internet, respond to the following: Describe the role of the nursing leader related to coaching and guiding of staff during a performance appraisal. Describe the role of the nursing leader in determining performance appraisal criteria. Examine the need of the nursing leader to be a role model in giving performance improvement data for novice and experienced nurses. Comment on the postings of at least two peers. Evaluation Criteria: Described the role of the nursing leader related to coaching and guiding of staff during a performance appraisal. Described the role of the nursing leader in determining performance appraisal criteria. Examined the need of the nursing leader to be a role model in giving performance improvement data for novice and experienced nurses. Justified your answers with appropriate research and reasoning. Commented on the postings of at least two peers.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS 

Performance Appraisals and the Nursing Leader

Introduction

The nurse manager is frequently the person who has the most difficult job. They are responsible for managing a large group of people and making sure that everyone is doing their job well. Yet, despite this difficult position, few nurses want to be managers.

Nearly every study of nursing management confirms that most nurses don’t want to be managers.

Nearly every study of nursing management confirms that most nurses don’t want to be managers. They don’t want the responsibility and accountability for their staff, nor do they want any kind of authority over them.

Nurses are trained to care for patients, not manage them; so when you ask a nurse if she wants to be a manager, it’s pretty much guaranteed she’ll say no! But what about all those nurses who were promoted from within? Are they really going through with this transition because they love being managers? Or is there something else going on here?

Developing an effective appraisal system requires careful planning and objectivity.

• Planning:

• You need to plan your appraisal system in advance, so that you can be sure it’s effective and fair. You should also ensure that the process is transparent for everyone involved. This will allow nurses who don’t have time or energy for direct feedback to leave their comments on a feedback form or worksheet, which can then be reviewed by managers as part of their overall accountability process.

• Objectivity:

• To be objective, there are several things that need to go into making your appraisal system work well:

The performance appraisal process should be viewed by a nurse manager as an opportunity for professional dialogue.

As a nurse manager, you should be open to feedback from your staff. If you have concerns about the performance of any individual or unit in your organization, it is important that you communicate these concerns directly with them. This gives everyone the opportunity to discuss their work and how they can improve themselves as professionals.

In addition, by discussing performance issues openly with your nurses, you can help them understand what constitutes good practice in nursing and provide direction for improvement efforts aimed at improving patient outcomes.

Performance appraisals are a critical component in the ongoing process of staff development.

Performance appraisals are a critical component in the ongoing process of staff development. They provide an opportunity for you to provide feedback, identify strengths and weaknesses, understand how your staff perceives you as an organization leader, and develop plans for improvement.

Performance appraisals should take place regularly (at least once per year) with all full-time employees who work at least 40 hours per week or more than 11 months per year. If an employee works less than 40 hours per week or less than 11 months per year they should be evaluated at least once every three years.

The most successful nurse manager will listen to, rather than tell, nursing staff members what they need to do.

Listening is a key skill for managers, and it’s also one of the most important skills for nurses. Listening means hearing and understanding what is being said. It means listening to the tone of voice, as well as looking at body language.

For example: if you ask your nurse manager how he/she would like your team members to dress when they come in for an appraisal meeting, he/she may tell you that they should wear business attire because it shows respect for him/her as a leader in his/her field of expertise. If he/she says this without sounding apologetic about it (like maybe saying something like “I know I am asking a lot here,” or something similar), then chances are good that this person will actually follow through with whatever advice he gave during this conversation!

Takeaway:

The takeaway from this article is that there are many ways to provide feedback and recognition, but it’s important to be clear about your expectations.

This article provided an overview of the different types of leadership development, including performance appraisals, 360-degree feedback and other approaches. It also discussed how to best implement each approach into your organization’s culture.

Conclusion

The most successful nurse manager will listen to, rather than tell, nursing staff members what they need to do. Furthermore, the nurse manager must be humble enough to admit his or her own mistakes and shortcomings in order for the staff member to grow and learn from them. Nurses who feel like their manager is not paying attention or does not have time for them may begin to resent being given direction by someone who clearly doesn’t care about what they do every day.