How to Prepare for Your First Performance Review Many questions may arise in your mind when you hear about your upcoming performance review. Many things will run through your head--questions to ask, problems to address, requests to make. Being prepared is of utmost importance. Before coming to the point, you should understand what a performance review encompasses. A performance review is defined as a process by which an instructor or manager evaluates a nurse's overall performance and behavior. The manager then compares it with the company’s standards and drives the best result out of it. This enables the employer to frequently evaluate the performance of his or her employee according to a set of standards. Here’s how you can best prepare yourself for a performance review. 1. Evaluate Yourself The first and foremost thing is to go through your job duties and any sort of guidelines you have. Before facing your first performance review, you should prepare a list that contains all of your accomplishments and strengths, as well as your weaknesses and challenges, as they relate to your job duties and company goals. Make sure to be honest with yourself. If you find that the information or the evaluation is not so formal and if no form is available, seek out your detailed job description from the HR office. 2. Be prepared to your instructor's review As well as providing feedback of his or her own, your manager will likely ask for your feedback about your performance as well. Be prepared to answer this question as fully as possible. 3. Be prepared to review your instructor Many instructors like to hear from the employee. Depending on the manager, you never know what he or she will ask. If you’re asked to comment on their role as your manager, be prepared to discuss any pros or cons associated with your working relationship. 4. Prepare goals for the next review period From overcoming your weaknesses to establishing new challenges, identify some set of goals that you can achieve during the next review period. Consider training yourself, in both selfdirected learning as well as learning the new job roles. If you have time, it might benefit you to express wanting to learn additional tasks. This is something your manager will remember!
5. Some of the final tips ● Be prepared for constructive criticism. ● Be genuine and open with yourself in thinking about the possible results of your performance review. ● When thinking about your weaknesses, think of ways in which you can overcome them. ● Take responsibility and be accountable for anything up for discussion in the performance review. ● Do not try to blame your colleagues or any other person, as this could potentially harm your feedback. Should performance reviews be mandatory across all healthcare fields? In which ways can they help a nurse’s performance? Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter