Employee Evaluation Interview

I interviewed a friend who is the manager at a boutique clothing store
1. How often do you perform employee evaluations?
I perform employee evaluations annually in December or January
2. What kinds of things are you looking for in an employee evaluation?
The employee evaluation is a good time to look at the employee's performance over the past year, discuss any problems, and successes. Raises are usually discussed in this evaluation.
3. Do you have any goals or plans that you discuss in your employee evaluations?
Our employee evaluations are pretty informal. I don't set specific goals with my employees, except looking over what they could improve on and things that they are doing well.
4. How important do you feel an employee evaluation is?
I think employee evaluations can be very beneficial to both me and the employee. It offers a chance for us both to sit down and discuss anything that needs to be addressed.
5. If an employee has not done a satisfactory job in the past year,
how do you approach the employee evaluation?
If they have not done an awesome job, I look at the evaluation as a way to discuss what has gone on. I try and see what I can do to help the employee succeed as well as identify ways for the employee to improve.

This was a great experience learning more about employee evaluations and how one manager approaches these evaluations.

Hiring/Firing Interview

I interviewed the owner of a new fast food chain. I listed the questions I prepared below as well as the answers that he gave.
1. What are the qualities you looked for in potential employees?
The biggest thing I look for is work ethic and if they will be able to get along well with the team and customers. I want hardworking employees that can communicate and be personable.
2. What stood out to you in interviews as something a candidate did well?
The candidates that were personable and outgoing in the interview stood out quite well to me.
3. What stood out to you in interviews as something a candidate did
not do so well?
Kind of the opposite of my previous answer. If the candidate was shy and hard to talk to, it was hard to envision them interacting with the customer.
4. What kinds of questions did you ask in the hiring process?
I asked them about their experience with customer service, their schooling, and how they approach difficult customers and stressful situations.
5. How important were the references in the hiring process?
The references are important, but as long as the references did not say anything negative and the candidate did well in the interview I usually felt good about hiring the candidate.
6. How important was the previous experience in the hiring process?
I wish we could hire only those with previous experience, but that is not plausible. Instead I looked for those candidates that had experience in working hard maybe in school or in an organization. I looked for quick learners.
7. What is your discipline policy?
We are still developing our discipline policy as we are a fairly new business. Obviously consistent absences and tardies will lead to a face to face meeting where I can discuss the problem.
8. How do you handle conflict between employees in the workplace?
I try to have my managers work on handling the conflicts by diffusing the situation. If it elevates then I will sit down with each of the employees and work to see their point of view and work towards a conclusion. If someone is consistently the cause of the conflict, they will be terminated.
9. Any tips for a future manager on how to handle disciplining an employee?
I just try to promote a healthy working environment. I want my employees to get along and have a good experience at work. If someone is consistently having issues, I try to work with them one on one and come to a conclusion.
10. Is it helpful for you to have other managers involved in the
hiring/discipline process? Why? Why not?
It is definitely very helpful to have other managers involved in the hiring and discipline process. It is nice to have another point of view as well as be present for legal issues.

Leadership Clinicals at UVRMC - 24 Hours

I was able to spend two shifts at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center "shadowing" the house supervisors. I learned a lot about their role in the hospital. To blog about my experience I am going to address each course objective for NURS 4405 and how I met those in my clinical experience at UVRMC.

1 - Apply concepts and theories of leadership, management and power as a foundation for nursing organizations.
I was able to see the concepts and theories that we have discussed in class in play at the hospital. In my 24 hours spent at the hospital I was able to follow three different house supervisors. Each had their own way of leading and managing. I would not say one was better then another, but all had their own strengths. I believe personality plays a huge role in how we manage.

2 - Investigate leadership and management competencies essential to a successful organization.
Like I said, I was able to see how managers and leaders work together at UVRMC to make it a successful hospital. From the staff nurse level, to the charge nurse, up through administration, there are certain leadership and management skills needed to help accomplish the goal of providing safe care to the patient.

3 - Evaluate effectiveness of cost and quality of care with consideration of budgetary constraints.
I wasn't able to really observe the budget side of UVRMC, but in my budget interview that I posted about earlier, I was able to see how budgets and constraints work into running a business.

4 - Analyze policies and procedures used in management of a nursing unit for providing optimum care.
Through my two shifts at UVRMC, I was able to see the policies and procedures that UVRMC follows throughout the day. The house supervisors are required to round to check up on the different floors. Certain things require the house supervisor to respond to for example a hard IV, Code, etc.. I was able to witness a charge nurse meeting where scheduling was discussed and planned for the next day.

5 - Examine principles of risk management and assisting employees with special needs.
I was able to witness all three house supervisors interact with many of the employees. Some of those employees did have special needs, and the house supervisors responded and communicated appropriately with these employees. Risk management is a big issue with hospitals. Everything that the house supervisor role includes in some way relates back to risk management. Adequate staffing, assisting in IVs, attending Codes, etc... all are part of risk management.

6 - Explore leadership and management competencies which contribute to optimal organizational climate and culture.
This objective seems similar to Number 2: Investigate leadership and management competencies essential to a successful organization. I guess one of the ways that they differ is how it leads to optimal organizational climate and culture. Without the house supervisor, especially at night, there would not be anyone representing administration. It is important to have a chain of command to keep the hospital running smoothly and have any complaints, issues, etc... handled in an organized fashion.

7 - Develop individual nursing philosophy related to leadership and management.
I am still working on developing my own individual nursing philosophy regarding leadership and management. I was able to witness how three different house supervisors manage and lead and was able to learn a lot about different styles. Some things I would use and other things I would not use. It was a good way for me to witness leadership styles in action.

8 - Examine leadership and management principles in a variety of health care systems.
I was able to examine leadership and management principles on the unit level up through administration. It was exciting to see how important leaders are on each level.

Coaching: An Essential Skill for Nurses (6 Hours)

To wrap up my 46 hours of clinical time for NURS 4405, I decided to take a 6 hour course on coaching. Coaching is an interesting topic. It is a specific leadership technique that nurses need to know. The objectives of this course were to:
"Identify the importance and value of coaching.
Distinguish coaching from mentoring, therapy, precepting and training.
Identify the basic components and the purposes of a coaching contract.
Create strategies for helping staff embrace change.
Describe the characteristics of a great coach.
Identify the ways in which coaching affects the bottom line as well as quality of care"
The idea of coaching is a very interesting one. The course presented statistics that showed companies that incorporated coaching into their management had an increase in productivity, quality, organizational strength, customer service, etc.. Coaching is defined as "a sustained learning strategy to help people enhance their skills, change their perspectives, behave differently and achieve their goals." People who coach need to have a certain set of skills. These skills and attributes include listening, confident, trustworthy and intelligent. Coaches will have barriers to overcome in order to reach their goals. One technique to achieve the unit's overall goal is to set interim goals or mini goals to reach along the way. Coaches offer encouragement and advice to support the staff on their way to the goal. Coaches are leaders who guide the team through the process. This course gave some great advice for goal setting including prioritizing and the importance of commitment. It also gave tips on handling resistance. One of the greatest tips it gave was for nurses to anticipate resistance. It is much better to be proactive then reactive in the face of resistance. The last chapter of this course talked about the leadership qualities found in a coach. I loved this quote, "Two of the leadership competencies that effective coach/managers will display are “modeling the way” and “encouraging the heart.” " If a coach can follow those competencies, then the rest will fall into place.

Overall this course was great! I learned a lot about leadership skills needed in coaching. This clinical experience has been great as I have gained knowledge about what it takes to be a leader in nursing. These CE credits were a great resource for me to come up with my 46 hours of clinical time. I am motivated and inspired to develop my own leadership skills after taking these classes.

Learning to Lead: From Staff Nurse to Charge Nurse (5 Hours)

I decided to take a bit of a longer course that was very specific to nurse leadership. This course took 5 hours to complete. The purpose of the course was "to inform nurses about the key elements of management, focusing particularly on skills that enable nurses to coordinate resources and achieve desired outcomes in patient care settings. These resources may be staff, technological or financial in nature. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to -

1. Describe key aspects of the environment in which nurses assume management roles and functions, and how the climate influences care giving and management practices.
2. Depict the transitions that nurses make—either temporarily or permanently—from the role of caregiver to the role of manager.
3. Identify supervisory practices that promote good performance, workforce commitment and professional satisfaction.
4. Identify key skills that nurses will want to develop to excel as managers—whether they are managers for the shift or managers in full-time management positions.
5. Describe important interpersonal and coaching skills such as communication, delegation and feedback that promote mutual respect and solid teamwork.
6. Discuss ways to evaluate outcomes at the end of your shift.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of how to control costs on your unit."

One of the first things this course explored was the importance of a nurse manager understanding the mission and values of the company. Three charge nurses' experiences were then shown as they took on the role of a charge nurse. The role of a charge nurse includes planning, organizing, critical thinking, conflict management, and relationship management. The next charge nurse's experience focused on the role a charge nurse plays as a coach and communicator. A coach is different then a boss in that a coach lifts and supports instead of drives and pushes. Essential skills for a charge nurse to have include:
"Open lines of communication between staff and supervisory nurses
Respect and credibility among team members
Clear statements demonstrating desired outcomes and processes for achieving them
Good listening skills among all parties to a given communication
Well-articulated requests, responses, statements and questions that convey
important information to both parties."
As part of communication, nurses need to be able to listen to those they manager.

The next part of the course talked about delegation and teamwork. Both are essential skills for a successful charge nurse to have. Delegation and teamwork are needed to reach the goals of the unit. The authors of the course also discussed evaluation. Much like the nursing process, evaluation is important in leading a unit. Evaluation can help the charge nurse identify needs in the unit.

Overall this course was very educational. It took me through the steps that are required for a staff nurse to make the transition to the role of a charge nurse. The leadership skills discussed were explored in much detail.

Partnership Making the Most of Mentoring (1 Hour)

This next course that I took for CE credit focused on mentoring. Mentorship is directly related to leadership skills in nursing. In order to be an effective mentor, the nurse must have leadership skills. The definition of a mentor is, "Mentoring involves two parties and occurs when the senior person in terms of maturity and experience — the mentor — provides information, advice, and emotional support for the junior person — the mentee or protégé." The authors of this course discussed how any senior leader can be a mentor to another. They best mentors are those with experience and leadership skills. According to the course, the average mentorship relationship is 5-10 years. This is a very long term relationship, so mentors need to be chosen wisely. Some tips for mentors and mentee are:
Good communication skills
Insight, authenticity, and honesty
A strong sense of trust and mutual respect
The ability to be flexible and caring
Humility, an insatiable curiosity, and the courage to take risk
Each of these qualities will enhance the mentorship relationship. This course was very educational to me on the importance of mentors in nursing. Mentors are another example of the importance of developing leadership skills in the health care setting.

Precepting The Chance to Shape Nursing’s Future (1 Hour)

I decided to take another class on precepting. Like I said in a previous blog post about another precepting class, precepting is very relevant to me as I am about to being a preceptor experience for my new job. "Preceptors are role models for professionalism and best practices in the clinical setting, socializing nurses into the work group, educating and orienting." Preceptors are leaders for the new grad nurse as they make a transition from new grad to bedside nurse. In this course, the authors tried to emphasize that to be a good preceptor you must be a good leader. This course discussed techniques and tips for preceptors to use while precepting an new nurse. They ended with this quote, "Preceptors have an ability to take the newest nurses, “diamonds in the rough,” and go beyond teaching them the ropes to helping them discover their self-identity and confidence to deliver outstanding patient care. Preceptors, by their power and leadership, can create a caring environment in which nurses can grow and thrive, contributing to that next generation of professional excellence." I love that quote! I hope to be lucky enough to have a good preceptor in my upcoming experience and hopefully someday utilize my experience and leadership skills to act as a preceptor.