Sue, a nurse manager, discusses her concerns about the hospital's employee appraisal system with her work group, noting that all that it includes is one rating scale, and that it means nothing unless the manager is effective in her job. Sue's concerns reflect which best practices associated with performance appraisal?
a. Rating scales are too generalized to be considered valid or reliable.
b. The effectiveness of any appraisal system is tied directly to the skills and communication abilities of the manager.
c. BARS is considered superior to simple rating scales in terms of performance appraisal.
d. Rating scales need to be designed by users to be well accepted.
ANS: C
Rating scales are relatively easy to construct and easy to complete but usually consist of generalizations and nonspecific behaviors, and the rating is relatively subjective in nature. The effectiveness, however, of any system is tied directly to the skills and communication abilities of the person who is using it.
Nursing
- Which of the following might best conclude an interview?
- As part of orientation to your unit, you decide to administer Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to new staff. The most likely reason for your decision is that the use of Kolb's LSI:
- On your unit, despite efforts to build a strong sense of team, conflict between some of the staff is ongoing. Nonetheless, you want to proceed with developing a systematic and effective performance appraisal system. Which of the following approaches would be most appropriate for you to implement?
- John notes that the next section is specific to the organizational philosophy and has a four-point ordinal scale that describes performance from always meets expectations to does not meet expectations. This type of evaluation is most commonly known as:
- John, a new graduate, reviews the employee evaluation for his new position. The first section requires that he list his own specific objectives to be accomplished. This is an example of:
- During the performance appraisal session, the manager should (select all that apply):
- You have hired Chelsea as a new staff member on your unit. Although she is an experienced ICU nurse, this is her first educator role. A month into her new position, she confides that she feels really incompetent in her new position and bursts into tears. Your response is based on application of your understanding of:
- A survey of staff satisfaction is conducted. The survey indicates that staff members are satisfied, are loyal to the organization, and feel that they have reasonable control in their individual responsibilities. The findings best exemplify:
- Joanne, a new nurse manager, writes certain assumptions regarding the organization's objectives into her budget. Her supervisor tells her that the objectives implied in her assumptions are not entirely consistent with the organization, and that she needs to clarify these objectives with her supervisor. Joanne apologizes and says she had more latitude with the budget where she previously worked. This is an example of:
- The chief nursing officer establishes a shared governance model to help empower the nursing staff, thus empowering the organization. Common characteristics of empowered organizations are:
- Which of the following strategies might be effective in empowering staff?
- As a manager, you are interested in developing behavioral questions for an interview. Knowing that there is team conflict at times on your unit, which of the following questions would satisfy your interest in behavioral questions?
- John's performance was satisfactory during the first month, but after that time, he was found to be very inconsistent in the provision of nursing care. One month before the end of the rating period, he cared for a very wealthy and influential client, who is best friends with the clinical manager. This client donated new furniture for the staff lounge in John's name to show appreciation for his care. John's subsequent performance appraisal resulted in outstanding ratings in all areas. This is an example of:
- The final section of a performance appraisal is a rating scale. This scale is very detailed and relates to competency standards specific to surgical clients. The scale is a summary of performance directly observed or documentation reviewed and is specific to client care situations in which the employee has been involved. This type of evaluation is most commonly known as:
- The primary disadvantage of the appraisal tool in Question 13 is that it is:
- A nurse manager in ICU works with his staff to develop an appraisal instrument that includes quantitative data and respects standards for an RN working on that unit. This type of appraisal is a:
- The validity of comments and ratings related to performance is enhanced by:
- Joanne is a likable and popular staff member. Despite occasional complaints from patients about inappropriate comments and rough handling of patients, Joanne continues to receive positive performance appraisals. This is an example of:
- An outpatient clinic advertised for RN positions. Before authorizing an open position, the nurse manager should:
- Anecdotal notes:
- The biggest challenge in the recruitment of staff is:
- In addressing the primary challenge in recruitment of new staff, which of the following interview questions might be asked?
- Which of the following might best conclude an interview?
- As part of orientation to your unit, you decide to administer Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI) to new staff. The most likely reason for your decision is that the use of Kolb's LSI: