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I've been a nurse manager for one year now, and I find that the hardest part of the job is counseling someone who is doing poor work. Does it get any easier with time? Do you have any advice? Sincerely, NM1 Dear NM1: It doesn't get any easier, but you will find that you won't brood and postpone giving the criticism as you probably do now. After all, it's more likely that you'll receive positive results if the counseling is done closer to the error, when your memory of the incident will be fresher, and you can therefore be more persuasive in your dialogue with the offender. After over 20 years of managing a group of very talented and assertive individuals, I follow some basic principles: • Before the meeting,
I write down the problem and the changes I would
like to see. This helps to keep me focused in case
the offender gets angry, objects, or disagrees
with my assessment or objectives.
• I always start by commenting
on the positive aspects of the individual's performance.
• I am careful in my
choice of words to ensure that it's clear that
I state that a specific behavior is a problem,
not that the person is a problem.
• I give a concrete factual
description of the problem and direct the discussion
towards the individual coming up with concrete
solutions.
• If the person becomes
angry, disagrees with me, cries, or attacks me
or someone else, I don't let this behavior get
me angry, defensive, or distract me from the objective
of improving performance.
• I give the person time
to ventilate and otherwise express their feelings,
and I don't let the person leave my office until
s/he feels that we have reached a mutually acceptable
resolution of the problem. For more information, see: "Critical Care". ♦We're now having some of our other writers help out answering the "Dear Cindy" questions. Enjoy! Discuss This ArticleHave something you'd like to say? Tell us what you think! Read and post comments for this article. Like this answer? Read more questions! Browse our archive of 1,297 career questions. Also, see our master index of all MedHunters articles! Find a JobChoose your career: MedHunters is the world's biggest healthcare job board. Our job directory has 18,226 jobs with 2,533 hospitals and other direct employers. We want you to find your next job on MedHunters. Need Help? Call us at 1-888-884-8242, email us at info@medhunters.com or sign up now. Do you have a career-related question? Email us at: DearCindy@medhunters.com. |
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