Thursday, July 29, 2010

Learning Plans and Yearly Performance Reviews

Nursing school was full of learning plans. Learning plans for a class, learning plans for clinical placements and learning plans for group projects. Now that I’m in the ‘real world’, learning plans continue to be made and revised each year – usually when there’s a yearly performance review scheduled by the manager. I’m somewhat torn on the issue of learning plans. On the one hand, I think they’re a useless waste of time. I always end up scrambling to write down something that might fit with learning goals that were written when I had no idea what I was getting into. However, they can also serve as a checklist for the things that I did want to learn and/or improve upon as well as documentation of ongoing professional development. Invariably, when I meet with my manager this year, I will have to justify why I didn’t accomplish a single thing on my learning plan written last year when I was not allowed to work in certain areas of the department that I do now. That is not to say that my professional growth has stagnated for the entire year – I have taken several courses, applied that learning to my work and have informally learned much more than can be summarized in 150 words. On top of all that, I have never been a very details oriented person. I like to have a general outline with lots of room for maneuvering and improvising because in my experience, things hardly ever go as planned. I won’t be too upset if I learned things that I didn’t know before instead of learning what was strictly written on my learning plan. Regardless of how I feel, I will be wasting a beautiful afternoon writing inane BS to appease the powers that be. And the real kicker – my yearly review is scheduled on the last effin hour of my shift before I scramble to get to the airport!!

7 comments:

Grumpy, M.D. said...

Don't worry, it'll be quick.

"Maha, you are the most fuckin' awesome nurse in the whole hospital, maybe even the province. Here's a raise, and we picked up your plane fare. And here's some extra cash for the Starbucks at the airport."

Nuclear Fire said...

What they should say maybe, Grumpy, but not what they will say.

Unknown said...

haha, I love the comments on this post. Learning plans sound really annoying. Is that the same thing as a care plan? Also I hate annual reviews...they always feel like such a waste of time.

Albinoblackbear said...

Hope you're having a wicked vay-cay on the Best Coast!

Let me know how you found the land of Milk and Honey when you return! :)

(Gotta say, I *loved* my trip out east this summer and will definitely be applying for residencies in your neck of the woods when this crazy train changes direction to Canada.)

TracyKM said...

Sounds like my husband's job...he had to write yearly goals, his manager had to approve the report....but then wouldn't allow him to do any of the things that would have fulfilled his 'growth areas' goals. ie--they agreed he needed to work on communication, but was denied permission to go to workshops, and often his presentations were given to someone else. They even shit on him one year because he got no where on one goal---because THEY moved him to a totally different department, LOL!

girlvet said...

We all have to do this and in the end it means nothing. I have been going to get my CEN for the last 10 years. Its all part of the nursing game and JCAHO and all that other bullshit.

Cartoon Characters said...

Glad you didn't disappear! Enjoyed reading your blog! :)

Vacations are always good. I am glad that we start with a month holidays instead of the 2 wk thing....gives a little bit more time....