Performance Evaluation

I have been complimented by my preceptor and given good feedback on my performance thus far. Of course that makes me feel good but as important as my superiors opinions are my truest gauge comes from my patients. I had a patient whose cancer had metastisized to her brain and she had trouble expressing herself. Her sentences were one to two words at most with long pauses between. Her family was taking turns sitting at her bedside around the clock to help her communicate her needs. After caring for her all night I entered her room and greeted her with "Good Morning Sunshine." She looked at me and without pause or hesitation said, "It is so nice to see your smiling face." I was so surprised! I was also grateful. What a gift she gave me.

One morning I was talking with a patient and her daughter who had spent the night with her mom after surgery. They asked if I normally worked with cancer patients. I said yes, explaining that our floor is primarily for oncology patients but when we have room we take overflow patients from other areas of the hospital, like her. She said she thought I would be a good nurse for cancer patients because they need someone with a calm presence who could make them feel safe and that I had done that for her. Her daughter added that people want to feel valued and that I had made them feel that way. I thanked them for their kind words, but they will never know what they meant to a new nurse. A new nurse trying to get her bearings, feeling overwhelmed with new things to learn and profound responsibility. A new nurse whose main goals include making her patients feel safe and valued.