As a traveler you have a million things on your mind ranging from what to pack, the best route to your assignment, what will your housing look like, will everyone like me, and where are the hot spots at night…not to mention the typical stresses of the job itself. One of the last things on your mind might be the assignment evaluations sent to your agency.
Most agencies, including Aureus, will send each facility an evaluation to receive feedback on a traveler’s job performance. These evaluations can be crucial to helping you land your next contract, or even secure a staff position. A good assignment evaluation may set you apart from other travelers of similar experience and could be what helps you secure a job offer at more competitive locations. It is crucial to have multiple assignment evaluations in your file that show your ability to exceed expectations. After all, wouldn’t you want to have the best of the best caring for you?
You might wonder what categories you are evaluated on during a contract. Let’s go over a few. One obvious one is patient care. Ultimately that is why you are on contract to begin with…to deliver EXCELLENT patient care with top notch service to patients and families. The rest of the categories directly relate to the care you provide, such as communication, initiative, dependability, and flexibility. There are also things like professional appearance, problem-solving skills, ethics, and ,of course, documentation that are rated. All of these things play into the overall rating a supervisor will provide on an evaluation.
So what can you do to achieve a “five star” evaluation? It’s simpler than you might think. Go to work every shift knowing you are going to provide the best care and service you can to your patients and their families. Be courteous to everyone and always be willing to lend a helping hand. Never cut corners and always communicate – communication is overly important in the healthcare field…especially as a traveler.
I challenge every one of you to think about how you can be the best traveler every shift and by doing so achieve the best evaluations possible on every contract. If you become overwhelmed, just remember you are there for one reason: to provide EXCELLENT patient care and better the well-being of your patients. That will not go unnoticed!
“May your scrubs be comfy, your coffee be strong, and every day be awesome!”