Performance Reviews 101:
We are talking all about reviews – specifically PA performance reviews, reviewing processes at your practice, how to leverage performance reviews to earn more money, what to do about negative PA performance reviews and how reviews can help you in your personal life.
- Performance Reviews – What to do if they are positive or negative.
- Reviews in your Personal Life – for self-development and in your relationships
- Reviews as a way to benefit others
Performance Reviews
What is a review? A review is a formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary.
Typically in medicine there’s a process for annual performance reviews – you sit down with your manager and they provide feedback as to how things are going.
These reviews can happen at any interval – sometimes 90 days after starting a new role – and often feedback is given on the fly. Ideally your admin, SP, and management team shouldn’t be waiting until your scheduled performance review to offer feedback.
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Positive PA Performance Reviews
If your review is positive – this is a great time to highlight your strengths and the value you add to the practice.
If you get positive feedback about how the practice enjoys having you and the patients love you – essentially how amazing you are and what an incredible asset you are – first of all, let me congratulate you right now. You are filling your purpose. Your employer sees your value! Wahooo!
Second of all, be prepared to leverage this positivity and use it as a negotiation tool to earn more money.
Before your performance review, prepare with a list of what you’d like to be earning, the hours you’d like, the ways you want to change your templates, and the increased MA/Nursing support. Don’t be shy about what you are wanting in your practice.
It’s an assessment – both of you as an employee and your performance – but it’s also an opportunity to assess your workflow, systems and processes at work. It’s a window that the administration is cracking and welcoming a dialogue. Everyone enters this meeting with the mindset of reviewing what’s going on.
It’s the PRIME TIME to negotiate, my friend.
Negative PA Performance Reviews
Being able to accept feedback is hard. Especially when that feedback is negative.
To be completely honest, this is something that I’m still working on. Early on in my career I felt SUPER defensive whenever someone gave me negative feedback.
When you receive negative feedback here are a few things you can do:
- Determine if it’s valid – Did the feedback come from a credible source that understands you/what you do and who’s opinion you value? Do you feel the feedback is true and a reflection of you on the whole, or is it related to a specific incident where you weren’t at your best?
- If it is valid… create an action plan. What will you do in the future to change the behavior, perception, and the way you interact with others?
- Remind yourself of the positive – You do great work ongoing. Sure, there’s room for improvement – but that fact doesn’t make you a shitty PA, that fact makes you a human being.
- Create a BAPA list – Badass PA list – of all the times you’ve done incredible things, did the procedure, nailed the diagnosis, found the zebra, advocated for the patient, gone above and beyond. Think of all the times that you’ve gotten those thank you notes or the hug from the patient. Write down your BAPA list and throw it in a file in your desk or keep it in the notes app on your phone – reference it at times like these when you need a reminder as to why you rock, because you do.
Don’t put too much weight in the negative feedback. Try not to waste time flogging yourself and beating yourself up – remind yourself of the positives about you. Create a plan to generate change in the future and start takings the steps in the plan.
Reviews in your Personal Life
Reviews in your personal life are essentially check ins. You can check in on how you are doing relative to that goal you set, the new hobby or habit you are implementing and relative to your relationships with others. I find it most helpful when you have these scheduled into your calendar.
Here’s an example in my life – on Sunday nights we have what we call a Parental Pow Wow
In our Pow Wow we cover:
- Upcoming schedule of meals and activities
- Quick budget check in
- How are we doing?
- How can I serve you this week?
Personal check ins in the form of journaling or simply taking the time to check your vitals – are you living in alignment with your values, how do you feel – how is your energy and excitement – what are you learning, what areas need work?
Not sure what your values are? Download this Free Core Value Curator.
There is a ton of information to be gleaned by setting aside the time to look back and ask yourself – how am I doing? What’s going well and what could be better?
Leave The PA Is In a Review
I would be remiss if I recorded an entire The PA Is In episode about Reviews and did plug the importance of reviews for small businesses that you love and shows *cough* this podcast *cough* that you enjoy.
When someone searches a podcast and comes across The PA Is In, the first thing they do is scroll down to check the reviews.
