Nurse Practitioner Performance Evaluation: Template and Tips

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Written by Bonnie Wiegand, BSN, RN Content Writer, IntelyCare
Nurse Practitioner Performance Evaluation: Template and Tips

As a leader at your facility, you may conduct nurse practitioner performance evaluations on a routine basis, or in situation-specific scenarios (such as at the close of a probationary period). If you’re curious about ways to enhance this process, you’re in the right place.

As advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), nurse practitioners are held to high standards by multiple regulatory bodies. If your organization is accredited by The Joint Commission, you may use ongoing professional practice evaluation (OPPE) and focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE) programs to monitor NP competence. Additional performance evaluations delivered by supervisors can augment and complement any ongoing processes you have in place.

When handled thoughtfully, nursing staff performance evaluations can be great opportunities to foster wellbeing at your facility, which in turn elevates the care you provide to your patients. These critical conversations can also help you to develop deeper relationships with your NPs and learn about their experiences in your organization. Here we’ll go over helpful ways to get the most from your nurse practitioner (NP) evaluations, and provide you with a free template to guide the process.

Nurse practitioner performance evaluation form template thumbnail image with blue border

Nurse Practitioner Performance Evaluation Process

Nurse practitioners are often valuable members of interdisciplinary care teams. Their specific responsibilities vary greatly depending on organizational structure, but could include a combination of roles such as patient care provider, leader, administrator, educator, and researcher. Given the many duties they perform, evaluations may be more involved and rigorous than evaluations for other types of nursing professionals with more limited scopes of practice.

To prepare for a successful NP evaluation, collaborate with facility leaders and your human resources (HR) department to establish (or update) a standardized approach. Sticking to facility policies for performance evaluations is a great way to mitigate the risk of unconscious bias. Work with a team to determine a framework for the evaluation. This may include the use of a performance review template, customized to fit your facility standards.

Once you have a system in place, your evaluation process will unfold according to the protocol and may involve the following steps:

  • Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the NP.
  • Distribute a copy of the evaluation forms to the NP in advance of the meeting, to allow time for self-assessment.
  • Prepare by reviewing key performance indicators and other relevant data.
  • Conduct the in-person (or virtual) performance evaluation according to schedule.
  • File documentation of the evaluation.
  • Follow up with the NP.

An important step in the NP evaluation process is preparation. This may include a review of data collected by your OPPE and FPPE programs or other provider evaluation systems. Look for trends in quantitative data about patient care outcomes, such as post-procedure infection rates. In addition, check reports of qualitative data, such as patient complaints. Your findings should help you generate your nurse practitioner performance evaluation comments ahead of your one-on-one interaction with the NP.

Documenting Your Nurse Practitioner Performance Evaluation: Examples and Tips

As is true in many areas of healthcare, documentation is an integral part of the performance evaluation process. Forms used during one evaluation cycle may provide insights for future evaluations. They can be used to:

  • Compare the NP’s performance over time.
  • Guide follow-up steps for professional development goals.
  • Monitor progress in areas that need improvement.
  • Justify merit-based raises.
  • Guide managerial decisions about training opportunities.

Your organization’s standardized approach to evaluations may determine the form that you use. Many forms contain similar components that serve as talking points, generate measurable data, and guide the process. Below, we’ll look at each component and discuss how it can be best used for a productive review. If you’ve been tasked with creating an evaluation form, our nurse practitioner performance evaluation template is a great starting point.

1. Identifying Information and Nurse Practitioner Job Details

The first section of the evaluation provides an introduction and also serves a record-keeping function. The information typically covered here includes the NP’s name, the reviewer/supervisor’s name, and dates related to the NP’s involvement with the facility. If the NP has supervisory duties, it may be helpful to note the positions that they’re responsible for overseeing.

Tips:

  • In hospitals, NPs may have different job descriptions based on their specialty. If so, include the area of specialty in the Employee Job Title field (For example, Oncology NP).
  • When documenting the hire date, reflect on the NP’s experience with your organization. Have they worked within your facility for many years? Your conversation would be a great time to acknowledge their commitment.

Example:

Performance Evaluation
Employee Name Julie Amirault Date of Evaluation 06/01/20xx
Date of Hire 01/01/20xx Evaluator Name Ria Patel
Employee Job Title Nurse Practitioner Evaluation Period 01/01/xx-05/31/xx

2. Rating Information

This section of a performance evaluation form describes the rating scale that will be used. Some healthcare organizations use numeric rating scales to ensure there’s objective, trackable data. Others use narrative systems, which offer more context and opportunity for individualization. A combination of the two can be used to gain advantages from each approach.

Tips:

  • Explain the rating scale to the NP when you deliver the evaluation form, and provide examples to illustrate what each metric looks like in practice. Allow time for questions.
  • If a numeric scale is used, ensure that there’s space on your nurse practitioner appraisal form for written comments. Going deeper than a simple number provides your employee with an opportunity to share feedback about why they performed the way that they did. This may reveal growth opportunities for your organization.

Example:

Rating Scale
5. Outstanding This rating is for employees who are not only exceeding the requirements of their position, but who are already performing at a level higher than their current position.
4. Exceeds Expectations This rating is for employees who are exceeding the requirements of their position, but not yet performing at a level higher than their current position.
3. Meets Expectations This rating is for employees who are meeting all of the requirements of their position.
2. Does Not Meet Expectations This is for employees who are meeting the basic requirements of their position, but not all of the requirements of their position.
1. Unsatisfactory This is for employees who are not meeting any of the basic requirements of their position.

3. Nurse Practitioner Clinical Skills Evaluation

The next section of the evaluation form typically covers key clinical skills. For nurse practitioners, the skills that are evaluated will be determined by the specialty area. Clinical practice areas to consider include:

  • Patient assessments.
  • Disease diagnosis and care planning.
  • Implementation of interventions.
  • Evaluation of patient’s response to the care plan.

Consider speaking to charge nurses, nurse educators, physicians, and other NPs to determine the clinical skills to assess, and consult nursing literature to confirm your choices.

Our nurse practitioner performance evaluation sample, below, illustrates how an NP’s self-assessment may differ from their supervisor’s. In one study comparing the competence assessments made by nurses and their managers, researchers found that on average, nurses’ self-assessments were significantly lower than their manager’s assessments.

Tips:

  • When discussing this section with the NP, treat the skills ratings as opportunities for determining areas of growth rather than means for criticism. Low ratings provide valuable information that can be used productively.
  • During an evaluation, open the discussion to include feedback from the nurse to you, the supervisor. Is there something you could be doing differently to foster better working conditions for your staff?

Example:

Key Clinical Skills Evaluation
Skill Rating Comments
Obtains and documents a comprehensive health history for all telehealth intake visits 2 NP Perspective:

I often don’t have time to talk to the patient long enough to obtain a detailed health history. Sometimes patients are late to the virtual visit and I have to end the session before getting the needed information.
Obtains and documents a comprehensive health history for all telehealth intake visits 3 Nurse Leader Perspective:

My review of 10 recent patient charts shows gaps in the health history section of the patient intake interviews. I am concerned that [NP] doesn’t have time to adequately cover all areas of the health history with our new patients.

4. Goal Setting

Documenting goals gives you and the NP you’re evaluating a chance to gain clarity about next steps. In this section, both parties have a chance to elaborate on important clinical, professional development, and organizational aspirations.

There are various ways this section can be implemented. For example, you could encourage the NP to consider potential goals for the next review cycle and discuss these ideas during your meeting. Finalized goals should be documented by the end of the evaluation process. These goals would serve as guides for the next performance review cycle.

Looking for some potential goals to bring to your next nurse practitioner performance evaluation? Examples of nursing goals can give you starting points that can be fine-tuned to fit the NPs on your staff.

Tips:

  • When working with the NP to set goals, encourage specificity. Consider using the SMART goal format to create goals that are conducive to productive follow-through.
  • The nurse practitioners you supervise may be particularly influential employees in your organization, and their goals can significantly impact your facility’s success. Don’t brush off goal setting as another hoop to jump through. Instead, open a dialogue about how the NP’s goals align with facility missions and objectives.

Example:

Goal Evaluation
Clinical Goal [NP] will demonstrate increased awareness of age-specific pathophysiology in our geriatric patients for more accurate diagnosis of urinary tract infections.

Rating:
Evaluator Comments I plan to research training opportunities for [NP] that are related to the pathophysiology of age-related diseases. I will revisit this objective with [NP] in three months. I will monitor data related to UTI diagnosis in our geriatric patients who receive care from [NP].
Employee Comments I plan to seek consultations with my NP and physician colleagues when I have questions about potential UTI diagnoses for the next three months. I will also ask colleagues about the best educational resources available to me for gaining more knowledge about UTI diagnosis in the elderly.

Want More Ways to Support and Develop Your Nursing Staff?

Now you’re prepared to facilitate a nurse practitioner performance evaluation that’s productive and uplifting for your employees and organization. Looking for more ways to motivate your staff? Get more healthcare leadership tips and insights from our team of experts today.

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