Evaluation: Phase 4

Evaluation in the nursing process is looking to see whether the patient goals have been met. In career development, evaluation means stepping back and reviewing and analyzing the process you have gone through and asking yourself questions such as:

• Which of your career goals were met?
  
• What talents and abilities did you I discover?
  
• How would you evaluate your "performance" in the interview I went on?
  
• Were you able to negotiate effectively?
  
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  
• Is there anything you could have done differently?

Once you have established your new career or position, remember to keep developing your skills in your areas of expertise. Set new career and professional development goals, both short- and long-term. Figure out what else you need to learn to keep yourself on the leading edge of your field and career. Just as the nursing process is continuous, so is the career planning process. Each stage overlaps. The overall objective is to keep moving forward. Changing jobs or developing a new career path takes thorough self-examination, persistence, patience and a belief that you can find the job that's right for you.

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