Adapted with permission from The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba.
When you start your self-assessment consider the following questions:
What is the purpose of a self-assessment?
Practice expectations are outlined in the Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses and the Standards of Practice for Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioners. The self-assessment allows you to reflect on and evaluate your practice in relation to these expectations. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers but evaluating yourself honestly will help you identify your strengths and any areas where you can improve.
It’s your responsibility to understand and apply the standards of practice in any role or health-care setting. Taking the time to reflect on how you meet these expectations helps you maintain your practice by giving you the opportunity to:
- review the public expectations regardless of your practice setting, domain and/or role;
- review the legal reference that describes reasonable and prudent nursing practice;
- self-reflect on your practice and take action to improve.
Who is your client?
Identify who your client is before you complete your self-assessment. Remember, your client is the beneficiary of care and may be an individual, family, group, community or population. In some clinical settings, client may be referred to as a patient or a resident. Depending on your domain of nursing, the client may also refer to a nursing student, research subject/participant or another RN or NP.
RNs and NPs apply the nursing process in their practice, planning the needs of clients through assessment, diagnosis or determination, planning, implementation and evaluation. The principles of client-centred practice in a clinical practice setting also apply in other domains such as administration, education and research.
What else do you need to know?
- You need to complete the self-assessment in order to renew your registration;
- If you select “not applicable” to the indicators on your self-assessment, please get in touch with us as your practice may not be RN or NP practice;
- We recommend comparing your scores from one year to the next to evaluate if you are maintaining or improving your practice;
- Looking for more tips on how to reflect on your practice? Try this self-reflection exercise.