| Course | NSG 321 Advanced Leadership and Management |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Performance feedback conversation plan |
| Length | About 1,020 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NSG 321 Unit 3
A Scripted Feedback Conversation With an Experienced Nurse Whose Pain Reassessments Have Slipped
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NSG 321: Advanced Leadership and Management
Instructor Name
February 5, 2026
A Scripted Feedback Conversation With an Experienced Nurse Whose Pain Reassessments Have Slipped
Context
I am the assistant nurse manager on a composite 30-bed surgical unit. Jordan is a registered nurse with nine years on the unit, respected by colleagues and usually reliable. Over the past three weeks, the unit's documentation audit has flagged Jordan's patients repeatedly. On six of nine shifts audited, at least one pain reassessment after an as-needed opioid was not documented within the required 60 minutes, and on two shifts, scheduled antibiotics were given more than an hour late. On the January 18 night shift, a patient's sedation after hydromorphone was not reassessed for two hours; the patient was fine, but a charge nurse raised it. Jordan has not been told about the audit results. I am planning a private conversation before Jordan's next shift.
Planning the Conversation
Three principles shape the plan. First, feedback describes behavior, not character. Research on feedback shows that feedback directed at a person's self, rather than at the task, often reduces performance instead of improving it (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). Telling Jordan that attention to detail has slipped would be about Jordan; telling Jordan which reassessments were late on which dates is about the work. Second, I use the situation-behavior-impact structure: name the situation, describe the observable behavior, and state its impact (Weitzel, 2000). Third, I go in curious. A change in a reliable nurse's performance often has a cause, and my first task is to find it rather than to assume it.
The Script
Opening. "Jordan, thanks for coming in before your shift. I want to talk about something I've noticed in the documentation audit, because it isn't like you and I'd like to understand it. Is now still a good time?"
Situation and behavior. "Over the last three weeks, on six of the nine shifts we audited, at least one pain reassessment after a PRN opioid wasn't documented within 60 minutes. On January 12 and January 20, a scheduled antibiotic was given more than an hour late. And on the 18th, the patient in room 14 wasn't reassessed for sedation for about two hours after hydromorphone."
Impact. "The reassessment after an opioid is how we catch someone getting oversedated, and the timing on antibiotics matters for infections. Room 14 turned out fine, but that's the kind of gap that can hurt someone."
Inquiry. "You're one of the nurses people come to for help, so this stood out to me. What's been going on for you on these shifts?"
Anticipated Responses and How I Will Respond
If Jordan becomes defensive: "I hear that it feels like I'm singling you out. I'm looking at everyone's audits, and I'm bringing this to you directly because I'd rather talk than let it sit. I'm not questioning your skill." Then I return to the specifics and the question.
If Jordan names a workload cause, for example being given the heaviest assignments or having the new graduates' questions all night: "That's useful, and I want to look at it. Let's check the assignments from those shifts together." I will follow up by reviewing the assignment records, because a cause in the system should be fixed in the system.
If Jordan names a personal cause, such as a family illness or poor sleep: "Thank you for telling me. Let's talk about what would help, whether that's schedule changes or the employee assistance program." Personal information stays private and is not documented beyond what Jordan agrees to.
If Jordan says the documentation is wrong and the reassessments were done: "That's possible. If the reassessments are happening but not being charted, the chart still can't show the next nurse what happened. Let's figure out what's getting in the way of charting them."
Agreeing on Next Steps
The conversation ends with an agreement, not a lecture. "Here's what I'd suggest: for the next two weeks, set a reminder on your phone when you give a PRN opioid, and I'll look at the audits with you at the end of each week. If there's something in the assignments or the workflow causing this, tell me and I'll work on it too. Does that seem fair? What would you add?" I will write a brief summary of what we agreed, share it with Jordan, and schedule a follow-up meeting in two weeks.
What Happened, and What I Would Change
When the conversation took place, Jordan was quiet at first and then said that for the past month Jordan had been precepting a new graduate on every shift, in addition to a full assignment, because two experienced nurses had left. The preceptee asked for help constantly, and reassessments were the tasks that slipped when Jordan was pulled into another room. Jordan had not complained because precepting felt like an honor and a responsibility. That answer changed the next steps. The reminders still made sense, but the larger fix was mine: precepting assignments now come with a reduced patient load, and precepting is rotated among four nurses rather than falling on one.
Looking back, two things in my script would change. The opening named the audit before asking how Jordan was doing, which put Jordan on guard; asking first would have been kinder and probably quicker. And I had prepared responses for workload and personal causes but had not considered that the cause might be a role I had assigned. A manager's first hypothesis should include the manager's own decisions.
Why This Approach
Corrective feedback is most useful when it is timely, specific, private, and paired with support and a plan, and when the manager treats the conversation as the start of problem-solving rather than as a verdict (Marquis & Huston, 2021). A reliable nurse whose performance changes is more likely to need help than discipline. If the pattern continues after support and a clear plan, the next step is a formal performance improvement plan, and this conversation and its summary are the first documented step of that process. Starting with curiosity does not mean avoiding accountability; it means gathering the information needed to hold someone accountable fairly.
References
Kluger, A. N., & DeNisi, A. (1996). The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. Psychological Bulletin, 119(2), 254-284. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.2.254
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2021). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (10th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Weitzel, S. R. (2000). Feedback that works: How to build and deliver your message. Center for Creative Leadership.
Reading the NSG 321 Unit 3 instructions
Unit 3 asks you to plan a performance feedback conversation with a staff member. Expect to describe the context, explain the principles guiding the conversation, write a script, anticipate responses, agree on next steps and reflect on what happened or might happen. Many versions ask why to script actual words, how to give feedback about attitude and what to do if the explanation is reasonable. Check whether your section expects a real or composite situation. Describe behavior with data, not character. Invite the staff member's view before deciding on a plan. An explanation may change the plan; that is part of fair feedback. End with agreed, specific steps and a follow-up date.
How this NSG 321 Unit 3 example is built
The paper opens with the context: who is involved, the behavior noticed and how it was measured. The planning section states three principles with sources. The script is written in full, from opening to agreement, so the grader can judge the words. The responses section prepares replies to defensiveness, minimizing and an emotional reaction. The next steps section records what both parties agreed. The reflection section reports how the conversation went, including information that changed the plan. The final section explains why specific, private, timely feedback paired with support works better than general criticism. The script stays respectful throughout and focuses on reassessment data rather than the nurse's attitude.
NSG 321 Unit 3 rubric: what full points look like
Herzing's rubric for a feedback conversation usually covers the context, principles, the script, anticipated responses, next steps and reflection. The script carries the most weight, since graders want to see the actual words and whether they describe behavior with data. Principle points reward evidence on feedback. Response criteria look for prepared replies to likely reactions. Next steps earn credit when they are specific and agreed. Reflection points go to honest attention to what happened. Respectful tone is scored throughout. Writing a follow-up date into the agreement often earns the top band for next steps. Choosing a private, unhurried time for the conversation may also be credited under planning. Kluger and DeNisi's meta-analysis and Weitzel's review belong in the APA 7 list.
NSG 321 Unit 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Feedback conversations in Unit 3 often fall short by describing the plan in general terms instead of writing the words. Another frequent problem is feedback about attitude rather than behavior. Students often skip inviting the staff member's explanation. Data are missing, so the feedback sounds like opinion. Next steps are imposed. Follow-up is not scheduled. A reasonable explanation is ignored. Finally, show how the conversation could change the plan, because graders reward feedback that treats the staff member as a colleague with information the manager may not have. Another weak spot is a script that lectures for several turns before the nurse can speak. Feedback should come soon after the pattern is noticed, not months later at an annual review. Finally, document what was agreed, since a later conversation will need it.
Get a NSG 321 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 3 instructions and the rubric from your NSG 321 classroom, plus the performance situation your conversation addresses. We write a custom example scripted as dialogue, with observable expectations and the follow-up specified, returned in 24 to 48 hours. The first custom sample is free.
More NSG 321 papers and RN-to-BSN samples
- NSG 321 Unit 1: Delegation and supervision analysis
- NSG 321 Unit 2: Staffing and assignment plan
- NSG 321 Unit 4: Team communication redesign
- NSG 321 Unit 5: Resource justification memo
- NSG 321 Unit 6: Just culture event review
- NSG 321 Unit 7: Staff retention plan
- NSG 321 Unit 8: Management action plan
- NSG 323 Unit 3: Communicable disease investigation
- NSG 324 Unit 3: Point-of-care evidence search
- NU 305 Unit 3: Code of ethics applied to a situation
- NU 345 Unit 3: Genogram and family health history
NSG 321 Unit 3 questions, answered
Why script the actual words?
Because the words are where these conversations succeed or fail. A plan to address the issue professionally describes an intention; the sentence you would open with determines whether the person becomes defensive in the first ten seconds. The assignment asks for the conversation, and writing it forces you to confront how the specifics actually sound.
How do I give feedback about attitude?
You do not; you give feedback about behavior. Attitude is an inference from things you observed, and the observations are what can be discussed and changed. Name what happened, when, and what the effect was. If several instances point at a pattern, describe the pattern in behavioral terms rather than naming the disposition you suspect behind it.
What if their explanation is reasonable?
Plan for it, because it happens often. A staff member may have been covering for someone, may have raised the problem already, or may be dealing with something nobody asked about. Script what you would say if that is the answer, including how you would revise the expectation, because a manager who proceeds through a prepared conversation regardless loses the person entirely.
Where can I find a free NSG 321 Unit 3 sample paper?
This page shows the whole NSG 321 Unit 3 feedback script for free, with anticipated responses, agreed next steps and what happened. A script for a different performance issue can be written on request.
How do nurse managers give corrective feedback?
Describe the behavior with data, privately and soon, invite the nurse's explanation, then agree on specific next steps and a follow-up date. This sample scripts that for an experienced nurse whose pain reassessments slipped.