I'm on , Top of the World....

Man, I have to admit I still love The Carpenters. Okay, sidetracked again. Just warning you, I'm going to "toot my own horn" for a change. I'll try not to be too obnoxious. I'm feeling pretty good. Here's why: I had my yearly evaluation and I got "exceeds expectations". Yep, that's right. I managed to attain one the most wanted but very rarely (if ever) achieved goals. I "exceed expectations". The director said that it is reserved for those nurses that are in the top 5% of the hospital staff with excellent clinical skill as well as interpersonal skills. Yes, I admit, I'm bragging here, but damn! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be classified as that. She said "achieving expectations is an A+, just so you know how your coworkers, patients and the physicians perceive you as a nurse. And I see your name on cards, emails and in phone calls from patients who love you, all the time". With that kind of evaluation, that would entitle me to the highest possible raise you can get, which I've been assured people very rarely get. But, wait, oh crap, the hospital isn't doing merit raises this year...for the next year, we will ALL get a .75% raise IF the hospital meets budget and patient satisfaction goals. Figures. I guess it makes it easier to give that "exceeds expectations" when there's no benefit from it, other than a little ego stroking. We'll see if I still attain that at my next yearly evaluation when the merit raises resume.