Critique the Work, Not the Person

Daybook January 5

Separating a learner’s work from their identity is difficult but essential. Ethical feedback protects learning and professional growth.

---

Giving feedback is one of the hardest parts of teaching.
Especially in nursing education, words carry weight.

When feedback is unclear or public,
learners may hear: “You are not good enough,”
even when we mean: “This work needs improvement.”

Great educators work to separate the two.

They speak about the task—
its accuracy, its process, its next step—
while protecting the learner’s dignity.

That separation is not kindness alone.
It is professional responsibility.

---

One Line for Nurses and Student Nurses Today:
Feedback should sharpen skills, not wound identities.