NURSING MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ON
ANECDOTAL RECORD FOR STAFF
NURSES
ANECDOTAL RECORDS
INTRODUCTION:
Observing students is a main strategy for evaluating performance in clinical practice, simulation,
and learning laboratories.
- (Oermann and Gaberson, 2010)
An anecdote is an account of an event in a student day. The record of this event can be detailed
or brief. These short reports describe, in a factual way, the incident, its context, and what was
said or done by the participant. In most cases, anecdotes focus on very simple, everyday
interactions among children, children and adults as well as children and materials in the
environment.
Ideally, the anecdotal record should be recorded as it unfolds or immediately after. However,
anecdotal records usually have to be written later at the end of the day. Keeping brief notes on
index cards or sticky notes carried in your pockets can be helpful. Jotting one-word reminders or
short phrases on the cards about the event can provide a set of reminders when the anecdote is
written.
Teachers may not remember the observations made of each student for each clinical activity.
Anecdotal notes are helpful in remembering what they observed and the context in which the
performance occurred.
The elements of effective anecdotal notes are presented below.
Anecdotal notes should be recorded as close to the time of the observation as possible.
Anecdotal notes should be shared with students as frequently as possible; otherwise they are not
effective for feedback.
Anecdotal observation are directly observed occurrences that are clearly and concisely written in
a nonjudgmental manner in the past tense. A journalist approach is used when writing anecdotal
records. This is a factual account of a single incident answering the who, what, where, when and
how of the incident. It is up to the observer to determine if the when and where are relevant to
the factual record of the incident. A well-written anecdotal observation will provide the reader
with a clear picture of what exactly transpired much like a video recording the reader will be able
to “see” and “hear” exactly what was said and done. There is NO interpretation or subjective
words used within an anecdotal observation. An anecdotal record may be of an incident that
lasted a few seconds to several minutes.
DEFINITION:
An observational method used to summarize a single developmental incident after it occurs.
The summary records who, what, how, and sometimes when and/or where. This method
documents incidents involving individuals and/or groups.
OBJECTIVE OF THE RECORD
To observe and document the professional behavior, clinical skills, communication, and patient
care provided by the staff nurse during her/his shift.
WHEN WRITING AN ANECDOTE:
Observes the incident
Identify if the incident is valuable (developmentally significant), [or for purposes of this course
significant to Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) or other topics you are learning
about in this course.
Complete the process by writing it down after it has occurred.
The account is transcribed from memory; it preserves an important developmental moment and
provides a permanent record of a child’s growth and trends [or individual’s growth, behavior,
etc].
Anecdotal records are most reliable if jotted down as soon as possible after the event, when
things are still clear in your memory. [When you are a teacher on the floor this is not always
possible to use key words to help jog your memory later.]
Interpretation or developmental significance notation is written up separately from the
observation.
WELL WRITTEN ANECDOTAL RECORDS INCLUDE:
Give a brief description to build a visual image of the setting
Summarizes how the incident happened
Uses descriptive words to tell what was said (quotes)
Done in a factual and nonjudgmental manner (journalistic approach)
The use of direct quotes and descriptions of the child’s expressions and gestures are important
to include because they provide valuable information for review.
Describe what was said and observed in a nonjudgmental and non-interpretive manner.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ANECDOTAL RECORDS:
Simple reports of behavior'
Result of direct observation.
Accurate and specific
Gives context of student's behavior
Records typical or unusual behaviors
PURPOSE:
Anecdotes capture the richness and complexity of the moment as student interact with one
another and with materials.
These records of student behavior and learning accumulated over time enhance the teacher's
understanding of the individual student as patterns or profiles begin to emerge.
Behavior change can be tracked and documented, and placed in the student's portfolio resulting
in suggestions for future observations, curriculum planning and student or parent conferences.
HELPFUL REMINDERS!!
Observations should be ACCURATE, OBJECTIVE AND SPECIFIC.
Observers should not make ASSUMPTIONS or use SUBJECTIVE or AMBIGUOUS words.
Observations and anecdotes should be on a variety of children and activities. Try to avoid only
writing anecdotes about the "cute things children say."
Remember to ask yourself the following question when observing - "Am I writing things in
such a way that anyone viewing the same scene would write it in the exact same way," and
when they close their eyes would see the same scene in their mind's eye?”
EXAMPLES:
ANECDOTAL RECORD OF STAFF NURSE
Name of Staff Nurse: Nurse Kavitha
Designation: Staff Nurse
Department/Unit: Medical Ward
Date of Observation: Feb 23, 2025
Shift: Morning
OBJECTIVE OF THE RECORD
To observe and document the nursing care and professional behavior demonstrated by the staff
nurse during her routine duties.
ANECDOTAL OBSERVATION
At 10:15 AM, Nurse Kavitha was observed administering morning medications to a group of
patients. She followed proper hand hygiene, checked each patient's ID band, and confirmed
allergies before giving medications. When a patient expressed concern about a new tablet, she
paused to explain the purpose and possible side effects clearly. She reassured the patient and
waited until the patient was comfortable taking the medicine.
INTERPRETATION/COMMENTS
Nurse Anjali demonstrated good communication skills, patient education, and safe medication
practices. Her calm approach helped reduce the patient's anxiety, showing patient-centered care.
She followed proper protocols and maintained professionalism throughout.
CONCLUSION
The staff nurse showed competence, safety awareness, and empathy in her patient care. Her
performance reflected quality nursing standards.
REFERENCES
Berman, A., Snyder, S., & Frandsen, G. (2016). Kozier & Erb’s fundamentals of nursing:
Concepts, process, and practice (10th ed.). Pearson.
Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. M. (2021). Fundamentals of nursing (10th
ed.). Elsevier.
Taylor, C., Lynn, P., & Bartlett, J. L. (2018). Fundamentals of nursing: The art and science of
person-centered care (9th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
