Performance Development Plans for the Radiation Therapist: A Literature Review

Introduction: At many radiotherapy departments around the world, radiation therapists (RTs) undergo performance appraisals annually. Performance appraisals can be confronting and involve complex issues such as feedback, delivering constructive criticism, and positive reinforcement. The focus of this research article was to identify some strengths and weaknesses of general performance appraisal processes and to determine how this process can be streamlined using positive psychology and strength-based development to form a performance management strategy for RTs.

Methods: Database searches were conducted through ScienceDirect and PubMed for journal articles via the Queensland University of Technology Library website. General article searches were conducted through the online search engine Google. Books were accessed through the University of Southern Queensland Library and Google Scholar. Exclusion criteria included only viewing journal articles with full-text available. Key words searched included positive psychology, strength-based development, performance appraisals, 360° appraisals, and performance management.

Results/discussion: The total number of journal articles accessed was 61. Because of exclusion criteria, there were 33 articles deemed appropriate to be used. Ultimately, 13 journal articles were referenced among the other sources accessed. Findings included that 360° appraisals generally have a conflicted user base. Findings also included discovering that positive psychology and strength-based development have numerous positive benefits. It was also well documented that performance appraisals should be used as part of an overall performance management strategy for staff. It was also noted that there are many commercially available solutions for performance appraisals.

Conclusions: The literature review identified that 360° appraisals could be integrated into a performance management structure in radiation therapy departments worldwide. Performance management can further be enhanced with the inclusion of positive psychology and strength-based development, which can create a meaningful process that benefits the individual, the team, and the organization. The choice of a new performance management structure is a challenging process but should be pivotal in developing more effective RTs.