How to prepare for your appraisal as a locum doctor

How to prepare for an appraisal as a locum doctor

The GMC expects you to collect, reflect on and discuss supporting information generated from your whole UK practice. There are essentially six types of information you need to collect for discussion at your annual appraisal. They are:

• Continuing professional development (CPD). This encompasses all learning and experience beyond your undergraduate education or postgraduate training that enhances your performance as a locum doctor. CPD activities include any formal teaching organised by your department or hospital, informal teaching in a setting such as a ward or operating theatre, attending conferences and relevant courses. To efficiently record your learning and experiences as the year progresses, you may want to explore the numerous online tools and apps available, such as GP Tools or the FourteenFish Appraisal Toolkit.

• Quality improvements. Make sure you take part in a range of practice quality improvement activities throughout the year. For example, you could participate in a national practice audit in your area, a case review or discussion. A review of your performance against benchmarks such as mortality or complication statistics would be highly relevant, as would a clinical audit or quality improvement project that measures the care you have been helping to deliver.

• Significant events. Always discuss and reflect on any significant events and your insights gained during the year.

• Feedback from patients. This isn’t needed for each yearly appraisal: just once during each revalidation cycle. Always use standard, validated questionnaires that are independently administered as this will help you to maintain objectivity and anonymity.

• Feedback from colleagues. Although this process is only needed once in every revalidation cycle, it’s straightforward to organise with colleagues and many locums do it more frequently. It can provide strong evidence of compliance and good practice. Feedback from your colleagues must cover the whole of your practice and where possible should be anonymous. Your designated body is likely to have systems and processes in place so you can gather feedback using standard questionnaires that have been validated and are independently administered.

• Compliments and complaints. You must declare and reflect on all formal complaints made about you at your annual appraisal. You should also reflect upon any complaints you receive that are not formal complaints, but you do not have to discuss every complaint at your appraisal. You should select those that evidence how you have developed your practice. Collecting, discussing and reflecting on compliments gives you the opportunity to affirm areas of strength in your practice and your positive impact on patient care.

When preparing for your appraisal, make note of your personal objectives – a set of realistic aims as a locum doctor. Create a personal development plan and think about what you can achieve in the coming year. Always ask your agency exactly what the appraisal process entails and how they can support you. And don’t forget to budget for the cost of an appraisal – you’ll need a trained appraiser to carry out your appraisal, which usually costs between £400 to £500.