APPRAISEE - DURING YOUR APPRAISAL INTERVIEW

Having completed all the pre-appraisal activities outlined in the 'before' section of this guide you are now ready to participate in your annual appraisal interview.

Your Trust should have ensured that 'protected time' has been set aside for both yourself and your Appraiser to meet together in a suitable venue, away from clinical and administrative interruptions, for an agreed length of time (at least an hour).

Now you are ready to begin. Your appraiser should already be aware that YOU should do most of the talking. You will have an Agenda and a set of questions that you have already agreed with your appraiser to guide you both through the interview.

You should think of the interview in three stages: review, identification, agreement.

Review your last twelve months of professional practice. Do so by:

• outlining aspect of your job that have gone well in the past year
  
• explaining areas you feel need to be improved
  
• being clear and concise, focussing on explicit examples that are supported by the documented evidence in your Appraisal Folder
  
• being open to any questioning or constructive criticism taking an illustrative rather than defensive manner
  
• being honest and realistic about your communication skills and not focussing on personal characteristics of others
  
• focusing on the prepared documentation. Don't introduce new information or evidence that the appraiser has not seen earlier.

Identify any gaps that would affect your personal and professional development and future revalidation, such as:

• resources required to improve personal and/or professional effectiveness
  
• continuing professional development required - think about both existing and new skills
  
• Service demands and their effect on past and future development plans

Agree, through 'joint negotiation' with your appraiser, your professional development objectives and your action plan for the next 12 months. These will form the basis of your professional development plan.

As these objectives will provide the starting point for next year's appraisal and contribute to your personal development plan, we recommend that any objectives agreed with your appraiser should follow the SMART rule:

• Specific,
  
• Measurable
  
• Achievable
  
• Realistic
  
• Timely

Form 4 summarises your appraisal, and must be agreed with your appraiser and signed by both of you at the end of your appraisal interview. It reflects your agreed action and personal development plan for the next 12 months. Form 5 and Form 6 are not compulsory but, if used, these will provide a fuller account of the appraisal and will be of use during your next appraisal. They may also assist your Trust to formulate the Organisational Development Plan.

The final point in the appraisal interview is to ensure that both parties have signed the appraisal documentation. These forms are an important part of your revalidation with the GMC and are required by your Trust.