Introduction to appraisal

You can access the Appraisal tutorial for just £12.00.

"Ask not what your trainee can do for you, ask what you can do for your trainee"

The Calman programme

The Calman programme for postgraduate medicine was introduced to provide more structured and targeted training system. It intended to provide a better deal for doctors in training, improve accountability and, therefore, enhance public trust. A more targeted training approach and a reduction in working hours to meet the European Working Time Directive has resulted in shorter training times and have brought new pressures for both trainers, trainees and newly qualified consultants. More specialists are being suspended and dismissed in the first two years after appointment than ever before. This provides a financial cost to the NHS in excess of £20 million per annum. The new challenge for postgraduate education is to provide this targeted/structured training with regular assessments to ensure homogenous standards and goals and not to compromise quality despite these new challenges in training. It has never been more important for trainees and their trainers to be fully aware of the levels of competence that they are expected to achieve and how to do so within the training period to develop safe independent practice.

Appraisal assists learning

It is naturally tempting to think that assessment is the key to ensuring that standards are achieved but, in truth, clinical competency can only be attained through effective postgraduate training programmes. This tutorial allows you to explore the crucial role that appraisal plays in efficient adult learning.

Last updated:12/01/12 (author replaced the questions in Preliminary assessment 1)

20/01/11 (tutorial was revised and updated)