ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors focus on how appraisal can help our personal and professional development. They consider how appraisals can be performed and look at the documentation that might be used. The authors suggest that appraisal is the natural progression beyond the Personal Development Plan. This assertion is partly based on evidence from the medical community, where there is an explicit tie-in between the certain processes. In the medical community, where NHS appraisal of general medical practitioners and hospital consultants became compulsory in 2002, the process has been led by the profession and has kept its focus on educational development. Appraisals can be conducted either as individual interviews or as group activities, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Appraisals are a valuable opportunity for discussing personal goals or evaluations that may be difficult to consider in other settings because of their sensitive nature.
