Having a system for capturing all that learning you do automatically on the job is going to pay dividends down the line, staving off all that usual pre-appraisal free-floating angst. I desperately needed this to boost my recording of CPD credits. But now, unexpectedly, it’s become more than just making my appraisal easier. It has changed the way I work.
“For some it may be paper-based, but the world is turning and many have been won over by IT solutions.”
Nowadays, rather than my appraisal learning being something stagnant I tuck away and dust off once a year, my learning record is a living, breathing entity which I carry with me via cloud-based document storage. It has become something of a second brain that I constantly refer to, amend and use in consultations. And everytime I use it, I can easily record my activity and add up those CPD points. Except now I don’t think of this as appraisal work – it’s just what I do. And I enjoy it!
Make designing your own learning system a priority.
- Make it a PDP project for your appraisal.
- Convince your appraiser (and yourself!) that you are looking for a system that fits your life as a locum working in many locations. No desktops for you – you need a portable, searchable system where you can collect, organise and quickly retrieve your learning for your appraisal – and more importantly, if you want to access your new clinical knowledge to help you out during a consultation.