Transcript of interview

Dr Niall Cameron: It’s very good of you taking the time to come in this afternoon so I am very grateful for that, and we were keen to talk to you because obviously you’ve just very recently completed the New Appraiser Training course. So first of all, I was keen to ask you, what were your motivations for applying and attending the course?

 

Dr Swapna Gambhir: Ok, so it was mainly to support my colleagues in order to maintain good quality of care and to improve their practice, to reflect on their practice, and also to ensure that their practice is keeping in line with the GMC’s good medical practice.

 

But one of the important motivations was an extension of my current roles. So over the past five years I have been working as College Tutor for the Royal College of Anaesthetists and I have been involved in supporting and appraising trainees through their training, and this is kind of an extension of that role and would allow me to extend the support in the appraisal process into their future as consultants.

 

Dr Ian Arnott: I was motivated by a very widely divergent experience of appraisals in recent years.  A couple of years ago I had a really positive experience in appraisal that had led to very useful changes to my work plan, and was a very positive experience. Subsequently I had a further appraisal that really did not address the issues of the day as it were, and I was motivated to become an Appraiser because I thought I could deliver the former rather than the latter.

 

Niall: And obviously you’ve recently completed the New Appraiser Training Course.  I am also interested in your reflections on the course, the style and content of the course.

 

Swapna: The course was very good and very helpful, it encourages you to focus on the skill set that is required of an appraiser and to think about the techniques which will help you to support your colleagues, so yes, definitely.

 

Ian: Yeah, that’s an interesting question. I was maybe a little sceptical when I arrived at the course on the first day.  But I actually came away with a very positive feeling, particularly in the attitude towards appraisal, and what appraisal can deliver for doctors in Scotland if it’s done properly.

 

Niall: And were there any particular aspects of the course that you particularly enjoyed or that you found challenging?

 

Swapna: Yes, surprisingly and ironically the thing that I found to be most helpful was the thing I was most worried about before I came on the course. I was told by a few of my colleagues, and when I looked at the pre-course material, it mentioned that there is a lot of role play and videoing, and I was a bit concerned about that because I felt it was a bit artificial, and being under the spotlight doesn’t allow your natural behaviour to flourish. But at the end of the course, I thought that was the best part; it enabled me to go from a starting point of ‘I hope to be an Appraiser’ to an end point of ‘I believe I can be an Appraiser’. So really, that was the best part.

 

Ian: Well, I think I particularly valued the small group working. And really for the reason it gave me the opportunity to discuss maybe the more difficult issues, the more difficult issues that might come up during an appraisal with not only your peers, but with a tutor in as far as someone who’s more experienced in appraisal, so I think those were valuable sessions.

 

Niall: I am interested that some are put off by the idea of small group work and the roleplaying, but you didn’t find that?

 

Ian: I think people often do have a sort of negative attitude to roleplaying, but actually it’s done in a very constructive manner. It’s very supportive, and there’s lots of discussion and interaction around that that’s very valuable, so it’s not just the value of the roleplay but also the discussion and the interaction around it.

 

Niall: And how did you feel working with colleagues from other specialties?

 

Swapna: I thought it was really helpful. I thought it was helpful on the day because I met I think about 2 or 3 people from my own specialty and everybody else was a specialty other than mine, and that was really good because it gave me a different perspective on practices, on approach to appraisals, on how their job plan is structured, objectives and personal developments.  So it was a good way to broaden my horizons on the day, but going forward as well, I think this could be a great positive to be an Appraiser from another speciality both from the Appraiser and Appraisee point of view. As an Appraiser, I get to learn and support them in an unbiased way, a clean sheet, and for an Appraisee to have an appraisal with an Appraiser who doesn’t have preconceived notions about the job or who doesn’t have a background, I think it can be a very enriching experience.

 

Ian: Yeah, I liked that, I thought that it gave you a broader appreciation of what other people do around Secondary Care from my point of view - and I thought it illustrated very nicely the challenges that we were under on a day-to-day basis were actually common to every other specialty that I came across during the course.

 

Niall:  And as you embark on your role of Appraiser, have you thought about any particular support that you might need going forward?

 

Swapna: Yeah, so you know obviously with any new role it’s a steep learning curve, so I’m expecting the first few appraisals to be a decent amount of preparation for me, and I’m looking forward to it because that’s the way I’m going to improve in my role.

 

I’m quite lucky in that I have a couple of colleagues in my department who have been Appraisers for a long time and are very experienced and have offered their support. The local Appraisal Lead is helpful, approachable and accessible. I think what could help perhaps is that we have a system where we have a mentor or a buddy, where there is somebody to approach if you run into trouble or if you have a challenging situation.

 

Ian: I think it would be useful to discuss appraisals with a peer, obviously in a confidential fashion, once I’ve maybe done 5 or 6 or 10, and to use that opportunity to reflect on the appraisal experience and how it could be, how things may have been done better, things I maybe would change in future.

 

Niall: Ok, thank you very much for coming in and taking the time to do that, very appreciated!

 

Swapna: My pleasure, thanks.