Review: update on performance assessment and monitoring systems for ophthalmologists

Performance assessment and monitoring systems are the process by which ophthalmologists demonstrate they are fit to continue practicing.Revalidation is the process by which licensed doctors are legally required to demonstrate to medical regulators that they are up to date and fit to practice in order to maintain their medical license,and began in the United Kingdom(UK)in 2012 following well-publicized events.Recertification is a different process which began in North America and demonstrates doctors have maintained competence,without involvement of external stakeholders.Arguments for and against the concept of performance assessment are reviewed.Stakeholders in performance assessment,whether part of the process or not,are doctors themselves,peers and other health care providers,patients,hospitals and health systems,medical regulators,and health policy makers.Early models of performance assessment included portfolios,credit accumulation,and closed-book examinations.Models are in evolution with the value of formative rather than summative assessments,and the need for methods of assessing procedural competency increasingly recognized.Emerging methods of performance assessment of practicing ophthalmologists include use of performance indicators,simulation,and workplace-based assessments.Alternate methods of assuring the public by improved detection of outliers are discussed.Despite weak evidence supporting performance assessments in demonstrating continuing competency to practice,the process is gradually being accepted worldwide.Further research into optimum methods of performance assessment and monitoring processes is required,along with cost-benefit analysis.

Evidencing Personal &Professional Development, Perspective of a Surgical Trainee

Introduction: The author strongly believes that there is a continuous need for personal and professional development in order to keep and improve an individual career path way. It is also imperative to provide evidence of these acquired skills and attributes. According to General medical council, it is a responsibility of every doctor to be competent and up to date. This should be achieved by regularly taking part in activities that maintain and further develop competence and performance. This in turn ensures safety and care to patients [1]. Methodology: The author has had excellent opportunities in his career to participate in diverse personal and professional development programmes. It was important to participate in these programmes to achieve career progression. He would like to share three recent activities from his curriculum vitae which resulted in his significant personal and professional development. The author also had his revalidation last year and found to be fit to practice for next 5 years till next revalidation. The author followed an agreed action plan with his supervisor to accomplish this work. Realistic goals and time frame was set with the help of supervisor. Subsequently, the author had a chance to critically analyse below mentioned three different activities, in order to explore all the achieved learning themes behind these events. The author was fortunate enough to be involved into three different personal and professional development programmes. Firstly, he managed a regional colorectal conference and attained an excellent management experience from that conference. He learnt a lot about better time management. He came to know about different management theories and models and is now able to use these theories for his future management responsibilities. Then he had a communication challenge and difficulty in theatre. He was able to resolve that issue with his strong communication skills. He developed his communication skills and assertiveness with the help of this first-hand experience and different communication models. Lastly, the author had a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate and develop his leadership and team working skills in an International Conference. He realized that leader needs to be a role model for his team and should be leaded by his example. He observed and demonstrated different roles of a leader according to needs of his team. He also learnt about different leadership theories and models. He also acquired a good understanding of a team development. Conclusion: It is extremely important for every health care individual to have personal and professional development. The author recommends that lessons learnt from the author’s experience and results can be applied in a broad generalised way to achieve development. It is crucial for us to keep a structured record of this development and provide evidence of the improvement. In short, it was an extremely useful exercise for the author that resulted in significant lifelong development in his management, communication and leadership attributes.