Appraisals versus career reviews for doctors

When a career is ailing in any way at all - taking action is the key.
Waiting and waiting and waiting - without action can easily lead to situations where the sparkle is so far back in time and the energy so depleted that even beginning any form of proactive career reevaluation feels terribly painful or scary or both. This is often when burnout sets in.

The key is to start proactive career planning as a student, to learn the key skills required for doing it well and to realise early on that it is YOU who is the driver of your career. Yes other people will require you to jump various hoops if your chosen plan requires that. Yes there are limitations as to which rotation or location you can get an NTN or consultant/ partnership - but it is still YOUR plan and no one elses.
You hold the career chariot reigns. You make the decisions

The big challenges are
- the goal posts keep changing
- the workload keeps increasing
- unacceptable working styles and practices are evident

So how on earth to navigate this and if you are well enmeshed with a mortgage and responsibilities or already at the career points of GP or consultant or wherever you have aimed for.

The trick I believe is to do not just an annual career appraisal ( which is really for your position and effectiveness within the organisation that pays your salary) but an annual career review. This is an altogether different animal to the appraisal.

Firstly - you don't have to do a review.
Secondly - it is an optional expense for keeping your career on track at all times ( and thereby avoiding drifting into situations from which it is hard to back paddle).
Thirdly - it is 100% entirely for YOUR benefit - and not for anyone else and is thus 100% private.

My view is that people often book holidays and buy new cars - yet find their work is destroying their very enjoyment of life.
What is the point of having a fab holiday only to be dreading the return to work.

So I think it must be a perception for many doctors that they can't do anything about their working lives. A view that I think is very wrong but it otherwise doesn't make sense to spend money on holidays when your working life is slowly killing if not you - then the passion which you once had for your career.

I should point out here that our career review programme comes with a guarantee - you can fill in the workbook listen to the audio and read the guide and if you feel you have joined the wrong thing for you - there is a full no questions asked refund.