Mid Term Assesment- Trainers
Please also see the Mid-term Assessment page in the trainees section of this website.
The Mid Term Assesment, or External Training Review as it was previously known is a system of structured review, mainly of the process of training, with external input from within the VTS. The overall aims of the process are as below:
1. A chance for structured review by Trainer/ee
- To look at the training relationships (primarily trainer/ee).
- Check effective use of the training year.
- A chance to look at attitudinal issues.
- Practical advice/reassurance for new trainers
2. To obtain the view of an external trainer
- Provision of confidential time/sounding board (for Trainer and GPStR)
- with external person.
- Safety net to ensure equity for GPStR relative to others.
- Benchmarking/confirmation of expected progress.
- External Moderation of WPBA marking
- Early warning system for potential failure
3. To facilitate trainer development (both for visitor and visitee).
Timetable
The MTA should take place in January for August starters, and 6 months into training for other starts. However, preparation should begin well in advance of the review date.
October: Course Organisers produce and e-mail list of those to visit/be visited.
November: Visiting Trainer contacts visitees and arranges date for end Jan (approx).
Early Jan; Visitees to e-mail pre-visit Reports to visiting trainer, having first shared them with each other.
Mid January: Visiting trainer to make contact by phone with both trainer and GPStR to be visited. Check main aims/hopes for visit and any particular issues not obvious form the written Report.
End Jan: Visit.
Framework for visit
- Pre-Visit reports from trainer and registrar should have been seen by Visiting Trainer in advance of visit
- Visiting Trainer and Visited Trainer should routinely speak on phone in advance of visit whether there are concerns or not.
- Confidential time for Visitor / Trainer
- Confidential time for Visitor / GPStR
- Learning Activities Review Visitor / GPStR (including review of ePortfolio and recent nodal review + all practice based activities)
- Visitor / Trainer / GPStR review of registrar consultation video*
- Visitor / Trainer / GPStR review of tutorial video*
- Shared Summary / Feedback / Future Plans
- End of Visit
- Report of Visit from Visiting Trainer emailed to both Visited Trainer and GPStR
- Visitees add their comments and return to Visiting Trainer and VTS
- Visitees complete feedback form for Visiting Trainer and return to them for their own records / appraisal folder
* one of these may be omitted depending on time constraints and the educational needs of the trainee and the trainer
Advance Paperwork
Trainer Report
To be sent in advance to the visiting trainer along with a copy of the 30 month nodal review including trainer and registrar grading sheet and overall grades with any additional comments.
What are your registrar's overall strengths? (including knowledge, skills, attitudes, teamworking)
What are your registrar's main areas for development or areas of concern? (including knowledge, skills, attitudes, teamworking)
Is there a particular focus you would like this assessment to have:-
for the registrar?
for you?
Do you have any concerns that this registrar might not complete nMRCGP by the end of their normal training period?
Are there any aspects of your relationship with your registrar which are impeding learning?
Registrar Report
To be sent in advance to the visiting trainer.
What are your overall strengths? (including knowledge, skills, attitudes, teamworking)
What are your main areas for development? (including knowledge, skills, attitudes, teamworking)
Is there a particular focus you would like this assessment to have:-
for you?
for your trainer?
Do you have any concerns that you might not complete nMRCGP by the end of your normal training period?
Are there any aspects of your relationship with your trainer which are impeding learning?
Are there any aspects of your training practice which are impeding your learning?
Are there any things which you would like to do for your training which you have not managed to arrange?
Is there anything else you would like to discuss about your vocational training scheme?
The MTA interview itself
Learning activities Review (trainee and trainer both present)
- Check Out of Hours sessions and ePortfolio log - One per month
- Is eportfolio up to expectation?
- CPR up to date
- AKT progress
- CSA progress
- Tutorials - appropriate to length of stay? Content and time
- Consultation timings
- Review of 30 month (or most recent) nodal review
- Reading list
Confidential Time for the Registrar
Rules of confidentiality should be the same as for patients. Discussion is confidential and this can only be breeched with consent or discussion as to why confidentiality needs to be breeched. Ideally Visiting Trainer should act as a broker to keep issues in house.
Any issues can be discussed but suggested headings are:
- Concerns
- Relationships
- Benchmarking - Is this registrar at the stage they should be at? Are they at expected level in the ePortfolio?
- Trainer Development
- Equity - adequate but fair input by registrar into practice
- nMRCGP - Are they on course?
- Checking - Chance for registrar to get the view of an outsider and see if it tallies with what their trainer and practice are saying
- Attributes and insights
- Practice issues - are there any concerns about support from colleagues / time set aside for them for training / the practice as a learning environment?
Confidential Time for the Trainer
The same principles (including confidentiality) and headings should be used as for the trainee. In addition a disucssion regarding the trainer's strengths and weaknesses as an educator will be helpful.
Consultation Video Review
The video should first be marked against the Consultation Observation Tool (COT) and then a more general discussion should take place where the headings might be:
- stage of development as a GP - assess
- is the registrar on course
- stage of consultation skills development
- to separate the summative use as the consultation observation tool (COT) from the formative, suggest tick the boxes first, discuss any problems and then use the session formatively
- attitudes
Tutorial Video Review
Visited Trainer should specify how they would like this used or whether there is a specific area they want to look at or question they would like answered. A 10-15 minute vignette of a tutorial should be observed and then discussion should follow. Discussion may focus on issues raised in the reports or the confidential time.
Possible tools for tutorial analysis:
Post Visit Paperwork
Feedback form for mid-term evaluation of training
To be filled in by both trainee and visited trainer independantly.
Date of visit
What did you hope would be achieved by this visit?
What was achieved?
Any particularly valuable insights gained?
What methods did you find particularly helpful/unhelpful? (e.g. preparatory work, tutorial analysis, discussion, written feedback etc)
What could have made it better?
Thank you. Please return to _____________________ (Visiting Trainer)
Report of External Training Review
To be completed by the visiting trainer and shared with both the trainee and trainer. Comments should be invited and any mutually agreed adjustments made before a copy is sent to the programme directors and attached to the eportfolio as a "professional conversation" supporting document.
Trainee-
Trainer-
Visiting Trainer-
Date of External Training Review-
Training Relationships
Please comment on the following areas:
Trainer / Trainee
Trainee / Primary Health Care Team
Trainee / Patients
Trainee Progress
Please give details of:
Trainee's Current Learning Activities
Trainee's Roles and Responsibilities within the practice (including surgery timetable, consultation length, other activities)
Trainee's Progress towards nMRCGP (is satisfactory progress being made and is trainee on track to pass?)
Are there any areas of concern?
What future plans have the trainee and trainer made as a result of this review?
Training practice as a learning enviroment
What is working well?
Are there any areas for improvement?
- SDL / Prep for final reviews / CVs / Job apps
- Is progress to certification satisfactory?