Beyond the Checklist: Reframing the Yearly Evaluation

You know that feeling, right? That slow dread creeping in as the yearly evaluation looms? For many of us academic physicians, it feels like another chore, another box to tick on an endlessly long list. But what if I told you it could be something more? What if, instead of a hurdle, it could be a launchpad? A moment to truly see yourself, your growth, and the path ahead?

I’ve been there, trust me. Staring at my calendar, wondering where the last 365 days went. So much of my work as a clinician educator blurs into a constant stream of tasks, meetings, and teaching moments. But within that blur are stories, moments of impact, and quiet triumphs. And the yearly evaluation? It’s a chance to gather those fragments and piece together the mosaic of the year.

Let’s start with your promotion criteria:

It can feel like a distant, almost mythical land, especially when you’re just trying to make it through the week. But here’s a secret: knowing the landscape is vital even if promotion feels light years away. For clinician educators, it often boils down to excellence in service or teaching, and competence in the other.

When reviewing your institution’s promotion criteria, note which ones you’re already doing. Be overly generous; this is not the time for humility. Did one of your former fellows start using the communication curriculum you wrote as a new faculty member at their institution? That means you’ve “disseminated (a) program beyond (the) institution to affect the field” (one of my institution’s promotion criteria for associate professor).

Once you’ve (generously) noted the items you’re already doing, identify the ones you would be interested in taking on during the upcoming year. Want to write a textbook? Cool. Now, you have a goal for the upcoming year that will get you closer to promotion, and you can use the time with your division director to brainstorm how you can turn that goal into a reality.

Then there’s documenting your accomplishments:

Oh, the joy of digging through calendars and emails, trying to remember where all those hours went. I used to dread it until I realized it was a chance to revisit those moments and view my year with a perspective not available to me when I was moving through it. Instead of viewing it as tedious, I now find a day to block out a couple of hours – usually in the afternoon, when my creative energy is waning – to dive in and embrace the monotony. It’s not glamorous, but it’s necessary. And sometimes, it’s surprisingly rewarding.

And the CV? Three hundred sixty-four days a year, mine is a slap/dash cut-and-paste job. I’m pretty good at keeping it up to date as I go, but I do so with no attention to font, punctuation, or grammar. While preparing for my evaluation, when I’m going through my accomplishments with a fine-toothed comb and embracing monotonous tasks anyway, I take the extra few seconds to standardize everything among the old and new bullet points. The version of the CV I polish before my yearly evaluation then gets sent out whenever somebody needs my CV for the upcoming year.

But perhaps the most critical part is reflection:

What were your goals last year? Did you reach them? Did they even matter anymore? Life shifts, priorities change, and sometimes, our goals need to shift too. And that’s okay. It’s more than okay; it’s human. It’s about being honest with yourself and acknowledging your successes and struggles. When you identify your accomplishments, you must be brave and toot your own horn a little. If you don’t, you’re devaluing your work and setting your division head up for failure to do it on your behalf when opportunities that align with your goals come up.

And don’t forget feedback:

Getting caught up in your head is easy, but reaching out to colleagues, mentors, and trainees can offer a fresh perspective. Keep a running list of all the people who could give you feedback or write letters of recommendation. If you don’t have an acute need for feedback or letters of recommendation, use your preparation for your yearly evaluation as an opportunity to reach out to the people on your running list. A quick “How are you? What are you working on?” or “Thinking of you! Where could we collaborate?” email may yield surprising results.

Finally, the self-assessment:

This is where you get to tell your story. Be honest, be reflective, and use specific examples. Quantify your achievements when you can, but don’t forget the qualitative aspects. The student who finally understood a complex concept, the patient who thanked you for your care, the team that came together to solve a problem – these are the moments that matter.

Preparing for your yearly evaluation is more than just paperwork. It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and celebrate your path (no matter how bumpy it’s been). It’s a moment to see the threads of your work weaving together into a beautiful, complex tapestry. It’s also a chance to set new goals, to dream bigger, and to keep growing. So, embrace it. This isn’t just another evaluation; it’s your chance to control the narrative of your career.