UK Medical Appraisals
Independent, GMC-Compliant Medical Appraisals for UK and International Doctors
Fast, supportive, and fully accredited — with no hidden fees and free REV12 completion if you don't have a Designated Body.
Your Appraisal will also include my expert help with your approach to exam SJTs
and to your Personal Statement for UK Job Applications, if you would like that.
1. What can I expect from a Medical Appraisal with UKMA?
You will receive expert guidance and support with your Appraisal preparation.
Your appraisal will include my expert help with your approach to exam Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs), using my R.A.P.I.D. model, and your approach to writing Personal Statements for UK job applications, using my Five Pillars of Excellent Medical Practice model, if you would like that.
Your appraisal will be a formal, but relaxed, friendly and supportive meeting, with one of the most experienced Medical Appraisers in the UK. It will be via video link and will last about 1 hour.
Your appraiser will create an environment in which you will feel able to ask questions about the appraisal process and about any concerns you have.
During the meeting, your Appraiser will facilitate discussions and your reflections on the supporting evidence you have provided for your Appraisal. These discussions and reflections will be used to formulate your Personal Development Plan for the subsequent 12 months [your Appraiser will guide you on this].
Following your Appraisal, your Appraiser will complete [finalise] the Appraisal form and complete all sections of the REV12 form. They will then email these completed documents to you, during the 48 hours following your Appraisal.
You then upload these to your online GMC account. Within 14 days, the GMC will then email your Appraiser, to ask them to confirm that they met with you for your Appraisal and that they completed the Appraisal forms. Your Appraiser will confirm this within a few hours and your Appraisal process will then be complete.
Contact UKMA for more information
Your appraisal will include my expert help with your approach to exam Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs), using my R.A.P.I.D. model, and your approach to writing Personal Statements for UK job applications, using my Five Pillars of Excellent Medical Practice model, if you would like that.
Your appraisal will be a formal, but relaxed, friendly and supportive meeting, with one of the most experienced Medical Appraisers in the UK. It will be via video link and will last about 1 hour.
Your appraiser will create an environment in which you will feel able to ask questions about the appraisal process and about any concerns you have.
During the meeting, your Appraiser will facilitate discussions and your reflections on the supporting evidence you have provided for your Appraisal. These discussions and reflections will be used to formulate your Personal Development Plan for the subsequent 12 months [your Appraiser will guide you on this].
Following your Appraisal, your Appraiser will complete [finalise] the Appraisal form and complete all sections of the REV12 form. They will then email these completed documents to you, during the 48 hours following your Appraisal.
You then upload these to your online GMC account. Within 14 days, the GMC will then email your Appraiser, to ask them to confirm that they met with you for your Appraisal and that they completed the Appraisal forms. Your Appraiser will confirm this within a few hours and your Appraisal process will then be complete.
Contact UKMA for more information
2. What is Revalidation?
Revalidation is the date that your GMC licence to practise renews. It occurs once every 5 years and it is generally set 5 years after: a] you first registered with the GMC, or b] you completed FY1 training, or c] you completed specialist training.
Contact UKMA for more information
Contact UKMA for more information
3. What is a Medical Appraisal?
UKMA provides the annual process of facilitated self-review, supported by information gathered from the full scope of your work. Your scope of practice is defined by all the types of Medical work you do, inside and or outside of the UK. Looking back over a 5 year Revalidation Cycle, the supporting information should have been gathered predominantly from UK practice. However, for any given 1 year appraisal period, this is not necessary.
There are 6 types of supporting information that are provided for appraisals and that should cover your scope[s] of practice.
1. Continuing professional development (CPD / CME) [try to aim for 50 hours each year - this can include UK-based and non-UK based activities]. The number of hours maybe less than 50, particularly if this is your first appraisal.
There are 6 types of supporting information that are provided for appraisals and that should cover your scope[s] of practice.
1. Continuing professional development (CPD / CME) [try to aim for 50 hours each year - this can include UK-based and non-UK based activities]. The number of hours maybe less than 50, particularly if this is your first appraisal.
2. Any Quality improvement activity [such as audit, case-based discussions, service improvement activities]. UKMA will provide you with templates for these.
3. Any Significant Events that you and or your team were involved in [A Significant Event is an event that did lead, or could have led, to harm].
4, Feedback from patients or those to whom you provide medical services. This needs to be collected at least once within each Revalidation Cycle, but it is not necessary to provide this for each appraisal].
5. Feedback from colleagues [Reference letters / letters of recommendation for each appraisal. These should cover each of your UK and any non-UK scope[s] of practice. Formal multi-source feedback from colleagues needs to be collected at least once within each Revalidation Cycle, but it is not necessary to provide this for each appraisal.
6. Any Compliments and complaints that you and or your team were involved in.
Contact UKMA for more information
Contact UKMA for more information
4. What is an Annual Return?
An Annual Return is the process by which doctors, who do not have a Designated Body, make a direct submission to the GMC. It comprises an Annual Appraisal [with an Appraisal form + a REV 12 form, completed by your Appraiser] + completion of certain documents on your GMC platform account, such as the REV11 form.
Please note, NHS England has discontinued the use of the MAG4 appraisal form, and it should no longer be used for appraisals. UKMA will provide you with an alternative, that is fully compliant with updated NHS England and GMC requirements.
Contact UKMA for more information
Please note, NHS England has discontinued the use of the MAG4 appraisal form, and it should no longer be used for appraisals. UKMA will provide you with an alternative, that is fully compliant with updated NHS England and GMC requirements.
Contact UKMA for more information
5. Does UKMA facilitate Appraisals for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) ?
The answer is yes, of course. We recognise the huge contribution that IMGs make to UK Medical Practice.
There are five common scenarios in which IMGs have an appraisal with the UK Medical Appraisals:
1. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, both within the UK and outside of the UK
2. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, outside of the UK, whilst they are actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
3. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, within the UK
4. The IMG is undertaking, or has recently undertaken, a Clinical Attachment / Observership in the UK, but is not in paid clinical work. However, they are actively applying for paid clinical work in the UK
5. The IMG has been on a career break / maternity leave and is actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
Contact UKMA for more information
There are five common scenarios in which IMGs have an appraisal with the UK Medical Appraisals:
1. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, both within the UK and outside of the UK
2. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, outside of the UK, whilst they are actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
3. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, within the UK
4. The IMG is undertaking, or has recently undertaken, a Clinical Attachment / Observership in the UK, but is not in paid clinical work. However, they are actively applying for paid clinical work in the UK
5. The IMG has been on a career break / maternity leave and is actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
Contact UKMA for more information
6. What Other Resources Does UKMA provide?
A certified course on Quality Improvement Activities for Doctors [3 CPD points] - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A comprehensive CPD Directory - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A Clinical Attachment Guide for IMGs, which includes a list of hospitals that provide Clinical Attachments - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Case Based Discussion Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Reference letter Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
Contact UKMA for more information
A comprehensive CPD Directory - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A Clinical Attachment Guide for IMGs, which includes a list of hospitals that provide Clinical Attachments - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Case Based Discussion Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Reference letter Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
Contact UKMA for more information
►Hot Topic of the Week
Monday 30th June 2025
Why an MIT-Trained Neurosurgeon Walked Away — And What All Doctors Can Learn
Monday 30th June 2025
Why an MIT-Trained Neurosurgeon Walked Away — And What All Doctors Can Learn
What would it take for someone who trained at MIT and became a successful neurosurgeon to give it all up — salary, status, and scientific prestige — to live alone in the mountains?
In a deeply personal video that has now reached over 16 million views on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25LUF8GmbFU] a man known as Goobie shares his story of leaving medicine behind. For doctors everywhere, his story offers sobering insight into burnout, moral conflict, and the search for authenticity.
The Dream That Didn’t Work
Goobie’s path began with brilliance and ambition. After studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he pursued cutting-edge brain–machine interface research. He imagined a future where paralysed patients could control robotic limbs via implanted electrodes.
But after years of research, he came to a painful realisation: the brain forms scar tissue around these implants, making the technology non-functional. The dream was beautiful — but biologically flawed.
“We were solving the wrong problem… I had to admit it wouldn’t work.”
The Surgeon Who Couldn’t Heal
He retrained as a spinal neurosurgeon, performing minimally invasive procedures and advanced neurostimulation surgeries. Technically, he was at the top of his field.
But the results often didn’t match the skill.
Some patients recovered before surgery.
Some never improved.
Others worsened despite “successful” procedures.
“I was changing drywall without fixing the leaky roof.”
Discovering What Really Worked
What did help patients? Surprisingly, it wasn’t the surgery. It was the lifestyle changes:
Plant-based diets
Regular movement
Improved sleep
Stress reduction
Social support
Patients who embraced these changes often recovered — sometimes completely — without surgery at all.
Yet, this kind of healing isn’t profitable.
“If I helped people avoid surgery, the hospital lost money. I lost money.”
The Burnout, ethical dilemma and moral injury
Faced with this, Goobie’s health began to suffer. He gained weight, became irritable, and felt trapped in a system that rewarded procedures over real healing.
“I knew I couldn’t keep doing this. I’d die inside.”
Eventually, with his wife’s support, he made a bold decision: he left. No backup plan. No next job. Just space to heal.
What He Found in the Mountains
Now living remotely with his wife and dog “Doobie,” Goobie focuses on:
Sleep
Nature
Mindfulness
Meaning
He makes videos not for attention, but to process his own recovery — and to reach others silently struggling in systems not built for healing.
Why This Matters to All Doctors
As someone who provides independent medical appraisals, I find this story especially powerful. It invites us all to ask:
Are we practising in a way that aligns with our values?
Do we feel fulfilled — or just compliant?
Are we building sustainable careers, or just surviving?
Final Thought
Goobie’s story is not about quitting. It’s about reclaiming purpose. And for doctors undergoing appraisal or reflecting on their work, his experience can be a launchpad for honest, transformative insight.
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