Preparing for Semi-Annual Reviews: A Season for Reflection and Growth
Evaluation isn’t about judgement, its about alignment. The goal is to see where a learner stands, and more importantly, how we can help them move forward.
The Rhythm of the Season
Each fall and spring, graduate medical education programs enter one of their most important cycles: semi-annual reviews.
For many program leaders, this time of year brings familiar questions.
Have all evaluations been completed?
Are milestones up to date?
Have residents completed their self-reflection?
But beyond the checklists and dashboards, this season offers something more valuable. A structured opportunity for reflection, connection and growth.
Shifting from Compliance to Conversation
Too often, semi-annual reviews become a compliance exercise. The meeting happens, forms are signed, and the cycle repeats. But, the true development of this process is developmental.
It’s an opportunity to pause the pace of training and help learners step back from the daily grind. To ask not just “What did I do?” but “What have I learned?” and “How am I growing?”
Programs that reframe these reviews as reflective conversations rather than administrative tasks tend to see stronger engagement, clearer goal setting, and healthier learning environments.
Common Metrics That Get Missed
Even the most organized programs can overlook important indicators that shape a resident’s trajectory. As you prepare for reviews, consider whether your team is capturing these dimensions.
Professional Identity Formation: Beyond competency milestones, is the resident evolving in their understanding of who they are as a physician?
Wellbeing and Sustainability: How are they managing stress, fatigue, and balance? Are there early signs of burnout?
Feedback Integration: Do they reflect on feedback received and show evidence of adaptation?
Interpersonal and Systems Skills: How do they navigate teamwork, conflict, or systems-based challenges?
Scholarly or Leadership Growth: Are they identifying ways to contribute beyond clinical work- research, QI projects, teaching, mentorships?
The Power of Self-Reflection
Encouraging residents to complete a structured self-reflection before they review changes the conversation entirely.
When learners articulate their own growth, challenges, and goals, the tone shifts from evaluation to partnership.
Prompts to guide reflections can include:
What have been your biggest learning moments this cycle?
How have you responded to feedback- successfully or unsuccessfully?
Where do you feel you’ve grown most, and where do you still feel uncertain?
What supports or resources would help you in the next six months?
These reflections can reveal patterns no milestone report can capture.
Leading with Intention
As program leaders, our role during this season is to create a space where reflection is safe, honest, and purposeful.
Approach each review as a dialogue, not a performance evaluation.
Recognize growth as much as gaps.
Identify opportunities to align support with goals- mentorships, electives, or wellness resources.
Document next steps clearly, so the conversation translates into action.
Closing Reflection
Semi-annual reviews are more than a GME requirement; they’re moments to humanize the training process.
When done well, they remind residents that medicine is a profession built on lifelong learning, reflection, and growth.
So before you open the milestone dashboard or the next form, pause and ask:
How can this conversation help someone see their own progress more clearly?
That’s where the real impact begins.