Personal development plans

A personal development plan is a tool to:

• list your areas for development
• list what learning activities you are going to undertake to achieve this development
• state how the development links in with your individual needs, as well as those of your patients/clients and organisation
• indicate the evidence that will show achievement of the learning in your plan.

The intended learning outcomes within the plan should fulfil SMARRT criteria, ie: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Resources and Time bound.

If you are employed, you should create a personal development plan in collaboration with your manager, as part of your normal appraisal and development review processes.

If you are self employed, you should consider involving a trusted colleague to help you identify areas for development.

Most employers will already have personal development plans either as separate documents or as part of a development review or appraisal scheme. However, should you need to create one for yourself, the following headings should give you a good starting point:

• What learning and development needs do I have, short and long term?
• What objective / KSF dimension / business plan element do they link to?
• What learning activities will allow me to meet my learning needs?
• What evidence will I have to show I have succeeded in meeting these needs?
• By what date should I have finished my learning activities?
• What support do I need to undertake my learning and how will I access this?

A copy of your PDP should always be stored within your portfolio as evidence of your ability to plan and develop yourself for the future.

For more information on PDPs, refer to the key question on professional development planning and read CPD information paper 28 on personal development plans.