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Professional Development & SMART Nursing Goals

Nov 03 2023

Career Resources / Nursing Goals & Professional Development

As you move forward with your career, one of the most important things you can do is to establish professional development goals . Whether you’ve always dreamed of being a nurse or have chosen any other vocation, taking the time to define your vision of success, and determining what you need to get there is one of the smartest ways to assure that your aspirations will be more than a dream.

The sooner you start, the better, as more time gives you more options. Even if you decide to change course, identifying and documenting your original goals will make your shift to a new path easier.

In this article, we’ll cover:

What professional development looks like for nurses

Smart goals, how to set smart goals, align professional goals with personal goals.

Every career and profession evolves, and that is particularly true of nursing. As medical technology and knowledge expand and advance, methods of care and nursing practice have as well. To stay current and relevant, best practices and professional development goals for nurses have undergone significant change.

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Some common nursing goals include:

• Acquiring skills in advancing technology
• Fulfilling continuing education unit requirements (CEUs)
• Refining interpersonal skills
• Honing a specific skill set to an expert level
• Taking a management/leadership position
• Obtaining professional certifications

The more you focus on self-development during your nursing career,  the more money you could make . 

Nursing goals for improving communication

Nursing is a personal, hands-on career, and it is important that you are constantly honing your ability to empathize and communicate, whether with your patients and their families or your colleagues.  Being mindful of the way that you express yourself to each of these different groups is a good way to start, and you can strengthen both your skills and your earning capacity through a variety of exercises and additional coursework.

Whether you just want to improve the way that you engage with those around you or are hoping to leverage improved communication skills into extra money through a  nursing side hustle like writing blogs or providing expert witness testimony, polishing your spoken and written abilities is a worthwhile goal. 

Writing well and speaking clearly are among the most important skills that you can have in any profession, and they are particularly valuable to you as a nurse. Being a clear communicator will help you in job interviews as you seek advancement and better compensation. Patients and their family members will look to you as a valued source of information, and your colleagues will rely on you for your competence.

Some communication goals you can consider include improving your:

• Active listening skills
• Non-verbal communication
• Written communication 
• Specific techniques like asking for a return demonstration or teach-back

Nursing goals for improving skills

While good communication is an asset, when it comes to professional development, the most important focus should be on your nursing skills . Whether you want to brush up on the basics or you are hoping to advance into a particular nursing specialty, identifying the skills that need the most work or learning about new technologies will give you the professional boost that you need. 

While you learned hands-on skills in nursing school, there’s nothing like real-world experience to teach you how to care for patients. Nursing is a vocation that is constantly teaching you new things. While there are invaluable lessons to be learned at work, you can learn about new technologies or methods through  continuing education  classes, or take the leap and commit to pursuing an advanced nursing degree.

There are nursing skills checklists available for you to review and determine where you have the biggest opportunity for growth.

For example, you can establish your own personal nursing goals to improve specific skills such as:

• Assessing different body systems, including lung sounds, cardiac murmurs, or abdominal assessments
• Mastering technologies like cardiac monitors or communication devices
• Learning to place intraosseous access devices or placing ultrasound-guided IV
• Using and troubleshooting medical devices like chest tubes, continuous glucose monitors, or ostomy care supplies
• Skills specific to positions in management, education, or quality improvement

Nursing goals for advancement

Are you interested in moving beyond the role you’re in now and advancing into a specialty or management? If promotion is in your future, the best way to start is to identify what you need to do to qualify for the position that you hope to fill. There are plenty of  career resources  that can answer all your questions and set you on a path to success.

Whatever your nursing goals are, the more you need to know about educational requirements, skill requirements, and amount of experience needed, the more effectively you can prepare yourself and set yourself up for success. In some cases you may need to invest in more education: As daunting as this may seem, if you are aware that you’ll need to do it then you can include the extra coursework into your professional nursing goals and begin saving for those costs, applying for scholarships, arranging for childcare, or doing whatever else you’ll need to do in order to prepare yourself for pursuing your dream.

Only you will know what career path is right for you. As a nurse, some nursing goal examples could be:

• Earning an advanced nursing degree
• Earning a specialized certification
• Moving from the floor to the ICU
• Advancing from being a Registered Nurse (RN) to an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)
• Advancing from a staff nurse role into management and nursing leadership

As a nurse, establishing your own specific SMART goals will help you identify your goals and then come up with a plan of action for achieving them. SMART stands for:

• M easurable
• A ttainable
• T ime-based 

Setting SMART nursing goals will give you a much better chance of advancing in your career. You may be looking to elevate your professional standing by pursuing an advanced degree or moving into management, or perhaps you want to shift into an entirely different role such as nursing education.

Whatever your aspirations, setting SMART nursing goals will help you provide better care for your patients because you’ll be working towards making yourself happier and more fulfilled as a nurse. Whether you’re taking classes to learn about new nursing technologies or learning a new language in response to the need for bilingual nurses, identifying what you need to learn or do to achieve your goal is the first step to moving forward! 

When you are internally driven, you not only improve your own performance, you elevate the attitude of those around you and improve the nursing care being provided in your environment.

• Be specific:  When crafting your goals, start by clearly defining them. The less specific you are about what you want to accomplish, the more difficult it will be to determine what you need to do to get there. Simply indicating that your nursing goal is to advance in your career is too vague. Try something like: I want to obtain my  Master of Science in Nursing  (MSN) degree or I want to move into a role in pediatrics. 
• Make it measurable : Once you’ve defined your goals, establish benchmarks. Whether you’re measuring your goal achievement in weeks or months or in years, being able to measure your progress will keep you motivated. 
• Keep it attainable : It’s nice to reach high, but you also need to be reasonable with yourself. Not everyone can become the president of the American Nurses Association. Set goals that align with your values and maximize your  capabilities, your personality, and your talents. It’s important to be ambitious, but setting a goal that’s impossible to achieve will only end in disappointment. Create a realistic goal that you can accomplish in a predictable, accessible timeline. 
• Be relevant : Make sure you set goals that align with your needs, desires, and short- and long-term goals. Ask yourself if you have the resources required to achieve it. 
• Make it timely : Creating goals won’t work if they don’t have time stamps or deadlines. For example, if you want to get your MSN, choose a date you want to finish it by. Choosing a date will give you a sense of urgency and help motivate you to get it done.

Examples of nursing SMART goals

Now that you know the dos and don’ts for setting SMART nursing goals, let’s look at some good examples:

• Become a nurse practitioner within 3 years : This goal is reasonable and comes with a predictable timeline. It’s easy to figure out what you need to do to apply and make yourself available to attend school, and you can estimate how long it will take you to achieve it.
• Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing within 4 years : RNs who set themselves the goal of obtaining a  BSN give themselves the opportunity grow and expand career opportunities now and in the future. This goal works because it’s specific, achievable, and has a deadline.
• Become a nurse mentor within 1 year : Finding an opportunity to mentor another nurse is a great way to help improve your job satisfaction and help someone else. This is a great SMART goal because it’s attainable, realistic, time-sensitive, and can help your career in the future. 
• Earn a specific certification in the next 2 years : Nurses who pursue certification have a better chance of moving up the ladder or being able to switch to a different specialty. For example, Informatics is a fast-growing field so obtaining your Informatics Nursing Certification (RN-BC) would be a great way to advance your career.

Developing your professional goals as a nurse is important, but the process is a lot easier when you’re also clear on what your personal goals are, and you’re sure that the two align. When your personal and professional aspirations are in sync, you can move forward to achieve both with confidence, while when they’re in conflict it can lead to frustration.  

To make sure your personal and professional goals are in alignment, honestly answer the following questions:

• What do I want out of life?
• How will my work affect the relationships in my life?
• What makes me happy?
• What are the pros and cons of my professional development goals?
• What are the pros and cons of my personal goals?
• What resources are available to me?
• Where do I want to be in my personal life in five years? 
• Where do I want to be in my professional life in five years?

When your personal and professional goals align, you are more likely to experience satisfaction in both. Try to write your nursing goals in ways that capture your life passions.

Final thoughts

Nurses who establish goals and who pursue professional development set themselves up for advancement and success. Whether you want to earn a new certifications or hope to become a nurse educator, the possibilities are endless — but they’re more easily achieved when you clarify what they are.

No matter the professional development plan you put into place, you’ll need to maintain an active nursing license to achieve your career goals. This includes keeping up with your  CEUs ,  certification specifications , and  licensing requirements . 

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Home Clinician Life Blog Nursing 5 Nursing Professional Development Plan Essentials

5 Nursing Professional Development Plan Essentials

September 3, 2024 — 6 min read

September 14-20 is NPD Week — Nursing Professional Development Week! This special week is all about helping you become the best nurse you can be. It’s a time to recognize your growth and provide you with the resources you need to reach your career goals. For instance, your plan for nursing professional development.

To celebrate, let’s look at the best ways to learn and grow in your nursing career: Starting by creating an effective Nursing Professional Development Plan (NPDP).

What is a Nursing Professional Development Plan?

A Nursing Professional Development Plan (NPDP) is a strategic tool designed to help you advance your career, improve your skills, and expand your professional knowledge. As you know, healthcare is always changing. This plan helps you stay on top of the change and grow with it, all while achieving your specific goals.

What is Included in a Nursing Professional Development Plan?

Your Nursing Professional Development Plan focuses on the actions you’ll take to reach your educational and career goals. It might include:

Clear, specific goals that outline where you want to be in both the short term and long term.

• Example : “Become a Nurse Leader in the next 3 years.”

How are you going to make it happen? Write down each of the steps you’ll take to achieve your goals. For instance:

• Earn a master’s degree in Clinical Nurse Leadership (CNL). 
• Complete the CNL program.
• Pass the CNL certification exam.

Explain why you have the strength to make it happen. What unique traits or qualities do you have that support your goal?

Example : “Natural Leader: I’m always finding myself guiding, motivating, and teaching others.”

Think about nursing skills or areas you want to improve to help make your goals possible.

Example : “Conflict resolution skills, communication skills…”

Opportunities

What opportunities can you look for to gain experience and support your goal?

Example : “Volunteer for leadership roles on committees, look for assignments with increased leadership responsibility, sign up for leadership trainings/webinars…”

Are there any mentors, networks, or educational resources you can use to guide and support your professional development?

Example : “In-house continuing education, leadership webinars through the ANA…”

Remember: Your NPDP isn’t something you make once at the beginning of your nursing career and call it good. It grows with you and your goals. It helps you stay focused, motivated, and proactive in your professional growth, turning your goals from ideas into achievements !

How to Select Your Nursing Professional Development Activities

Start by setting a smart goal.

First, effective Nursing Professional Development Plans are action-oriented. Instead of saying, “I want to become a Team Lead,” specify how you’ll get there with concrete steps: “I want to become a Team Lead by completing X, Y, and Z.”

To guide your plan, start by setting a SMART goal :

• S pecific : Spare no detail! The clearer your goal, the easier it is to achieve.
• M easurable : How will you know when you’ve reached your goal? Determine how you’ll measure progress. For example, if you want to get “better” at a skill, set criteria for how you’ll gauge your improvement.
• A ttainable : Make sure your goal is within your reach. Dream big, but set yourself up for success.
• R elevant : Is your goal relevant to what you want to achieve in your career and life in the long run? Make sure it aligns.
• T ime-Bound: We all procrastinate. Without a deadline, it’s easy to put our goals off. Fight this by giving yourself a realistic deadline for your goal to keep yourself on track.

Talk with a Mentor

Not sure where to start? Talk with a mentor, unit leader, or someone you look up to at your facility. Share your goals and seek their advice on what to include in your Nursing Professional Development Plan.

Use Nursing Professional Development Plan Resources

There are endless resources out there to help you make your goals happen. The Association for Nursing Professional Development is a great place to start. Plus, we’ve compiled a whole list for you here !

5 Ways to Level Up Your Nursing Professional Development Plan

Want to take your Nursing Professional Development Plan to the next level? Here are some must-haves and best practices to help:

Look Into Continuing Education Opportunities

The more you learn, the more you grow. Continuing education (CE) is crucial for your NPDP.

• Check if your facility offers CE courses.
• Attend local or national conferences to expand your knowledge (and your network).
• Explore CE online courses and webinars through the American Nurses Association (ANA) .

Remember: Choose courses or conferences that tie back to your goals. For example, if you want to become a Nurse Leader, look for opportunities focused on leadership and management.

Get a Certification

Become an expert — and make it official! Getting a nursing certification is one of the most effective ways to level up your career and confidence.

Once again, go back to your main goal. What do you want to achieve in the long-term? What type of certification(s) will help get you there?

Explore More Advanced Roles

Plan your next career steps. Where can you grow and go next?

• Can you move into a Nurse Leader or Nurse Manager role?
• Could you become a specialist?
• Could you advance to a more specialized setting ?

Research advanced roles you’re interested in and see what education, experience, and steps are required to get there. Then, you’ll have your next action steps for your nursing professional development plan!

Participate in Committees

See if your facility has any committees you can join or volunteer with. This can help you rub shoulders with important leaders, increase your experience, and open advancement opportunities that support your nursing professional development plan.

Find or Become a Mentor

Lastly, wherever you are in your career, mentorship can help you get a step further.

• If you need a mentor, they can help you reach your goals, dream bigger, and overcome obstacles.
• If you become a mentor, you can help others do the same — all while building your own confidence, experience, and leadership skills.

Growing Your Nursing Career with New Experiences

The ultimate key to nursing professional development is always looking for and staying open to new experiences. Wherever you want to go in your career, CareerStaff can connect you with the right opportunities.

Curious about openings for your dream roles? Quick Apply to work with a dedicated recruiter today, or search hundreds of local, travel, and per diem nursing jobs nationwide now.

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15 Examples of Nursing Career Goals and How To Reach Them

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Nurses are more in demand than ever before, making the nursing profession rich with opportunities. You may be wondering, “Why is nursing a good career?” With most nursing roles projected to grow from 2020 to 2030 , there’s never been a better time to be a nurse. But with so much job growth potential comes competition, which makes it important to consistently invest in yourself and your skills.

Any sort of professional development needs clearly determined professional goals in order to be effective. Your professional goals should always be SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Here we’ll share 15 nursing career goals to consider for yourself and tips on how to achieve them.

Why Are Goals Important for Your Nursing Career?

Setting long-term goals will help you advance in your career as a nurse. Accomplishing these goals will increase your personal and professional satisfaction and will also combat burnout. Setting goals for your nursing career can help you:

• Constantly develop skills
• Improve earning potential
• Feel fulfilled

15 Nursing Career Goals

1. manage advanced technologies..

There is only one constant with medical technology: it’s always evolving. Nurses working in medical facilities often use technology, like portable patient monitors or telehealth services , to create, access, or update patient files. Learning how to use these healthcare technologies—however daunting it may seem—can benefit your career.

Stay up to date with changing tech in the medical field by doing the following:

• Read free blogs for nurses
• Subscribe to magazines and journals for nurses
• Download apps for nurses
• Join professional organizations for nurses

2. Get nursing certifications.

Nursing certifications are helpful in all stages of your nursing career, whether you’re new to the workforce or looking for advancement. Gain a competitive leg up on other candidates by earning a certificate in an area you’re particularly interested in, such as first aid, clinical research skills, pediatrics, oncology, or neonatology.

3. Find a mentor.

Mentors can be extremely useful when planning your professional development. They can help you set goals, make difficult decisions, shape your professional values, and grow in your career. While some medical facilities have formal internal mentorship programs for nurses, you could simply seek out an informal mentor by asking a nurse you admire out for coffee. A good mentor can provide context on the wider nursing industry, share insight into their personal experience and lessons learned, and introduce you to new nurse connections.

4. Advance your nursing degree.

Advancing your nursing degree can boost your résumé, increase job security, and help you make more money. If you already have an associate degree in nursing, consider working towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). If you already have a bachelor's degree and would like to take on a leadership position in nursing administration and management, consider earning a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) specializing in leadership.

5. Start volunteering.

There is a constant and high demand for nurses to volunteer their time at clinics, hospitals, and other medical facilities in underserved communities, both in the United States and abroad. Internationally there is an even greater need and appreciation for volunteer nurses in developing countries. Both nursing students and registered nurses are often eligible for these types of programs. Providing volunteer assistance can be a very rewarding experience that can’t be replicated in a classroom or textbook.

6. Specialize in a particular nursing field.

While nurses are often “Jacks/Janes of all trades,” it’s wise to become a master of one. Maybe you entered the nursing field because of a particular personal experience that resonated with you, such as losing a family member to cancer. Or maybe you’re a couple of years into your career as a registered nurse and have realized you’re passionate about working with children. Either way, there are many different specialization roads nurses can walk down in their career path.

Consider the following types of medicine to specialize in:

• Ambulatory care
• Cardiovascular (care for patients with heart and blood issues)
• Dialysis (the removal of waste from a patient's kidneys)
• Gastroenterology
• Geriatrics (care for elderly adults)
• Holistic care
• Infection control and prevention
• Medical-surgical
• Neonatal (care for newborns)
• Neuroscience
• Obstetrics (care for pregnant women and new mothers)
• Oncology (care for patients with tumors)
• Orthopedics (care for patients with bone and muscle issues)
• Pediatrics or children's healthcare
• Psychiatric or mental health care

7. Take care of yourself.

Nurses who practice self-care can ultimately perform their duties more efficiently and provide better care for their patients. Self-care is much more than a bubble bath on Sundays. It’s multiple deliberate activities all humans should do for mental and physical well-being. While self-care is important for all, it’s especially important for nurses whose main job is caring for others. You must keep your tank filled up so that you can provide better nursing care.

Examples of self-care include:

• Mental: Meditate, journal, see a therapist, and practice positive visualization.
• Physical: Eat quality foods, maintain a healthy weight, stretch daily, walk or stand more, and sit less.

8. Improve efficiency.

Becoming more efficient in your day-to-day nursing job tasks helps create balance when juggling multiple responsibilities. Efficiently completing tasks in a timely manner can create space for more responsibilities and career growth.

Here are some strategies that nurses can practice to improve efficiency:

• Intention-setting: In the morning or the night before your workday, take a few minutes to write down or speak out loud your intentions for the day. What goals do you have? What tasks will you accomplish? What habits will you practice?
• Organization: Plan your day—including breaks—in whatever way works for you (Google Calendar, physical planner, etc.).
• Prioritization: With many tasks constantly vying for your attention, practice prioritizing the most important tasks first thing. Or, try structuring your day based on when you’re most productive and have the highest energy.

9. Improve communication skills.

Improving your communication skills is so important for career growth for nurses. Strong communication skills can boost health outcomes for patients and enhance relationships with co-workers, patients, and families. Good communication skills for nurses go beyond written and verbal communication. Nurses who actively listen are better able to care for patients, take direction from doctors, and be part of a team.

Other aspects of effective communication include:

• Patient education
• Compassion/trust
• Cultural awareness
• Presentation skills

10. Specialize in certain tasks.

Specializing in certain tasks is important for career growth as it improves productivity and accuracy. Most nurses have a broad scope of responsibilities and tasks that vary from patient to patient. But it’s never bad to be known for doing one particular task well.

Try earning a reputation for being exceptional for one of the following:

• Administering medications and treatments to patients.
• Collaborating within your team and across other teams on patient care.
• Providing compassionate support to patients in need.
• Operating medical equipment and technologies.
• Educating your patients on managing their illness.

11. Maintain work-life balance.

Leading a balanced life can help you perform better as a nurse. It’s easy to fall into a workaholic trap and take your work home with you, but this will result in burnout. Make self-care a priority by keeping your physical and emotional needs a top priority, and don’t forget to have fun, too. For some selfless people (which many nurses are), making time for fun is actually a goal that can help you further your career. When you’re happy and healthy, it manifests as success in all areas of life.

12. Become an advocate.

A noble career goal for a nurse is to become a better advocate. Advocating can be for your patients, for new policies at work, or for practices you believe strongly in. Nurses can help advocate for patients by guiding them through the medical system and providing resources. For example, nurses can advocate for patients receiving chemotherapy with information on taking anti-nausea medication effectively. On a larger scale, you could become an advocate seeking to create systemic change by addressing health inequities and influencing health policy.

13. Become a mentor for others.

Mentoring another nurse that’s new in the field helps you become a better nurse. Nurse mentorship programs provide mutual professional growth through a supportive and ongoing relationship. As a mentor, you can help your mentee by offering emotional support, helping to chart a career path, and providing guidance on the day-to-day. Ultimately, helping another nurse will provide you with fulfillment in both your career and life.

14. Participate in workshops, in-services, or job shadowing.

If your workplace offers workshops, in-service classes, or job shadowing, you should take full advantage of those opportunities. Nursing is a dynamic profession that’s always changing, and nurses must adapt to new technology and policies faster than ever. These learning opportunities are usually free ways to expand your nursing industry knowledge and further enforce your commitment to your employer.

15. Learn on your own.

Outside of in-service classes and on-the-job shadowing offered by your employer, seeking out opportunities to learn on your own should be a constant nursing career goal. Courses, conferences, and webinars are all common sources for continuing education for nurses. You can also choose to continue your formal education by advancing your nursing degree.

Why Choose WGU?

With WGU’s accredited online nursing degrees you can continue working at your full-time job and maintain your family or personal responsibilities while pursuing your ideal nursing position through BSN or MSN degrees. WGU is flexible with your needs. You don't have to log in to classes and there aren't due dates. Learn more about our master’s degrees in nursing .

There are numerous opportunities that exist after getting a master’s degree in nursing. With an MSN, you could go on to become a:

• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
• Nurse Administrator
• Nurse Practitioner (NP)
• Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
• Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
• Clinical Nurse Leader
• Informatics Nurse
• Nurse Educator

As an MSN-educated nurse, your work in healthcare would change lives every day. After earning an MSN, you’ll have more opportunities to advance your healthcare career and impact patient care with a post-master’s certificate in nursing . You already have critical skills and knowledge that have brought you to an impactful career—now you can add additional specialty skills that will allow you to go further.

At WGU, there are two post-master’s certificate nursing programs that help master’s degree-holding nursing professionals advance in or diversify their career paths:

• Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing–Education
• Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing–Leadership and Management

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

A bachelor’s degree in nursing through WGU is an online nursing degree program designed for working registered nurses who have an ADN or nursing diploma and need an RN-to-BSN degree program that’s flexible with their schedule. The program focuses on the areas of research, theory, leadership, community concepts, healthcare policy, therapeutic interventions, and current trends in healthcare. You’ll learn to improve patient outcomes and influence communities with your knowledge of evidence-based practice, patient safety, technology integration, and healthcare systems and policies.

What is a master’s degree in nursing?

If your vision of your professional future includes a role in nursing administration and management, a CCNE-accredited master’s degree in nursing (MSN) is a must. When you pursue this degree, you'll get clinical practice experiences such as real-time simulation using immersive virtual reality training. Nurse managers with a master's degree combine their technical nursing know-how with strong people skills, organizational prowess, and business knowledge to lead healthcare teams to success—success that transforms lives. You’ll also increase your earning power.

How much do RN nurses make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for registered nurses is $75,330 .

How much do BSN nurses make?

While the BLS doesn’t differentiate between nurses who’ve earned an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) versus those who’ve earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), according to Nurse.org , what degree you have does impact how much you can make. Amongst the ADN and BSN nurses polled, Nurse.org found that BSN nurses were earning, on average, $3.89 more per hour than ADNs.

How much do MSN nurses make?

According to the BLS, the median pay for master’s-educated nurses is $117,670 per year .

Ready to Start Your Journey?

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Professional development planning framework for nurses and midwives

Professional development planning (PDP) is a continuous development process.

Having a professional development plan can help:

• nurses and midwives to make the best use of their skills
• with advancing the individual plans of the nurse/midwife
• with advancing the strategic goals of the organisation

The professional development planning (PDP) framework helps you create your professional development plan (PDP).

A Professional Development Plan (PDP) is a tool that supports the nurse or midwife to identify professional goals for the benefit of themselves, their service users and their workplace. Professional development planning is a continuous development process that facilitates nurses and midwives, to use their experience and skills, to identify their professional goals and the supports required to achieve their goals, and helps advance both their individual plans and service user needs.

In January 2020, the Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) launched Performance Achievement (PA) as a mandatory process for all staff. Performance achievement is a supportive and developmentally based process that aims to ‘support staff to give of their best, be successful in their endeavours and develop their skills and careers within the health service’ (HSE 2020). Nurses and Midwives will use the Nurses and Midwives Professional Development Planning Framework for the HSE Performance Achievement process. View our short video here to find out more.

Benefits of having a PDP

When you create a professional development plan it will:

• support you to set professional long and short-term goals
• help to focus on your accomplishments, strengths and development needs
• ensure alignment of goals to NMBI code of professional conduct and ethics and other relevant policies and guidelines
• support organisational goals and objectives
• contribute to the delivery of safe quality care and improved patient experience
• help you to show that you as a nurse or midwife are maintaining your professional competence and development

Digital PDP

The digital PDP is available on the nursing and midwifery hub on HSELand.

There, you can create and maintain an online portfolio of your professional development.

See the HSELanD nursing and midwifery hub page for details on the process of registering with HSELanD and logging into HSELanD. Look for the purple professional development planning icon in the Nursing and Midwifery Hub.

Related topics Implementation Support Network Team Contact Details (PDF, size 352 KB, 3 pages) Professional Development Plan Framework (PDF, size 581.1 KB, 10 pages) Professional Development Plan Guide (PDF, size 700.3 KB, 19 pages)

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Personal development planning

People working in health are encouraged to review their goals and achievements on a regular basis and to maintain a personal development plan (PDP). 

It's about working out where you want to be and setting goals.

Career planning is a must for everybody working in health and goal-setting is important for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision into reality.

Your goals should be clear, realistic, desirable and achievable. A first step is to look at yourself – your strengths, your preferences, your values, your preferred learning styles. 

What is a personal development plan (PDP)?

• an individual plan to suit you
• a systematic way of identifying and addressing your educational and professional development needs
• a tool that can identify areas for further development and encourage lifelong learning. A PDP can identify goals for the forthcoming year and methods for achieving these goals

What makes a good PDP?

• time and thought
• one that identifies your learning needs - what you want to develop for either your current role or for a future one
• is achievable
• is a product of reflection

For each learning need, ask yourself:

• what do I want/need to learn?
• what will I do to achieve it? 
• what resources and/or support will I need?
• how will I know I have been successful? What are my learning outcomes?
• what are my target dates for completion and review?

Tips for a useful PDP 

Your PDP must be:

• personal to you
• a working document, something you continuously update
• flexible (used as a guide only)
• supported by evidence
• reviewed regularly

Good personal development planning will help you achieve your potential as it will help you to identify your skills gaps and improvement areas/learning needs.

Health organisations are committed to offering learning and development opportunities for all full-time and part-time staff. No matter where you start within the health sector, you'll have access to extra training and be given every opportunity to progress within your organisation. You are likely to have an annual personal development review and development plan to support your career development and may be encouraged to extend your range of skills and knowledge to take on new responsibilities.

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‘The challenges facing nurse education must be tackled’

STEVE FORD, EDITOR

• You are here: Students

‘Making your personal development plan right for you’

06 February, 2019

Now in my final year of nursing, it is time for me and many other student nurses to write our final personal development plan.

A personal development plan (PDP) is something that you are supposed to write at the start of each year, detailing your goals for practice and theory and how you are going to achieve them.

I have found PDPs difficult to write, especially at the start of the year as all the modules are launching. My goal is to stay calm and not be overwhelmed by it all, as thinking about the end of the year seems impossible. But this is my final year writing PDPs and I have some tips to share.

Remember the PDP is for you

Although personal tutors at university will look at your PDPs, they are designed for you. The whole point of a PDP is to make it personal to you – not to write what you think your personal tutors wants to read.

The goals you want to set yourself should be things that you actually want to achieve. If the goal is personal to you, you are far more likely to put your energy into achieving it.

Make your PDP realistic

Being a student nurse is stressful and the last thing you need is to set yourself an unrealistic goal in either practice or theory – so be realistic.

Think about your current skillset and your goal. Then think about what needs to be done to get you to where you want to be and whether this will be realistic once you are juggling placement, university, family and friends.

Don’t make things hard for yourself as you can’t do everything at once. Consider all the little steps that will help you to get to where you want to be and take it each step at a time.

Talk to people about your PDP

If you’ve written about wanting a certain experience in practice within your PDP – for example spending time with a psychologist – then when you go into placement and have your initial interview, let them know about your burning interest to work with psychology or whatever you included in your PDP.

The same goes for theory. If you have written about being more critical in your assignments then speak with lecturers for advice on how you can do this.

PDPs are your goals for the year, so it is your responsibility to do things throughout the year that bring you closer to where you want to be.

Hannah Simpson is a third-year learning disability nursing student at De Montfort University

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Framework for Nursing in General Practice

Guidance and support materials fro general practices on the employment and development of nurses

6 Learning & Personal Development

Introduction

A hallmark of a good employer can be seen in the importance that is attached to personal development and continuing education. The training and development of staff can bring significant benefits for both the employee and the employer and most importantly should result in improved standards of care for the patient. This is reflected in the new GMS contract which states that all staff should "have access to appropriate training, professional advice and continuing professional development" and "all practice-employed nurses are supported to participate in clinical supervision and appraisal". The quality and outcomes framework of the new GMS contract awards quality points for ensuring that practice nurses have an annual appraisal and personal learning plan.

As the boundaries of practice continue to expand, appropriate education to underpin role development is essential. It is clear from discussions with practice nurses that there is a need to identify more creative and innovative solutions to learning, that will support practice nurses in their ongoing training and development and equip them the right skills and knowledge to deliver the services required.

This chapter is based on standards 4.1 covering appraisal, personal development planning and access to continuing professional development and 4.2 covering opportunities for clinical supervision and reflective learning.

Many different titles have been given to the process of reviewing performance and identifying development needs, including appraisal, personal development planning and performance review. For simplicity and so as to avoid confusion, appraisal is used throughout this section, but the detail draws heavily on the Partnership Information Network (PIN) Guideline on Personal Development Planning and Review: http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/psu/documents/PDPs%20&%20rev.pdf

The appraisal process is part of a continual process of planning, monitoring, assessment and support to help staff develop their skills and be more effective in their role. The annual appraisal interview sits at the heart of the process. There is evidence both within the NHS and industry that an effective appraisal process increases the effectiveness of the organisation.

The appraisal process should be seen as a positive approach to development. It is not:

About creating unrealistic expectations or rewards

A vehicle for evaluating/increasing pay entitlements.

To be used as a counselling exercise for non-learning and development issues.

A variant or sub set of disciplinary procedures.

A substitute for the reviewer's responsibility to provide ongoing feedback to staff.

The appraisal process

The appraisal process essentially has four key stages:

A self assessment by the individual of strengths and development needs

A structured discussion with the appraiser based on the self assessment

An agreed personal development plan which flows from the appraisal discussion

Action to meet the learning needs identified in the personal development plan.

Self Assessment

A model self assessment and appraisal form developed from the PIN guideline is included on the CD ROM. Essentially this encourages the nurse to reflect on the period since the last appraisal, to review achievements, strengths and development needs as well as future career aspirations.

Appraisal interview

The formal appraisal is an opportunity for the practice nurse to discuss with the appraiser their own and the appraisers perceptions of achievements over the last year and development needs. The completed self assessment forms a starting point to this discussion.

It is very important that everyone involved has trust in the confidentiality of the appraisal interview and the documentation surrounding it. It is essential to foster confidence in the integrity of the process not least because it will encourage both appraisee and appraiser to be as frank and open as possible. The only exception to this would be where issues emerge which indicate that the appraisee is in breach of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, or where issues are identified that might compromise patient safety

Appraisal interviews typically take 60-90 minutes. It is important that time is committed to the process if it is to offer an opportunity for positive discussion.

The outcome of the appraisal interview should be an agreement on objectives and development needs for the year. A record of the interview should be signed and copies kept by the person being appraised and on the staff file.

Who should be the appraiser?

There are a number of options, which practices and practice nurses may need to consider in order to get the best out of the appraisal process.

Possible options include:

1. A senior nurse within the practice team. This may be the best option where there is an identified nurse with responsibility for leading the team, or for appraisal of staff nurses or health care assistants. In order to work effectively, the practice would need to be prepared to support development plans identified from the process and the appraiser would need to be well informed on the practice's plans and priorities.

2. Practice manager or GP. This option has the benefit of ensuring that the practice nurse's objectives fit within the overall practice plans and giving a practice commitment to development plans. However, expertise in professional nursing issues will be lacking, which may make it more difficult to agree an appropriate development plan or to appropriately explore and challenge the nurses self assessment.

3. A senior nurse external to the practice. This option is essentially similar to the GP appraisal model and would ensure appropriate professional input to the process. However, the nurse appraiser is unlikely to know the practice well, so would be unable to agree appropriate objectives with the nurse and could not commit practice funds to meeting any agreed development plan.

4. A combination of 2 and 3. This option essentially would involve a professional component of the appraisal taking place with an external appraiser, with a discussion within the practice to agree the coming years work objectives and to sign off the personal development plan.

In considering these, the most important points to consider are:

The nurse needs to be confident in the person identified as appraiser

The practice must have confidence in the appraiser if they are to commit to meeting the identified development needs

The appraiser needs to be prepared to take on the role and should have had some training as an appraiser.

Local NHS Boards will have available training for both appraisers and appraisees and should make this available to practice staff in order to support the development of practice nurse appraisal.

Personal Development Plan

The personal development plan is the most important output from the appraisal process. It is a record of what the individual nurse needs to do in order to effectively fulfil their role. It is important that plans are reasonable and achievable rather than extensive wish lists. They should be directly based on the strategic direction and plans of the practice and reflect the needs of the practice and patients. Obviously personal development plans will also reflect the individual nurse's own career aspirations and there may need to be an agreement between the nurse and the practice on which aspects of the PDP each will support.

A model PDP template is included on the CD ROM. This is derived from the PIN guideline and clearly separates those development needs that are associated with the current role and those that are about the individual's career aspirations. The PDP should be signed off by both the practice and the nurse and copies kept by each as a means of reviewing achievement of the plan.

Action to meet the identified learning needs

This final stage of the process takes place throughout the remainder of the year. Much of the rest of this chapter is devoted to identifying varied approaches to learning and development and making connections to available resources and education. The emphasis should always be on identifying learning opportunities that best meet the needs of the nurse as identified in the PDP. These may not always be attending a formal course.

Protected time for learning

The new GMS contract highlights the importance of supporting learning and development through giving protected time to all team members. Agreeing a personal development plan forms a good basis for deciding on appropriate time out for learning. A big challenge for many practices in negotiating time out for learning is the lack of adequately trained relief staff. Some Boards have started to develop practice nurse banks, although coverage remains quite poor. NHS boards working with local practices should consider the potential to further develop a cohort of practice nursing bank staff to enable practice nurses to take time out for learning. In practice this may mean that existing part time practice nurses would undertake bank duties as well. To be effective practices would need to be open to this model and enable their staff to work elsewhere.

Professional requirements for education

Pre-registration education prepares nurses for initial registration. Continuing professional development is linked to the registration renewal process through the NMC Post Registration Education and Practice (PREP) standards. The PREP requirements are a statutory requirement for all nursing staff. In order to meet the standard nurses must undertake at least five days (35 hours) of learning activity relevant to their practice during the three years prior to their renewal of registration, maintain a personal professional profile of this learning activity and comply with any request from the NMC to audit compliance with these activities. Furthermore, all registered nurses need to have completed a minimum of 100 days (750) hours of practice during five years prior to renewal of registration.

Any experience can result in learning, the important point is that it is adequately documented in a Personal Professional Profile (PPP). NMC highlight the following points in relation to CPD:

it doesn't have to cost any money

there is no such thing as approved PREP (CPD) learning activity

there is no need to collect points or certificates of attendance

there is no approved format for the personal professional profile

it must be relevant to the work the nurse is doing and/or plans to do in the near future

it must help the nurse to provide the highest possible standards of care for her/his patients.

A model form for maintaining a PPP is attached in the annexes derived from an NMC example. Further guidance is available in the PREP handbook: http://www.nmc-uk.org/nmc/main/publications/thePrepHandbook.pdf

It must be remembered that the PREP standard of 35 hours learning over 3 years is a minimum standard and achieving it does not necessarily mean that the nurse is competent to practice, particularly where roles have expanded and evolved. All practice needs to be underpinned by appropriate education and nurses should never undertake work that they do not feel competent to safely perform.

The role of NHS Boards and CHPs in supporting practice nursing development

Although practice nurses remain the employees of individual practices, who have the responsibility to provide them with appropriate education, there is an important role that NHS Boards and the emerging CHPs can play in supporting practice nursing development. Firstly they can open up in house education provision to practice staff. Many NHS boards have already done this with consequent benefits in terms of sharing experience and understanding as well as improved practice nurse education. Secondly, there is a potential role in providing professional leadership to practice nurses. This topic is explored further in chapter 5. In relation to education and development that role might include contributing to the appraisal process, advising practice nurses and practices on appropriate education and facilitating learning opportunities, in particular clinical supervision, which would need to be organised at CHP or Board level.

Methods of learning and personal development

Knowledge, skills and competence can be acquired from a variety of formal and informal learning activities. Identifying and attributing appropriate value to all these experiences is an

important step in any CPD process.

Four aspects of learning opportunities are outlined below:

Formal learning opportunities

Competence based learning

Experiential and work based learning

Self directed learning

It is important to recognise that none of these are mutually exclusive. For example, self directed learning and work based learning will often be part of formal learning opportunities. They have been separated out to illustrate the wide range of opportunities to learn.

Formal learning opportunities are those leading to some form of academic or professional award. Programmes may vary from distance learning programmes, through short courses to undergraduate or post graduate degree programmes. The range and depth of potential topics varies too widely to discuss in detail. A summary of some of the main Scottish programmes leading to a formal qualification that may be of relevance to practice nurses is available in Annex B. In addition, all Scottish universities offer a range of short modules on a wide variety of relevant topics. Further details are available from the universities.

Specialist Practice Qualification in General Practice Nursing

There is a specialist practice education programme in general practice nursing. This is a degree level programme leading to a recorded qualification on the NMC register. It can be taken over one year full time, or up to four years on a part time basis. It is currently the only professionally accredited programme of its type for practice nurses and provides a sound theoretical and practical basis for practice at specialist level. Unlike district nursing and health visiting, it is not a formal requirement to hold the qualification in order to practice. In Scotland, the programme operates at three universities. The programme provides a firm foundation for practice nursing, although given the vast scope of practice nursing roles it cannot hope to encompass the range of specialist clinical areas that practice nurses increasingly need to be proficient in. The NMC is currently reviewing post registration nurse education and will make recommendations in due course. These will need to be considered in planning any future development for practice nurses.

Competence based learning starts with a description of the competencies required to be proficient in an area of practice and provides a means for the practitioner to identify current knowledge and skills against the competencies and to identify any gaps, which can then be filled in a variety of ways. The benefit of competence based learning is that having the competence is equally valid, no matter how it was acquired, so competence gained through practice, personal learning and experience carries the same weight as that acquired through formal education.

NHS Education for Scotland has developed competencies in a range of areas directly relevant to practice nurses. These frameworks are entitled "A Route to Enhanced Competence". Topics include:

Nurse Practitioners working in Minor Injury units, A&E & Community Hospital Casualty Departments

Ophthalmic nursing

Dermatology Nursing

Telephone Consultation

Caring for patients with epilepsy

Caring for patients with diabetes

Infection control

Tissue viability

Caring for older people

All of these frameworks set out competencies necessary to be proficient in the defined area and use a portfolio route towards demonstrating that competence. The benefit of this approach is that it can be largely work based and focuses on identifying existing strengths then filling gaps in competence.

The NES portfolio route essentially defines five steps:

1. Review experience and practice to date identifying existing knowledge and skills against the competencies set out. 2. Appraise level of competence and identify existing strengths and development needs 3. Agree an appropriate training programme to meet identified needs 4. Set goals and devise an action plan in partnership with a facilitator, who has expertise in the field. 5. Provide evidence of achievement using a portfolio of evidence.

The full range of competency frameworks and a portfolio are available from http://www.qacpd.org.uk . RCN have also developed a range of competency frameworks available from http://www.rcn.org.uk .

In addition, recent work on developing multi-disciplinary primary care out of hours services published by NHS Education for Scotland as "Out of Hours a Framework for Care", http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/multi sets out a range of competencies, many of which will be directly applicable to practice nurses and provides direct links to appropriate educational programmes to meet the competencies, where they exist.

Experiential and work based learning have been an important drivers in nursing education in recent years and often make up part of formal education programmes. However, they can equally well be used alone to develop new skills and competence. This section explores a variety of means that can be used to support work based or experiential learning.

An experienced nurse mentor can be assigned to a new practice nurse or where a nurse is taking on new duties. The mentor can facilitate personal and professional development through encouraging reflection, identifying gaps in knowledge and skills and providing structured feedback to enable the nurse to develop and expand their practice with safety and confidence

Work shadowing is designed to allow practitioners undergoing professional development to gain knowledge and understanding about the work of a colleague in a similar position in order to enable them to understand better their own context, situation, position, tasks and job purpose. The value of this type of learning is in providing the practitioner with a very real insight into the role of a particular post.

Secondments are a useful way for nurses to gain valuable experience without giving up their current post. They offer opportunities to acquire new skills, qualifications and facilitate professional development. Practices should look upon these favourably because of the potential value of the skills that can be gained and brought back to the practice.

Significant event analysis

The Quality and Outcomes Framework of new GMS rewards practices for undertaking significant event reviews. Involving practice nurses in the process will introduce different professional perspectives on an incident as well as contributing to the whole team's education.

Case Review

Problem or random case analysis is a learning activity which is commonly used with GP registrar training. It is often undertaken informally with between GP partners and registrars and peers This is a powerful learning tool and can both promote shared learning and help to identify learning needs.

Practice based audit

Audit activity is a useful way of considering clinical and operational issues within the team. Reviewing findings provides a good opportunity for the team to learn together as well as highlight further learning needs for the team or individuals.

Self -Directed Learning

Self directed learning is a process whereby the learner takes the initiative and responsibility for the learning process. It requires no formal teaching input and can be facilitated by a range of methods and resources. The internet provides a powerful resource for educational purposes. Annex C lists a range of web based educational resources that may be of interest to practice nurses. It is not exhaustive but provides a useful starting point for both reference and education.

Clinical Supervision

Reflective practice can be described as the cornerstone of continuous professional development. Participating in reflective practice will help the nurse to identify learning and evaluate her/his current practice. It will also enhance self-awareness and confidence and can help to evaluate current practice. The NHS QIS publication "A Practical Guide for Nurses and Midwives Working Towards The Quality Practice Award" ( http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/files/qpaguide.pdf ) provides useful background on reflective practice. Reflecting on actions and incidents and recording the reflections in a diary is one way of demonstrating learning. It is important that reflective diaries remain confidential to the individual, but themes and issues identified can provide a useful basis to support clinicaal supervision. Clinical supervision provides a more structured focus on reflective learning, by enabling nurses to reflect on incidents with peers.

The new GMS contract states that nurses should have access to clinical supervision. "Clinical supervision aims to bring practitioners and skilled supervisors together to reflect on practice, to identify solutions to problems, to increase understanding of professional issues and, most importantly, to improve standards of care". (NMC 2002). Although the NMC has not made clinical supervision a statutory requirement, they strongly endorse it as a means to assist practitioners to develop skills, knowledge and professional values throughout their career and working lives and as an important component of good clinical governance.

Essentially clinical supervision is a regular opportunity for structured confidential discussion either individually or in small groups with a supervisor who is a professional peer. Whilst there is no right or wrong model of supervision, the NMC have set out a series of principles that should underpin any system of clinical supervision:

Clinical supervision supports practice, enabling the nurse to maintain and improve standards of care.

Clinical supervision is a practice focused professional relationship, involving a practitioner reflecting on practice guided by a skilled supervisor.

The process of clinical supervision should be developed by practitioners and managers according to local circumstances. Ground rules should be agreed so that the nurse and supervisor can approach clinical supervision openly, confidently and are both aware of what is involved.

Every practitioner should have access to clinical supervision. Each supervisor should supervise a realistic number of practitioners.

Preparation for supervisors should be flexible and sensitive to local circumstances. The principles and relevance of clinical supervision should be included in pre-registration and post registration education programmes.

Local evaluation of clinical supervision is needed to assess how it influences care and practice standards.

Implementing clinical supervision

It would not be easy, if indeed possible, for an individual practice to implement clinical supervision alone. To be effective, supervision requires the supervisor to be someone outside of the usual day to day working arrangements. However, most NHS Boards have developed clinical supervision to some extent. Any development of clinical supervision for practice nurses could most appropriately take place at CHP level. However, it should also be clear that clinical supervision would require active support from practices, both in supporting time out for their nurses (typically an hour every 6-8 weeks) and in a reciprocal agreement supporting their own nurses to supervise other practice nurses.

Mandatory updates

In addition to learning needs identified as part of a personal development plan, there are a number of areas where all professionals need regular updating. Some of these are set out in the Quality & Outcomes Framework of the GMS contract. They include:

Basic life support skills

Anaphylaxis

Child protection

Data protection and freedom of information

Fire procedures

Moving and handling

Practices need to have systems in place to ensure that these regular updates take place or else link into local NHS Board training on these issues.

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A Personal Development Plan (PDP) Guide & Template

What is a personal development plan.

Personal development is an ongoing process that drives you to improve your knowledge, skills and experience, so that you can achieve your goals. A personal development plan (or PDP) is a method of focussing your goals into achievable steps, which helps you keep track of your personal development.

Download Free PDP Example/Template

Why Should I Create a Personal Development Plan?

Your plan may be aimed at your education, career or personal goal, or a mixture of all three – that is up to you to determine. Whatever the case may be, a good plan will provide you with a clear sense of focus. It helps you map out a path towards your goals, strategise a plan to achieve them, record the actionable steps you will take, and set a timeframe for completing them. Focussing your goals into a PDP helps you maintain your vision, keep on track to achieve your targets, and reflect on your progress.

Simply put, a PDP can help you build a clear understanding of what you want to achieve and how you are going to achieve it.

Interested in Learning More?

Let us help with your personal development goals this year. Choose from a wide range of  business essentials courses , whether it be  Leadership and Management ,  Starting a Business , or  Coaching and Mentoring . You could have your CPD recognised certificate in a matter of hours!

A clear plan can also support your positive mental wellbeing and improve your level of satisfaction. It can provide a sense of direction, purposefulness and a feeling of success as you start to fulfil your potential. All of these can have very positive impacts on your mental health. 

Therefore, discovering what your goals are, getting organised and giving yourself a sense of direction can be incredibly beneficial. This article will give you an understanding of how to write a personal development plan, as well as provide you with a handy template to support your development journey.

How to Write a Personal Development Plan

There are seven steps to writing a PDP:

• Set yourself goals.
• Prioritise those goals.
• Set yourself deadlines for when you want to achieve them.
• Recognise threats and opportunities.
• Develop your skills or increase your knowledge.
• Use your support network.
• Measure your progress.

1. Set Yourself Goals

The first step is to set yourself goals . Think about what you want to achieve, whether that’s within a few weeks, within a year, or over your lifetime.

Deciding what you want is not only the first step in planning, it’s also the hardest. Once you’ve figured out what you want to do, that goal will provide clear direction and a structure for your resulting plan.

At this stage, your goals will feel big. You might be wondering how you are ever going to achieve them. Don’t worry – the next step is to prioritise and turn those goals into smaller, actionable steps that will support you on your way to achieving them.

2. Prioritising Your Goals

Now that you have your goals, the next stage is to break them down into smaller steps. When doing this, it’s important that your goals are SMART:

• Specific. Avoid large, ambiguous steps. These won’t support you on your way to achieving your goals. Insted, make sure that your goals are specific and clearly highlight the skill, knowledge or experience you want to develop.
• Measureable. You need to be able to monitor and reflect on your progress. Therefore, your goals need to be measurable, such as by setting a goal to develop your SEO knowledge with a measurable target of growing your website traffic by a set, defined percentage.
• Attainable. Your goals need to be achievable and realistic. You need to think about if it is something you can realistically achieve with the time and resources you have. If not, you will likely be setting yourself up for failure. 
• Relevant. It’s important to keep your overall goal in mind and make sure that every step you take is supporting you to achieve it. You don’t want to be spending time doing things that don’t get you where you want to go.
• Time-bound. Set yourself key targets to achieve and deadlines in which to achieve them. This will help you stay focussed on achieving your goals. However, it’s important to make sure you are realistic in what you can achieve in any given period. Don’t try to achieve everything all at once. It’s unrealistic and you won’t be setting yourself up well to achieve them. Remember that personal development is a journey – your PD plan can continue to grow and develop as you take those steps towards your goals.

Once you have your goals, you’ll need to prioritise them. 

In your PDP, you should be setting yourself mini goals to make the big ones happen.

For example, if you wish to pursue a career in academia as a senior lecturer and then a professor, a necessary step to succeeding in this goal is to achieve a PhD. So that would be one of your long-term goals. You then need to break it down into steps, such as:

• Learn about the PhD application process.
• Find a suitable university and supervisor for a PhD.
• Look at routes for funding.
• Find studentships to apply for or apply to your university of choice.
• Write and submit your PhD application.

3. Set Yourself Deadlines

Knowing when you want to achieve a goal is crucial, and picturing your future is an important source of motivation and inspiration.

Having goals and a set deadline will drive your motivation to achieve them. For example, if your goal is to buy a home, knowing when you want to achieve it will help you calculate exactly how much money you need to save each year in order to get your deposit. The same is true for your skills, knowledge and experience development. As mentioned above, setting realistic and time-bound goals are essential to achieving them. 

One good way to understand more about achieving your goals is to speak to those who have previously trodden a similar path. Learning about  their experiences can help you understand key barriers to, or methods of, success that may also be applicable to your PDP.

4. Recognise Threats and Opportunities

When considering your goals, you should identify your own strengths, consider areas of weakness you can develop, look at the opportunities available to support you in achieving your goals, and any threats that may hinder you in your progress. This is called a SWOT analysis. Note that these threats may be external or they may be core skills that you can develop as part of your PDP.

For example, a lack of motivation could hinder your plans to apply for a PhD. However, once you’ve identified your tendency to procrastinate or lose focus, you can put in place methods that will keep you motivated.

There are also going to be things that you could do, and connections with people or resources you could take advantage of, that will help you on your way. These are your opportunities that you should commit to doing.

For example, if there’s a conference coming up, take advantage of that. Go along and network, stay up to date on the latest knowledge, or even present a paper. These are all opportunities that could help you achieve your goals.

5. Develop Yourself

Once you have an idea of what could help or hinder you, this is when you can capitalise on those opportunities you recognised. Make an action plan about how you’ll make that progress.

Whatever it is that hinders you, there’s a way to stop it. Your plan is the first step to making sure you stay on track. 

So, why not take a look at how to upskill yourself , develop transferable skills in today’s rapidly changing jobs market, or even discover an online learning opportunity .

6. Use Your Support Network

The next thing you need to realise is that:

You don’t have to do everything by yourself.

And you shouldn’t. The support network around you is a valuable asset, so use it and don’t underestimate it.

In your PDP, list the people who can help you. This could be a financial advisor, a friend, or a colleague. People are often so happy to help you, more than you might realise.

7. Measure Progress

After you’ve achieved some progress, whether it’s big or small, take time to reflect on how far you’ve come.

Recognising what has gone well is an effective way to bolster your motivation and remain dedicated.

And after a setback, this is another time to take stock.

Wallowing – briefly – is a good way to feel what you need to without holding on to it. Holding onto sadness, anger or frustration, however, will only deter you. These emotions will take you nowhere and will only hinder you.

You should also spend a little time figuring out why it went wrong. Can you identify a skills or knowledge gap? 

 If you can, then you can get yourself back on track by focussing on your next step. This will reignite your sense of purpose and help you regain control, which is integral to making progress.

Continue to reflect on your progress. You can gain significant insight from your reflections and this can help you grow. Remember that you should update your plan where necessary. Don’t overload it at any one time but, once you have achieved your small steps, reflect and then update your plan to focus on your next move.

Free Personal Development Plan Example & Template

In this article, we have discussed how you can create your own personal development plan, so you should now feel ready to start considering your goals and developing your own plan. To help you produce an effective personal development plan, we have created an editable template that you can use. Take a look at our example PDP, and download your free template below:

Further Resources:

• How to Upskill Yourself
• What are Personal Development Goals for Work?
• Using Key Phrases in Performance Reviews & Appraisals
• Resilience Quiz
• Resilience in the Workplace: What are the Benefits and How Can Businesses Develop It?
• How to Stand Out in a Virtual Interview: Preparation Tips
• What is CPD? A Guide to Continuing Professional Development
• Writing A Professional Development Plan – Example & Template
• Soft Skills in the Workplace
• Business Essentials Courses

Post Author

Her favourite article is Five Top Learning and Development Trends for 2020

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Teaching Nurses How to Create a Personal and Professional Development Plan

• PMID: 36178758
• DOI: 10.3928/00220124-20220907-04

Teaching nurses how to create a personal and professional development plan is important to help them structure measurable, obtainable personal and career goals. Meaningful goals and metrics for career growth are critical to nurses' professional development. As nurses learn about creating a personal and professional development plan, they can personalize their nursing journey. This column describes how professional development specialists can teach nurses to create a personal and professional development plan. [ J Contin Educ Nurs . 2022;53(10):438-441.] .

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How to prepare a personal development plan

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• Peer review
• Fiona Tasker , clinical teaching fellow, University of Bristol
• fionatasker{at}doctors.org.uk

Setting goals and gathering peer support are essential ingredients of a successful personal development plan, says Fiona Tasker

A personal development plan (PDP) will guide all doctors in their career, whatever grade they are at and whether they work in an acute or community setting. 1 PDPs help doctors become more self aware, enabling them to understand how to improve performance and develop new skills. All doctors should engage in this process, as it is now a key component of appraisals and revalidation. 2

A General Medical Council (GMC) survey found that 79% of respondents thought that their continuing professional development activity—of which PDPs are an essential part—over the past five years had helped them to improve the quality of care given to their patients. 3

An overview

When starting a PDP doctors should reflect on their learning and performance so that they can identify their developmental priorities. They should then plan how to deal with these needs for their current role as well as future aspirations. After undertaking a range of planned learning activities doctors must show that they have achieved their goals and reflect on how this benefits them and others. ⇓ 4

Personal development plan (PDP) cycle 4

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Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound (SMART) 5 goals is essential for your PDP as it is thought that low achievement of goals may relate to poor quality PDP planning. 6

Planning goals

When it comes to choosing goals, there are many ways of identifying strengths and development areas:

● Doctors should look at the GMC’s Good Medical Practice framework, which outlines the four domains that all doctors must demonstrate 7

● Those in a training programme should refer to the curriculum in their e-portfolio

● Qualitative feedback from colleagues using tools such as 360 degree assessments; feedback from patients, including details of complaints (if applicable); and feedback from consultants at previous appraisals

● Non-clinical aspects of practice, including audit/quality improvement, research, teaching, management, and leadership. For the leadership skill, review the Clinical Leadership Competency Framework. 8

Doctors should prioritise their goals, starting with essential learning needs. It is important to strike a balance between goals that are easily achievable and high aspirations. The number of goals to set will depend on personal choice and need and the resources available.

Example of objective one: To learn how to do a lumbar puncture by going on a clinical procedures course and watching colleagues perform this procedure. To ask colleagues to supervise me performing a lumbar puncture and then do a workplace based assessment. To complete this skill before my next interim review.

Example of objective two : To keep up to date with clinical practice by reading relevant journals once a week and reflecting on interesting articles in my e-portfolio. To continue to do this at this frequency up to the date of my job interview.

These objectives are well defined so they meet the specific criterion. They are measurable as they state how one will recognise when the goal has been achieved. They are also achievable. Example one is relevant for a doctor training in medicine, and example two is relevant for a doctor preparing for an interview.

A time scale should be set for completion of each goal, although some goals—such as example two—could be ongoing. A review date is important so that the goal can be adapted if necessary. So, in addition to reading journals, a doctor could perform evidence based reviews on relevant topics to keep up to date with clinical practice.

Achieving a goal

A PDP helps plan and show the achievement of continuing professional development. The GMC states that continuing professional development activities should maintain and improve the quality of care doctors give patients and the public and the standards of the teams and the services in which you work. 9

Doing a range of different continuing professional development activities to tackle a particular learning need is likely to be more effective than one-off events. 10 However, study days and study budgets are limited, so doctors should consider what they will gain from attending courses which award continuing professional development points as well as the impact it will have on clinical practice. The royal colleges and faculties provide guidance on the types of activity that would be most appropriate in particular specialties or general practice. 3

Potential ways of achieving goals include:

● Attending courses

● Attending regional/national/international conferences

● Completing e-learning modules

● Attending meetings—that is, multidisciplinary meetings, grand rounds

● Shadowing others

● Completing assessments—that is, workplace based assessments

● Discussions with seniors and colleagues for support and advice

● Learning from peers

● Collaborating with colleagues—that is, working on an audit project

● Completing a logbook of clinical cases/interesting cases.

Achieving objectives

Reflection on learning and performance is a powerful learning tool, with the GMC stating that doctors must reflect on all aspects of their professional work. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has created a guide to aid the documentation on reflection on a variety of activities and events. 11

Most doctors in training programmes will have access to an e-portfolio, which can be used to record reflections. Alternatively, organisations including the royal colleges and faculties, specialist associations, and professional trade bodies may have an online portfolio or similar tools. 9 Methods to show that you have achieved your objectives(s) are:

● Reflection

● Certificates from courses or e-learning modules

● A record of the minutes and summary of learning points from a meeting

● Feedback from colleagues—that is, workplace based assessments, 360 degree assessments, peer group discussions

● Feedback from patients

● Winning awards/prizes

● Being able to perform a new skill/task

● Increased patient satisfaction, improved patient care measured via audit.

Protected time and peer support

A study of 14 general practitioners highlighted the problems in undertaking PDPs. They suggested that while PDPs were valued in principle, protected time is needed to complete them, as well as leadership and facilitation of this process. 12

Newby showed that peer groups are a practicable mechanism for generating PDPs. Participants at workshops reported that it was refreshing to take time out of their pressured working lives to reflect with colleagues on prioritising objectives and discussing how to achieve these. The author outlines factors for successful peer groups and PDPs. These include regular meetings at least every six months, which last two to three hours and have between three and eight participants, all of whom should have individual space to consider requirements. The meetings must be facilitated and structured with agreed “ground rules,” and there must be tangible outputs from the process. 13

Another study showed that a peer led approach opened up mutual conversations that also promoted and enhanced reflective learning. The role of the group facilitator was valued in helping to structure the sessions, and the authors have recommended the wider use of peers and mentors to help deaneries with educational planning. 14

The PDP is an important aspect of a doctor’s professional life and should be planned to meet patients’ needs as well as those of doctors. Doctors should choose goals that motivate them as this will provide the energy and drive to achieve them.

Planning and evaluating learning should be a continual process as circumstances change and plans may need to be modified. The final step is to reflect on how effective the PDP has been and whether there are areas that have not been tackled or have not worked. Reflection must drive learning, and a completed PDP should be a building block for future PDPs.

I thank Tom Roper, Brighton and Sussex Library and Knowledge Service, for the evidence search on personal development planning.

Competing interests: I have read and understood BMJ’s policy on declaration of interests and declare that I have no competing interests.

• ↵ Bullock K, Jamieson I. The effectiveness of personal development planning. The Curriculum Journal 1998 ; 9 : 63 -77. OpenUrl
• ↵ General Medical Council. Supporting information for appraisal and revalidation. GMC, 2012. www.gmc-uk.org/RT___Supporting_information_for_appraisal_and_revalidation___DC5485.pdf_55024594.pdf .
• ↵ General Medical Council. The GMC’s role in continuing professional development: Annexes. GMC, 2012. www.gmc-uk.org/static/documents/content/CPD-Annexes.pdf .
• ↵ Bryson D. The personal development planning cycle. Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine 2011 ; 34 : 177 -82. OpenUrl
• ↵ Doran GT. There’s a SMART way to write management’s goals and objective. Management Review 1981 ; 70 : 35 -36. OpenUrl
• ↵ Etherington C, Smith C, Wadhera M. Top tips on developing your personal development plan. BMJ Learning 2012 . http://learning.bmj.com/learning/module-intro/tips-personal-development-plan-pdp.html?locale=en_GB&moduleId=10037199 .
• ↵ General Medical Council. The Good medical practice framework for appraisal and revalidation. GMC, 2012 . www.gmc-uk.org/GMP_framework_for_appraisal_and_revalidation.pdf_41326960.pdf .
• ↵ NHS Leadership Academy. Clinical Leadership Competency Framework. NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. 2011. www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NHSLeadership-Leadership-Framework-Clinical-Leadership-Competency-Framework-CLCF.pdf .
• ↵ General Medical Council. Continuing professional development: Guidance for all doctors. GMC, 2012. www.gmc-uk.org/Continuing_professional_development___guidance_for_all_doctors_1114.pdf_56438625.pdf .
• ↵ Pyatt RS, Moore DE, Caldwell SC. Improving outcomes through an innovative continuing medical education partnership. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions 1997 ; 17 : 239 -44. OpenUrl
• ↵ Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Academy reflective template for revalidation. 2012. www.aomrc.org.uk/doc_view/9556-academy-reflective-template-for-revalidation .
• ↵ Ramsay R, Pitts P, While R, et al. Factors that helped and hindered undertaking practice professional development plans and personal development plans. Education for Primary Care 2003 ; 14 : 166 -177. OpenUrl
• ↵ Newby D. Personal development plans: Making them work, making them count. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 2003 ; 9 : 5 -10. OpenUrl Abstract / FREE Full Text
• ↵ Main P, Curtis A, Pitts J, Irish B. A ‘mutually agreed statement of learning’ in general practice trainer appraisal: the place of peer appraisal by experienced course members. Education for Primary Care 2009 ; 20 : 104 -10. OpenUrl

Professional growth and development for nurse leaders

Keep your skills up-to-date with resources from ana enterprise..

AS A NURSE LEADER , you make decisions that impact many facets of the healthcare landscape. Your colleagues look to you to lead them into the future.

To support professional nurse leader development, ANA has created a Leadership  Competency Model ( nursingworld.org/continuing-education/ce-subcategories/leadership ) that guides  new and seasoned nurse leaders on their journey. This easy-to-read guideline offers essential leadership competencies in several formats to enhance understanding and usability. As you explore this model, you’ll see that ANA offers many resources and opportunities at all stages of your career development to assist with continued professional growth.

ANA represents the voice of RNs on key issues that affect the profession and patient care and foster high standards of nursing practice. From ethical dilemmas to healthcare reform, ANA resources can help you address nursing challenges. ANA publications such as Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice and The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements are foundational documents that can position nurse leaders as influencers in the healthcare arena. Membership in ANA allows you to be part of setting policies and national nursing priorities. The key skills of debate, fact presentation, and negotiation can be expanded and refined through involvement with ANA while you learn from local and national nursing leaders.

As an ANA member, you receive free access as well as discounts for content specifically designed for nurse leadership development. From engaging online, interactive courses and webinars to live workshops and publications, educational content is available to support your leadership development across the spectrum—from novice to expert. Certification exam preparation courses provide relevant content as well as continuing nursing education.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers many ways for you to demonstrate expertise in your field. Certifications such as Nurse Executive and Nurse Executive-Advanced, in addition to many other clinical specialties, provide opportunities for growth and excellence. At our major conferences—such as the ANCC Pathway to Excellence Conference ® or the ANCC National Magnet Conference ® —you’ll learn from national and international nursing experts and network with key healthcare leaders. The learning opportunities at these conferences provide avenues to expand your knowledge by discovering new practices in leadership, innovation, and collaboration.

If you’re interested in pursuing service on a board of directors, you should look at the American Nurses Foundation’s educational webinars on topics such as building a board-ready résumé, bringing nurse expertise to the board room, and understanding organizational finances. The webinar series ( nursingworld.org/foundation/ programs/nurses-on-boards/resources ) is funded  by the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation.

To learn more about how the ANA Enterprise can help in your leadership growth and professional development endeavors, visit nursingworld.org .

The authors work in the products and services division of the ANA Enterprise.

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Personal Development Planning

Working in a dental practice can be exciting, invigorating and rewarding. At the same time it can be very demanding as there is always a lot going on. The dental industry is one of continual learning – things are always changing, especially in medical terms – so it is vital to keep up. A dental nurse’s role has advanced more than ever in recent years, a dental nurse carries out a wide range of tasks. These include looking after patients, patient reassurance, safety precautions, being at the dentist’s side and preparing and sterilising equipment, the list goes on . In addition, of course, all of these tasks must be performed to very high standard. This is why it is so important to take time to reflect on your role, your tasks, your progress and then evaluate how you can develop yourself professionally.

Completing and utilising a Personal Development Plan (PDP) effectively can help support you on your road to progression and what you really want to achieve. It can give you, as an individual, structure, focusing on quality and accountability, which are significant considerations in terms of future goals not only for the individual, but for a dental practice too. A PDP is a method for identifying your developmental needs and devising the best solutions to achieve this development.

A PDP is part of Clinical Governance – the government requires that all NHS clinicians have and use a PDP. A PDP involves updating, revisiting, stimulating ideas, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and prioritising and planning for your future career.

Many people find the idea of reflecting, evaluating and making plans daunting and overwhelming. A word of advice, go through the process slowly and break it down. It will hugely benefit you if you make and stick to an effective PDP.

A PDP in other words is a ‘plan.’ This ‘plan’ demonstrates commitment to your professional development. It can be useful to break down what you need to learn and what you want to learn. This will encourage you to focus on what you want to achieve through this learning and it will force you to think specifically about how you are going to get to that point. You can create your own learning objectives and your PDP will therefore stands as a evidence of your learning and objectives.

A Personal Development Plan demonstrates to the General Dental Council (GDC) that you are committed to lifelong learning in your professional field. It also provides guidance and goals, in addition, assisting with continual professional development (CPD). A PDP has been defined as ‘a process by which we identify our educational needs, set ourselves some objectives in relation to these, undertake our educational activities and produce evidence that you have learned something useful.’ (Rughani, Franklin & Dickson. Personal Development Plans for Dentists. The new approach to continuing professional development. Oxon: Radcliffe Medical Press, 2003, p. 27)

Since August 2008, it was determined by the GDC that Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) have to complete 50 hours of verifiable CPD (in recommended subject areas) and 100 hours non-verifiable in a five-year cycle. Furthermore, it is now law for dental professionals to take part in CPD. The GDC introduced the CPD scheme to ensure patients the best possible treatment. CPD was put in place to ensure patients receive high quality care. 

A PDP involves identifying your learning needs, it incorporates CPD activity and aims to improve your professional status. This means you can take control of your own learning and future career. The GDC require that you keep CPD records for five-years and you may be selected for audit. The GDC have declared, ‘As a registered dental professional you have a duty to keep our skills and knowledge up to date so you can give patients the best possible treatment and care. Continuing professional development (CPD) is compulsory, but ideally it should just set out a formal framework for what you are already doing.’ (GDC) A PDP is essential for an individual’s professional portfolio as well as requested by the GDC. A PDP will also be useful for job interviews.

Some practical advice

Before you start your PDP it is a good idea to make a spider diagram including the following topics: Learning and educational needs: how you will address these? Outcomes and Evidence: scribble down ideas and many of your first thoughts which surface when thinking about your career and job role. You can refer back to this. It will be useful as a draft and template.

Whilst drawing on your spider diagram it may be useful to reflect on the following:

• What are you good at? • What could you do better? • What do you think you could change to benefit your practice? • Do any patients make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy? • Has a patient asked you something you don’t know the answer to? • Have you ever needed to look anything up? • What issues have been raised in your appraisals? • Does your practice run effectively? The best it can? • What doesn’t run well in practice? • Have there been any significant events in practice? • What are the practice development priorities? How do they affect you?

You might prefer to use a ‘Reflective Model’ which helps you to reflect and focus on something specific using the certain subtitles: Description: what happened? Feelings: what did you think or feel? Evaluation: was it good or bad? Analysis: what sense have you made of today? Conclusions: what else could have been done? Action plan: what will you do now? Gibbs (1988) stated that a Reflective Model will ‘help you reflect and focus on your thoughts today'.

The next stage is to begin your PDP. The key is to construct a simple, clear PDP and this can be achieved through a step by step approach.

SWOT analysis - open a word document, google document or pages document ( or DOWNLOAD one here ) and title it ‘SWOT analysis’. SWOT stands for STRENGHS (for example, team leader, update with CPD, good communication skills, good with elderly patients. This is an opportunity to sell yourself), WEAKNESSES (difficultly finding time for CPD or completing CPD, not recording CPD, lack of knowledge in specific areas. Address your weaknesses to help you overcome them), OPPORTUNITIES ( extended duties , supportive boss and colleagues, taking charge of PDP) and THREATS (new job, limited time, overwhelmed with learning new skills, poor communication with team). This gives you a chance to sit down and analyse your current situation. This can help you to work out your long term goals. You may want to do this with a colleague which may help.

The next part is to open a word document ( or DOWNLOAD one here ) and title it SMARTER GOAL 1, you may have more than one so the following pages you would label SMARTER GOAL 2, SMARTER GOAL 3, etc. This is where you can consider your goals, evaluate them, really think about them and make them smarter. You can identify your goals through appraisal, self-awareness, audit and reflection, etc. An occasion may occur when a patient asks you a question and you do not know the answer to it e.g ’ What are implants made of?' This realisation that you are not sure what to respond might highlight that you need to develop your knowledge on implants. Another example of goal may be to complete a certain number of CPD courses. In you PDP you should specifically state which CPD courses you want to undertake. You do not have to write 50 at once, you can build your PDP gradually.

Once you have determined a goal, you then make it smarter by addressing the following questions:

It is important to break your goals down. How will you achieve your goal? What will mark your success? What resources will you need? Set a date to complete the goal Too. You make these decisions and be as flexible as you want working towards what you want to achieve.

The next section of your PDP needs to be a record of your CPD  ( DOWNLOAD Record sheet here ) . This includes both verifiable and non-verifiable CPD. This is just a case of compiling certificates, recording dates and sources.

Now you need to decide on how you are going to present you PDP and formulate your PDP portfolio. This can also include: your CV, references, appraisals.

Some practices have undergone annual appraisals and PDPs are involved in the final part of these appraisals. PDPs set out some of your planned, future learning. In this case, your appraiser will likely sign your PDP as satisfactory. Changes or suggestions may be given. The following year's appraisal will involve a review of the previous year's PDP.

The important thing to remember is that you must update your PDP constantly. You can change, alter and modify your goals and then you can add new needs as the year progresses. It is all about self-awareness and figuring out where your strengths and weaknesses lie. It is personal, so it is yours to do and decide what you want to do with. Its main aim is to help with your own development and this further benefits the practice and patients.

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Personal Development Plan Nursing Template

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• Employee Development , Leadership Development , Personal Development

20 Employee Development Plan Examples

• September 2, 2024

3 in 4 HR professionals report that it has been very difficult to find qualified individuals with the new skills they need, and overall 50% say they have had difficulty retaining full-time employees in the last 12 months.

With the wave of changes going on, and retention becoming harder than ever, the best course of action you take as leaders is to use internal talent to the best possible extent.

While you’re deftly crafted initiatives that suit different learning styles and employee personas, you need an eclectic and effective mix of employee development plans to tend to the entire workforce. 

This blog will give you 20 Employee development plan ideas that you can implement, to empower your employees, and watch them take ownership of their growth and development in your organization.

Types of Employee Development Plans

Innovative employee development plan examples

1. reverse mentoring programs.

Mentoring teaches leadership skills, instils a sense of sense worth, and is a generous gesture from the mentor. But, it doesn’t always have to be unilateral.

Anyone looking to grow in a leadership role seeks to give back to others but also needs to be willing to take or learn from the right people, even if they’re younger or less experienced in a field than them. That’s exactly what reverse mentoring is. 

The workforce consists of 5 generations of employees now, and there’s a big gap between people and their leaders.

When your employees rise the ranks, they often get so focused on the strategy, and the vision of the organization, that they lose the pulse of the workforce, and what people feel. Reverse mentoring, where a younger employee counsels the emerging leader on matters they want to broaden their knowledge on, is an amazing way to leaders rooted to the core of the company while fueling their growth. 

There are a few important things to take care of, in reverse mentoring programs. Make your match thoughtfully.

Find someone who has a pulse on the key spokespeople in your company, someone who knows you and your teams well.

Ensure the reverse mentor is not a direct report or a part of the leader’s team, so their interactions are candid. 

For example, you can team up an engineering leader with an associate in marketing, or a product expert with someone in customer care, etc.

Beware of role reversion – sometimes the senior employee tends to take over the discussion and give career advice. It’s better to set ground rules to avoid this issue. 

About 63% of organizations plan to support a formal or informal mentoring program in 2024. The right implementation can be tremendously helpful to emerging leaders and shape them well.

2. Cross-functional projects and side ventures

Employees with leadership potential are good performers and also have the skills and the fortitude to learn higher-order work and take on bigger challenges.

They have the capability to learn, be resilient, and ace things that are beyond their scope now. To broaden the candidate’s skills, give them assignments that appeal to their skill set, but in a context that isn’t too familiar to them.

For example, if a marketing associate is showing potential in conflict resolution, give them a project in customer service. Or, if a software developer shows potential in breaking down and leveraging social media trends, give them a chance to do it. 

This is how they form working relationships with people out of their comfort zone, and push themselves to get results for the team.

This is an important skill for a leader, and these cross-functional projects set the perfect stage for it.

3. Employee innovation programs

Sometimes the best, and breakthrough ideas don’t come from leaders or external consultants. The most ingenious ideas sometimes come from grassroots-level employees.

When their suggestions are considered, tested, and validated, they can open up new opportunities or markets for the business.

To bring out the best in your employees, set up a contest, or a program where every department, or every employee (depending on the employee headcount) has to come up with one innovative idea to reduce waste, improve efficiency, or bring down costs, implement it and show how their idea benefits the company. 

The TATA Titan Group does this well. The jewelry division of the Titan group, Titan Tanishq conducts a yearly event to bring out hidden talent in employees through an event called Impact Mela.

It’s an exhibition where employees display an innovative product, or solution they discovered, or invented to simplify their work or any other process in the company. 

It can be as simple as discovering a new methodology to stop water from dripping continuously from the water cooler, thus saving thousands of rupees for the manufacturing plant, or a different, simpler method to clean metal without using power, but giving the same accuracy time and time again. 

In about 49% of organizations, limited advancement opportunities is a high retention challenge in the last 12 months.

This exhibition is an excellent way to bring out employee creativity, and innovation, and fire up their zeal to become a leader.

4. Job rotation within the internal talent marketplace

When an employee works at different levels and capacities within the same workplace, they get to know the workplace dynamics better, help troubleshoot, and master their function thoroughly.

To make this process equitable, use internal talent marketplaces. Studies say only 1 in 4 organizations use an internal talent marketplace . If you have a person taking a sabbatical or need a quick replacement due to any reason, post the job on the marketplace, and have anyone with the required skill set apply for the interview. 

Hiring from within almost always trumps hiring externally.

If you can rotate employees from the same function to take up the vacancy, there’s nothing better than that.

For example, if there’s an immediate opening for a copywriter, and your SEO specialist shows credibility to write well, have them appear for the screening.

Job rotation improves credibility for employees, and helps mobilize internal talent. Opportunities for growth within the workspace represent the single biggest factor in employees’ overall mental wellbeing, surpassing even job security.

5. Experiential learning programs for leadership development

Teamwork, helping tendency, ability to lead, and thinking on one’s feet are all essential characteristics of a leader.

This is best brought out in real-life dangerous situations where the stakes are high. If you want to spot true leaders in your workforce, take them to an experiential training camp, where they indulge in adventurous activities as a team. 

It brings out many hidden traits, that you can fuel later on. It’s also an amazing exercise for those on track to be leaders and gives them a taste of the strengths and weaknesses they need to work on.

Apart from leaders, you can also get a glimpse of individual contributors who, when push comes to shove, will take one for the team.

You’ll also see whom the team naturally trusts and gravitates toward when put in a tough spot. This person is a natural leader and a potential candidate for you to develop.

6. Stretch assignments to test new skill acquisition

Apart from cross-functional projects, and job rotation, if you want an employee to truly go out of their comfort zone, challenge themselves, and do something extraordinary, give them stretch assignments.

Going beyond the job description, for a short period of time, and for an incentive at the end is what stretch assignments are about.

Offering an incentive, in terms of a bonus, a flexible schedule, a promotion in the next review, or putting on track for leadership positions makes the individual deliver to the best of their potential. 

Stretch assignments, for example, can be of different kinds – requiring an employee to do extensive market research, competitive research, product research, leading an R&D initiative for a particular high-value product, and trusting them to come up with a workable prototype.

It can require them to set up and run an international division or branch of a business. It can be asking them to spearhead a digital transformation initiative in the company, or courting and bringing in a high-ticket client (if that isn’t in their JD). 

7. Coaching with external expert coaches

Climbing up the corporate ladder isn’t the same for everyone. Individual contributors who are masters in their line of work often find it incredibly hard to manage people when they get promoted.

They may be unable to confront the people whom they worked side by side with until recently, an inability to set strict boundaries and manage without seeming too bossy. 

These are behaviors that a manager needs to have, regardless of their other skills. If the employee on the leadership track lacks these essential soft skills, they will find it hard to cope.

One of the ways to develop them is to sponsor a coaching program with one of the best coaches in the industry to help them become a well-rounded manager.

8. Lunch and learn sessions

Lunch and Learn sessions are informal training or informational meetings that typically take place during lunch hours at the workplace.

These sessions are designed to provide employees with an opportunity to learn new skills, gain knowledge, or discuss various topics in a relaxed setting while enjoying a meal.

These are held during lunch breaks, often lasting between 30 minutes to an hour. Cover a wide range of subjects, from professional development and industry trends to health and wellness, personal finance, or even hobbies.

Employees are usually invited to attend on a voluntary basis, creating a low-pressure environment. Since they take place during regular work hours and often involve minimal expenses (like providing lunch), they are a cost-effective way for organizations to invest in employee development.

9. Interactive internal knowledge-sharing forums

Progressive companies know succession planning and continuous leadership development are possible only when people in the same or extended teams share their knowledge and experience with each other.

We’re seeing many organizations come up with internal podcasts, knowledge bases, and internal research reports based on each department’s experience with the market that helps each other do their work better. 

These knowledge-sharing systems are super-important to creating a culture of learning and boosting each other – which lies at the crux of leadership development.

Leaders can gather input from across the organization to inform strategic decisions, fostering a sense of ownership and involvement among employees.

10. AR/VR immersive learning

Upskilling and reskilling are top priorities for 53% of organizations worldwide in 2024 and for the next few years. AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) immersive learning technologies offer innovative and effective ways to achieve this goal right.

These technologies create highly engaging, interactive, and realistic learning environments that can significantly improve the learning experience and outcomes for employees. 

They allow employees to actively participate in learning experiences rather than passively consuming information.

This interactivity increases engagement and helps in better retention of knowledge. Employees can practice tasks and scenarios in a safe, controlled virtual environment without the risk of real-world consequences.

This is particularly valuable in high-risk industries like healthcare, manufacturing, or aviation.

Once developed, AR/VR training modules can be scaled across large organizations without the need for additional physical resources or repeated instructor-led sessions. 

11. Workathons or hackathons – contests on completing distinguished projects

When Mark Zuckerberg wanted to recruit the best talent in his founding team to build Facebook from the ground up, he conducted workathons – a fun competition where participants work on a task with a huge goal and a stringent timeframe, with other employees cheering them on.

Whoever completed it first got the spot for an internship on Zuckerberg’s team. These contests bring out the competitive nature among employees and get them to break free of their limits, learn extensively, practice, train, and deliver the best on the day of the event.

You can apply this concept of workathons to any concept, or context and get fruitful results, in terms of engagement, employee delight, and development. 

This makes employees push their limits. Also, seeing other employees win accolades or special incentives is a huge motivation for others to follow suit and take part in such events, thereby driving collective development.

12. New idea incubation programs

Geniuses can come from anywhere, and when they do, you do your best to make use of their ideas. Many organizations encourage the entrepreneurial drive their star employees have.

If an employee has an out-of-the-box idea that is directly relevant or complementary to the business vision, the organization provides mentorship, resources, and anything else required to have the employee develop the idea from scratch and get it to fruition, just like venture capitalists do.

Progressive organizations encourage employees to be entrepreneurs themselves, in their chosen field, and invest in their growth. If the employee runs the new venture well, they may also consider having the venture as a separate entity with the employee running it with a team of their own. 

This kind of reception for employee’s brilliant ideas only breeds more fantastic ideas.

People who previously thought they were of no consequence in the company now start vocalizing their ideas and contributing to the growth of the company. This brings us to our next point.

13. Employee suggestion programs and employee circles

Suggestion programs are a common practice in many companies, but most of them aren’t effective. Manufacturing companies that follow lean practices do it religiously, and it benefits them in improving their throughput process.

There are employee circles (cross-functional teams) that gather together every quarter or half-year, to brainstorm suggestions to make the workplace, or their department function better.

Subsequent to these meetings, they also run an anonymous suggestion scheme, or quarterly surveys to gauge employee pulse. 

Using robust tools like Peoplebox to run successful, thorough, and completely anonymous surveys gets you detailed qualitative and quantitative results, features to slice and dice, and work out all possible data combinations to get the real picture of how engaged people are in your company, and to get their candid suggestions.

These suggestions can be a breakthrough if done right. Employees may be liberated, and empowered to voice out their opinions and concerns and get them heard by the right people, which is core to employee development.

14. Holistic wellbeing programs

Holistic wellbeing programs are comprehensive initiatives designed to address various aspects of employees’ lives, including physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing.

41% of employees experience a lot of stress at work, which ultimately affects how engaged, productive, and happy people are at work.

When you take care of holistic wellbeing programs, sickness/ absence rates decline, staff retention levels, and engagement levels skyrocket, productivity climbs, and leadership behavior increases, you can see better customer satisfaction scores and a wondrous improvement in stock performance.

15. Rotational leadership

By rotating through different leadership roles, employees refine their leadership skills more quickly than they might in a single, static role.

They learn to manage diverse teams, handle different types of challenges, and develop leadership competencies more rapidly.

This program helps identify and nurture high-potential leaders who are capable of taking on significant roles within the organization. This accelerates the development of future leaders and ensures a strong leadership pipeline.

Employees are less likely to leave an organization that invests in their development and provides them with varied career experiences.

Rotational programs help retain top talent by demonstrating a commitment to their long-term career growth.

16. Volunteering projects/social responsibility projects

Invite employees to work together on a social cause, arrange a CSR program, and ask them to contribute and show them how valuable they are to the world.

This is a great way to show they’re not alone, they can make a huge impact in the world, and they are irreplaceable in the community, family, and the world at large. 

Managing multiple deadlines, working on a small budget yet making a profound impact, getting everybody to prioritize social responsibility in their spare time, bringing everyone together, and working towards a higher cause truly bring out one’s leadership qualities and inherent benevolence.

Once successfully implemented, these programs have a chance of being perpetuated by different generations of employees, since they inspire everyone on the team to tap into their potential.

These projects also evoke a sense of purpose in the organization and add new vigor to the working style, thus making employees feel empowered.

17. Self-care boot camps to focus on oneself

Most people with 9-5 jobs don’t stop working (physically or mentally) after their working hours. They don’t dissociate from work and have no time or the emotional bandwidth to think about where they are in life, what path they want to take, and how to get where they want to be.

Giving them a recluse from the cycle, in the form of a self-care boot camp can work wonders. In this program, employees will be taken to a retreat (in most cases) or done online.

A one or two-day program is completely dedicated to expert-guided self-care that takes care of mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.

This time away from one’s day-to-day work and personal responsibilities gives a well-deserved relief to employees and helps them figure out what they want out of life, and what they need to do. 

Most programs include sessions from external life coaches who help employees plan the next 5-7 years of their lives and also chalk up short-term plans (personal and professional).

These programs are meaningful, evoke a sense of purpose in employees, and remind them of their potential to achieve all their goals.

18. Career pathing programs to ascertain which path to take

66% of HR leaders agree career paths within their organizations are not compelling enough for many employees. Only 1 in 4 employees is confident about their career in their organization.

Career pathing programs are designed to guide employees through the various career options available within an organization, helping them identify and pursue the paths that best align with their interests, strengths, and long-term goals. 

These can be as simple as an employee having a professional development dialogue with a manager, but they are immensely helpful.

Employees may want to explore roles in different departments without necessarily moving up the hierarchy. Lateral moves allow them to broaden their skill sets, gain new experiences, and build a more versatile career.

Traditional upward career paths, where employees move into higher-level positions with increased responsibilities, remain a common aspiration.

Employees often seek clear pathways to leadership or specialized roles within their field.

Certain employees may wish to delve deeper into a specific area of expertise, becoming subject matter experts. Career pathing for specialists focuses on honing technical skills and deepening knowledge in a particular domain.

It’s essential for organizations to communicate these career paths clearly to employees. This can be done through career development portals, workshops, and regular discussions with managers.

Transparency helps employees understand what is required to move into different roles, what opportunities are available to them, and the skill requirements for each such role.

19. Crisis management workshop

Organizations that deal with volatile situations in the economy, market, or community often have an emergency response team – an A-team to take care of everything important in case of any catastrophic emergency – from communication to ensuring safety, to taking of organizational functioning, to transferring funds to people in need, etc.

Similarly, conduct a crisis management workshop and appoint committees with benevolent individuals who will step up and rise to the occasion, should an emergency present itself at work. 

Like other programs discussed above, setting up a crisis management team also taps into people’s inherent potential, leadership skills, and altruistic nature.

Set up a cross-functional A-team after the training, and have them come up with responsibilities they can take up to address the crisis.

20. Focused group discussions to share, vent, and brainstorm as a group

Employees, as a group, or individually may be going through challenges that they might not have the right forum to vent out or seek help for.

They also would want to discuss work issues and get a solution, without being judged by others. 

Listening circles, or focused group discussions once a fortnight, where people come together without any particular agenda, and speak their minds, discuss, brainstorm, and listen to one another if anyone wants to vent and give a safe and supportive space.

Leaders need to make sure that this session isn’t used for work or task delegation amongst employees, and that it remains a space for people to truly connect. 

These spaces for employees to interact candidly make a huge difference, and when they feel truly cared for, supported, and cheered on, they make extra efforts to work for you and take the initiative to make things happen. 

The first step towards implementing the employee development plans we spoke about is to take a pulse check about how your people are feeling at the moment, and then working your way up. 

If you’re looking for an expert-backed performance and engagement management tool to help you get started, contact Peoplebox today.

We’ve been trusted by leading SaaS companies like RazorPay , and Nova Benefits to streamline their HR processes to meet evolving trends, leverage technology to boost your employer brand, skyrocket your employee value proposition, and make the whole process a cakewalk, for an affordable price at lighting speeds. 

Want to create the same for your organization? Sign up for a free product tour and demo today ! 

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