Personal development plans (PDPs) are the major part of continuing professional development (CPD) and general practitioner’s appraisal. Together with practice professional development plans (PPDPs), personal development plans (PDPs) provide individual with a future development program and explain how to manage it. While PPDPs are aimed at the development of healthcare services and should have relation to patients’ needs and doctors’ professional development, PDPs should contain description of individual learning plans (Huw, 2010). However, while personal development plans (PDPs) and practice professional development plans (PPDPs) undertaking, there appear some factors that may help or hinder their successful implementation. The main purpose of this writing is to analyze the major factors helping or hindering PPDPs and PDPs undertaking relying on Ramsay and her colleagues’ article that reports on this question and propose additional factors, which are not mentioned in this article.
Actually, earlier post grade education allowances were frequently used in GP’s educational process. However, the CMO (the Chief Medical Officer) proposed to replace it by personal development plans (PDPs) and practice professional development plans (PPDPs) (Ramsay, 2003). Since their presentation and implementation using qualitative approaches in practice may show results fundamentally opposite to theoretical data, there is an urgent need to analyze how advantages and resources of the new system may be effectively actualized. Rosemary Ramsay and her colleagues in their article report that for better estimation some interviews were hold, in which 14 GPs participated. Practical implementation of the new system demonstrated some problems that occurred in the process and consequently the article proposed ways and instruments needed for its efficient implementation.
The interviews were hold in different perspectives in order to get the accurate data. Relying on interviews results, the authors in their article listed some factors that may help GPs to undertake the new development plans. Moreover, they also described the factors that usually hinder this process.
The factors can be divided into two main groups: internal and external ones. Internal factors that help in plans undertaking include (Ramsay, 2003):
- Individual leaders’ change that may be helpful within the practice.
- Having some number of GPs that can provide effective collaboration and workload sharing. However, the opinions concerning the optimal GPs’ number are quite diverse. Some appreciate more GPs, others don’t accept this position.
- Practice teams collaborative work is extremely productive. High level of participation my help in effective PPDPs introduction.
External factors include:
- Revalidation that serves as the major motivation for PPDPs implementation. Survey participants reported PPDPs and PDPs to be the most effective way of improving of doctors’ continuing professional development and revalidation process.
- Guidelines and workshops are found to be useful and helpful while PPDPs undertaking.
- Change from General Medical Services to Personal ones (from GMS to PMS). Actually, PMS and PPDPs are proved to be connected and to have some similar requirements and features.
- Practice locality may also support the PPDPs effective implementation by increasing collaboration within localities.
The factors listed by the authors are extremely important and they surely may help in PPDPs undertaking. In addition, it is necessary to mention that such factors as regular plans undertaking valued by the practitioner and supported by GP tutors may also have their positive impact on the development plans undertaking. Moreover, they should be recorded and linked to the assessment process in order to be successful.
The factors, which hinder the development plans undertaking, are identified below. Internal factors include:
- Partner’s death or retirement.
- Different learning styles
- Changes in the undertaking work that may drive GP’s out of the habitual course of plans undertaking.
The list of external factors is the following:
- PPDPs undertaking is connected with the forthcoming revalidation that may serves as an important factor in early retirement.
- Workload and time: because of increased workload, GPs don’t have much time for plans undertaking within practice time, so they have to do them in the evening or at weekends.
- Small urban practices suffer from the limited staff resources.
- Distant locality of postgraduate centers may cause communication discomfort and poor collaboration.
- Lack of PPDPs and PDPs undertaking guidelines.
Thus, a variety of factors were revealed and confirmed in the discussed research. The most important factor that provokes development plans undertaking is the coming revalidation. It serves as the main motivation for plans development. Within the framework of actual small and large urban practices the tasks may be fulfilled effectively using leaders’ change and close collaboration. Simultaneously, different guidelines and leadership strategies may become the real supporting and encouraging issue. These factors that help in plans undertaking are the most important.
Nevertheless, many practices experience some difficulties in their work and plans development. Time limitation and great workload, different learning styles and limited staff resources prevent development plans undertaking and leads to serious problems during the work on the PPDPs and PDPs.
The article is of great importance for practices undertaking PPDPs and PDPs. However, considering the factors revealed and discussed, the major success factor is a sufficient funding system.
References
Huw, T. (2010). Personal Development Plans. Retrieved December 21, 2013, from http://www.patient.co.uk/pdf/2601.pdf
Ramsay, R., Pitts, J., While, R., Attwood, M., Wood, V., & Curtis, A. (2003). Factors that helped and hindered undertaking practice professional development plans and personal development plans. Education for Primary Care, 14, 166-177 (12).
