Self-reflection is an important tool for evaluating your practice and current levels of professional knowledge and skill. This process is facilitated by self-assessment and will help you identify opportunities for maintaining and improving your competence and inform the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities you choose to undertake to help achieve your professional goals.
The objectives and activities you set out to complete should be connected and aim to remedy any identified gaps in knowledge or skill, address changes in practice environments, and incorporate updates to standards of practice and advances in technology.
To reflect on your past objectives, the progress you have made, and where you want to be in the future, consider the following questions:
REFLECTING ON PAST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
- Looking back, did I choose the right Professional Development Plan objectives?
- Did I take adequate time to plan how I would achieve my goals?
- How am I measuring progress towards the objectives I set?
- Am I completing my current two-year QA cycle with any unfinished objectives, projects, or work? If so, what got in the way?
- What were my top professional accomplishments within the last two years? What helped me reach these achievements or complete my objectives?
- What were my biggest professional challenges?
- What was the most significant professional change I made within the last year?
REFLECTING ON NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
- What are my top three objectives for professional development over the next two-year QA cycle?
- Are there any ongoing objectives I want to carry over from my last QA cycle?
- Are each of my objectives long-term or short-term goals?
- What are some actionable steps I can take towards accomplishing each goal? Are there specific CPD activities that will help me get there?
- Do I have a deadline for each objective?
- How can I measure progress towards my new objectives?
- What can I do to motivate myself to accomplish my goals?
- How can I include my professional peers in achieving my goals?
Keep your objectives 鈥淪MART鈥� 鈥� Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound.