The Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) has launched a professional development planning (PDP) framework. Last year, NMBI was part of the ONMSD’s National PDP Oversight Group.

In 2022, a National PDP Oversight Group was convened by the ONMSD with stakeholder representatives from nursing and midwifery to review the Health Service Executive (HSE) PDP Framework.

Through engagement and collaboration with representatives, national HSE HR and NMBI, the Oversight Group agreed that nurses and midwives employed by the HSE must engage in an annual PDP cycle with their line manager. The National PDP Oversight Group continued into 2023 to collaboratively work on a service implementation plan.

The PDP is a tool that supports the nurse or midwife to identify professional goals. PDP is a continuous development process that facilitates nurses and midwives to engage with their line manager, to identify their professional goals and the supports required to achieve their goals. From this month, the PDP will now be implemented as part of the HSE's Performance Achievement where nurses and midwives engage with their line manager to complete it annually.

A Digital PDP is available on the Nursing and Midwifery hub on HSELanD where all nurses and midwives can create and maintain an online portfolio of their professional development. All you need to start is a HSELanD account. Helpful resources to support you such as the PDP Information Guide and the PDP Framework are available to download from the digital PDP Hub resources section.

NMBI Director of Education, Policy and Standards, Carolyn Donohoe, said: “We believe that the PDP will facilitate nurses and midwives to be proactive in identifying areas where competency can be maintained or where an expansion in their scope of practice would lead to improvement in patient outcomes.”

“The Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives is the overarching structure that informs our framework of professional guidance to registered nurses and midwives. Professional accountability, competency and the quality of professional practice are integral to this structure and NMBI welcomes the incorporation of the Code into the PDP. NMBI is supportive of the PDP Framework and the opportunity it provides registrants to plan and reflect on the standards, skills, and knowledge they are trying to achieve.”

In accordance with the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011, as amended, NMBI is currently developing the details of a scheme for the purpose of monitoring the maintenance of professional competence. When the scheme is fully operational, nurses and midwives may be required to demonstrate to NMBI how they maintain their competency through continuing professional development (CPD).

Learn more about the PDP below from the ONMSD.

Benefits of Professional Development Planning

• Helps you recognise and acknowledge your strengths and facilitates you to identify and meet your professional developmental needs.
• Supports you to set professional long and short-term goals.
• Provides an opportunity for one-to-one engagement at least once a year with your line manager as part of the mandatory PA process.
• Provides an opportunity for you to give and receive feedback.
• Provides an opportunity to engage in continuing professional development and builds your professional confidence and credibility.
• Enables you to demonstrate how you maintain your professional development and competence for NMBI.
• Enhances job satisfaction.
• Supports organisational goals and objectives.
• Contributes to the delivery of safe quality care and improved patient experience.

The professional development planning process consists of 4 main stages: Prepare, Plan, Collaborate and Act.

Stage 1 Prepare: PDP starts with a self-assessment. Take time to explore the knowledge, skills and experience required to fulfil your role.

Stage 2 Plan: Setting out your professional goals.  When creating your own PDP, plan your goals one by one and reflect why they’re important to you, and how you plan to achieve them.  Align your goals to the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics principles (NMBI, 2021).

Stage 3 Collaborate: The PDP process requires all nurses and midwives to meet with their line manager at least once annually. At this meeting you and your line manager discuss and agree on the goals you have set out and how you can be supported to achieve these goals.

Stage 4 Act: You should review your PDP on a regular basis to ensure goals are being achieved.  On the digital PDP, you can add updates when you want and is a useful means of tracking progress, reflective learning and retaining your records of competence, to update your manager at your next PDP meeting.