On 19th November 2018, Mary Wynne, Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Planning Director in the HSE launched the National Professional Development Planning (PDP) Framework for Nurses and Midwives. A Professional Development Plan (PDP) is a tool that supports the nurse or midwife to identify professional goals, both short and long term for the benefit of themselves, their service users and the organisations in which they work. Professional development planning is a continuous development process that enables nurses and midwives to make the best use of their skills, to identify their professional goals and the supports required to achieve their goals, and helps advance both their individual plans and the strategic goals of the organisation. The PDP can be used only for professional development planning and is shared only with the nurse’s line manager. The PDP will support nurses in maintaining a record of professional competence as will be required with enactment of Part II Maintenance of Professional Competence of the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011. The digital PDP, on the Nursing and Midwifery Hub on HSELanD provides an easy way to maintain a professional development plan online, available at www.hseland.ie
The PDP framework includes a template, an information guide, a workbook and a brief awareness video. The launch included testimonials from staff nurses and clinical nurse managers of their experiences in testing the PDP Framework. Each brought a different perspective and all endorsed the personal benefits in realising their continuous professional development requirements, improving communications and increasing job satisfaction.
The PDP framework has been developed under the governance of a national steering group involving Directors of Nursing, HSE Human Resources and the nursing and midwifery staff associations including Aisling Culhane, Research & Development Advisor, PNA. Mary Wynne, Nursing and Midwifery Services Director of the Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services HSE, chaired the steering committee and the project was lead and managed by Deirdre Mulligan, Interim Area Director of Nursing and Midwifery Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Directorate of the HSE
The PDP Framework was tested by nurses and midwives across all disciplines and sectors in the HSE, include mental health / psychiatric nurses in Dublin North Central and Cavan Monaghan Mental Health Services. Nurses and midwives were involved in the design, development and testing of the PDP Framework, hence the slogan PDP By Me for Me
Access the digital PDP and supports on the Nursing and Midwifery Hub at www.hseland.ie
The PDP Framework documents are also available on the Office of Nursing and Midwifery Services website https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/onmsd/res/professional-development-planning-framework-for-nurses-and-midwives.html
The PDP awareness video can be accessed on http://auriondemo.com/Digital_PDP_Explainer/Digital%20PDP%20Explainer-03.mp4
