When planning for the implementation of professional development plan in your network there are three main questions you will need to answer:
- How do we align a professional development plan with network service priorities?
- Make yourself familiar with the structure and content of the Cancer Professional Development Framework. The framework can be used as a guide for determining network service priorities and identifying the performance required of your health professionals Click here for the planning template.
- Have sufficient baseline evidence to decide the overall focus for professional development (needs analyses, consumer surveys, clinical data, patient pathway mapping etc) ie determine your network's service priorities
- Identify achievable professional performance outcomes - what the health professionals in your network need to know and be able to do to meet the service priorities
- Be inclusive and multi-professional about your target professional development audience
- How do we decide on overall strategies and levels of support for professional development?
- Pick a strategy(s) that suits the network's professional composition and available resources (eg certification or champion led strategy)
- Survey the potential of the network's health service providers to contribute to a "learning organisation" approach
- Identify what 'real incentives' there are for health professionals to participate in professional development activities
- Anticipate any obvious barriers to rolling out professional development
- How do we find out what suitable or relevant professional development activities are available?
- Explore the FIND section of the Cancer Learning Hub website
- Link with other cancer networks for ideas and internetwork professional development activities (eg national online forums)
- Promote a "learning on the run" approach
- Ensure that your professionals have work based internet access for online programs
- Promote Clinical Practice Improvement activities
