Professional development

planning
• For many PTs the data from each of these
evaluation tools can be combined to create a
strategy for professional development
• The Goal-Driven Portfolio
• A professional portfolio is a tool PTs and other professionals can use
to organize the many components of professional development. An
outline for the portfolio used by students in the transitional doctor of
physical therapy degree program should include the following:
• A mission statement
• A self-assessment
• Exemplars supporting the self-assessment
• A reflective analysis of the self-assessment (What? So what? Now
what?)
• A statement of goals
• Plans for building strengths and addressing weaknesses
The Process of Reflection and Planning
• The mission statement defines the therapist in terms of
competencies and focuses on what the individual is currently doing
while identifying resources for further development. The mission
statement should be clear, concise, meaningful, easy to remember,
accurate, dynamic, powerful, and focused.
• In the self-assessment, the PT identifies strengths and weaknesses in
relation to the personal mission. One approach to self-assessment is
a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis, in
which the PT evaluates strengths and weaknesses (which are internal
characteristics) and opportunities and threats (which are external
factors). Self assessment also may include input from peers and
colleagues familiar with the PT’s work.
• For PTs, a vision statement reflects what they want to become and how
they want to influence the world around them; it defines the individual’s
goals and values. It also is a clear, concise, meaningful statement of where
the PT will be at some point in the future, such as 5 years from now. This
process is aided by inclusion of exemplars or artifacts that support the self-
assessment, such as continuing education certificates, written evaluations,
and journal publications.
• Reflection on the self-assessment is an important step, because the PT
must determine what the honest self-assessment indicates.
• In the final steps, the therapist should reexamine goals and make specific
plans for building strengths and addressing weaknesses. Implementation of
these plans should bring the PT back to reflection on the mission statement
and self assessment, creating a continuous cycle of planning and reflection
 POSSIBLE EVALUATORS OF PROFESSIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT
Another important issue related to evaluation of professional
competence and development is the determination of who should be
responsible for this process
• Many PTs believe that, as professionals, they are ultimately
responsible for determining the activities and knowledge they need to
maintain competence. In reality, each stakeholder plays a role in the
evaluation of professional competence.
• Some argue that because regulatory and licensing agencies are
charged by the state with protecting the public from incompetent or
impaired practitioners, these agencies should be responsible for
evaluation.
• Professional organizations may contend that they alone have the
expertise and knowledge to evaluate professional competence
 CAREER ADVANCEMENT
• A career is defined as “[the] pursuit of consecutive
progressive achievement, especially in public, professional,
or business life.” This definition suggests a pattern of
achievement or success.
• Career success is defined as “the perception of an
individual’s employment achievements over time.” Although
professional development emphasizes the process of
continuous education and improvement in skills, career
advancement focuses more on professional success as
measured by promotions, salary increases, enhancement of
one’s reputation, and other personal indicators of success.
• Gender differences: A recurring question is
whether men and women travel different gender-
related paths in career advancement. For
example, some professionals consider promotion
an indicator of career success. However, women
historically have had difficulty winning promotions
because of a “glass ceiling” (an intangible barrier
that prevents the promotion of women, to the
very top positions in the organization)
• A study of PTs’ perceptions of career success demonstrated that
PTs defined career success somewhat differently from other
professionals.
• Both male and female PTs defined it more in terms of internal
indicators (ethical practice, improving the health of the patient,
personal satisfaction, and personal goals) than external factors
(high income, administrative status).
• However, family responsibilities played a much greater role in
women’s concept of career success, and women placed greater
value than men on balancing professional and personal roles.
• Women also were more likely to seek and take advantage of the
flexibility to work part-time or interrupt their careers temporarily.
 ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT ON
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• One aspect of professional competence is the ability to
apply professional knowledge and skills in the
organizational setting.
• Organizations shape PTs through organizational
socialization, “the process by which an individual enters an
organization and becomes a fully participating and effective
member.” Socialization is not a discrete event, but rather a
continuous, interactive process in which the individual and
the organization learn and respond to each other’s needs.
For the PT, an important part of this process is learning and
incorporating the organization’s values and culture.