2010; 32: 953–955 HOW WE... How to professionalise your practice as a health professions educator MICHELLE MCLEAN University of the United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates Introduction Professional development, sometimes referred to as continu- ous professional development (CPD), is the systematic main- tenance, improvement and broadening of the knowledge, skills and personal qualities necessary for the execution of professional duties throughout one’s working life. More simply, it is a life-long learning approach to planning and managing one’s professional development and career. Many forces drive professional development, not least licensing or professional bodies that may require health professionals to meet annual minimum CPD requirements or recommend training for those involved in undergraduate and post-graduate medical education. Tenure or promotion and institutional accreditation may depend on evidence of individual profes- sional development or development of the faculty as a whole. At one time, anyone who joined a health professions faculty taught, irrespective of whether they had been trained or had any experience. It is being increasingly recognised that teaching involves more than content. Teaching is an ‘art’, which requires support to develop (McLean et al. 2008). In the light of the many roles and responsibilities of teachers and educators (e.g. assessment, supervision, mentoring, role modelling) (Harden & Crosby 2000), individual teachers need to regularly reflect on their conceptions and teaching, with a view to improving practice. The emergence of a rapidly growing cadre of health care professionals who perceive a moral obligation to improve their teaching practice and who recognise that ‘gut feelings’ no longer suffice is encouraging. After all, as Lowry (1993) commented, students and doctors must ‘demand excellence in the courses they attend and realise that their education is not a favour to them, but a means of preparing them to be the sort of doctor we want them to be’. This excellence should begin with their teachers. How to start Individual responsibility While external forces often require professional development, the prime motivation should be intrinsic. Once having decided to formally professionalise one’s practice, a personal development plan (PDP) is required (Pitts 2007). Three important questions in this regard are: . Where am I now? . Where do I what to be? . How can I get there? Integral to this professional development plan is self- assessment or self-evaluation. This requires reflection on one’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (i.e. SWOT analysis), such that gaps in conceptions, actions, attitudes and behaviour can be identified. Short- (0–6 months), medium- (1–2 years) and long-term (greater than 2 years) goals should then be generated, including how they will be achieved, by when and what criteria constitute evidence of attainment. Recognising the need for external evaluation Self-evaluation is not easy and in some contexts, maybe inaccurate. Eva and Regehr (2005) concluded that ‘(as) people cannot effectively engage in these actions in any regular and stable way ... . it is time to recognise that, when trying to identify and redress gaps in learning, seeking and incorporat- ing external evaluations will be a better model for effecting self-awareness than any form of personally generated sum- mative assessment’. Thus, while the responsibility for profes- sional development ultimately rests with individual teachers and educators, engaging at least one peer or colleagues and/or a mentor to review your practice or provide feedback on your portfolio would be a worthwhile exercise. Considering the reported mutual benefits, a ‘critical friend’ to stimulate Practice points . Professional development as a teacher or educator is a commitment to improving teaching practice . Personal development plans serve as a guide in professionalising practice as an educator . Engage peers and colleagues in providing feedback on your self-evaluation . By providing appropriate faculty development, institu- tions send a message that they value their teaching faculty Correspondence: M. McLean, Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Tel: 0971 37137 137; fax: 0971 37672 167; email: mcleanm@uaeu.ac.ae ISSN 0142–159X print/ISSN 1466–187X online/10/120953–3 ß 2010 Informa UK Ltd. 953 DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2010.506563 Med Teach Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by National Medical Library on 11/19/10 For personal use only.