What is a PDP?
Professional development Plan (PDP) is a tool to help you organize the opportunities you have at your disposal and to establish goals that fit your academic and professional aspirations. This PDP is particularly designed for students with interest in developing skills in research and continue graduate studies. The format below provides several options for you to choose what you want to achieve in a given year, according to your priorities.
Recommendations to complete your PDP:
1. Reflect. Before completing the PDP, we recommend that you discuss with a mentor, or counselor your goals and conversations with him or her about the academic experience or research you've had so far.
2. Share your goals and self-evaluation. Let your mentor or counselor know that you are interested in completing the PDP and discuss your aspirations, goals and concerns with him or her. You can also chat with peers or advanced students about your plans. Some suggested questions to discuss are the following:
- What objectives are appropriate for this stage of my academic development?
- With which mentors or collaborators do I count?
- What barriers do I anticipate that I will face (eg economic, family, skills)?
- What supports / resources do I need to achieve my goals?
If you do not have a mentor in your institution or if you want to expand your network of mentors, you can identify virtual mentors at these sites:
- CienciaPR https://www.cienciapr.org: Network of Puerto Rican researchers with whom you can talk and share concerns about your aspirations
- NRMN https://nrmnet.net: Network of researchers interested in offering mentoring and guidance to students with an interest in the field of health. On this site you can match your interests as a student with three (3) virtual mentors that can help you find more information about research opportunities, contacts with graduate students from Puerto Rico in the United States and the World!
- In the following link, you will find a guide to establish contact with a mentor and make the first approach.
3. Focus. In the process of completing the PDP, you will notice that in the form we present several areas and activities that you can carry out during your university career. Do not try to cover too many areas or activities. We recommend that you prioritize two or three activities a year and focus on those.
4 . Update your PDP. The PDP provides a structure to organize your goals every year, establish priorities in various areas (academic progress, professional development, research experiences, among others) and record your achievements. We recommend you review it at least once a semester to examine your academic progress, the barriers and facilitators of your work, and to analyze if your goals have changed or are maintained.
5. Be flexible and patient. Remember that the PDP is not a straitjacket. It is a changing document which you should adjust to your needs and aspirations, taking into account the resources you have available and your circumstances. All your achievements, even those that were not part of your initial plan, are important and valuable for your academic development.
6. Share your achievements. This document is for your personal use. However, we recommend that, at least once a year, you share the process of updating your PDP, documenting your achievements, and drawing up plans for the next stage with your academic or research mentor, counselor, or other student. Some suggested topics to discuss are the following:
- What other unplanned achievements did I have this semester or this year?
- What supports / resources did I have to achieve my goals?
- What barriers, if any, hindered my academic progress?
- What can I improve?
- What do I feel proud of?
- What should be my next steps?
- Should I keep the same goals or should they change?