WHAT ARE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES?

 

Formal continuing education courses are one way of learning, but there are many others. When taking courses, don’t forget to reflect on what you learned and how you will apply this to your practice. Other methods of demonstrating learning include:

 

Achievements – Certificates, qualifications

 

Conferences – Reflections on the sessions you attended; how are they applicable to your professional development goals?

 

Critical incident analysis – Sometimes also called an ‘Aha!’ experience, a ‘surprise’, a thought-provoking incident. Occasions where errors occurred or have been narrowly averted or where something went well and ‘the penny dropped’, bringing a clearer understanding of some component of the experience.

 

Formal education programs – Programs offered by a recognized education institution; what was the program, what did you learn, how has this affected your practice?

 

In-service education/rounds – Reflections on what you learned; how can you apply this in practice?

 

Learning from patients – What you have learned form patients with questions or conditions that you are not familiar with; how did you approach these situations, what did you learn from them?

 

Mentoring and supervising – Opportunities for consolidating your learning, or finding out you don’t have all the answers, by working with staff or students; how do you approach these situations, what did you learn from them?

 

Original published work – Journal articles, posters or abstracts.

 

Personal experiences – Real experiences from which you have learned something; what happened, what did you learn, how can you apply this in practice?

 

Professional contacts – Situations where you learned from your peers; from whom did you learn, what did you learn, how has this affected your practice?

 

Project work – Projects that contributed to your knowledge; what was the project, what did you learn, how has this affected your practice?

 

Reading/Journal club – Critical appraisal of the literature and its relevance to your work.

 

Research and development – Current and ongoing projects; what are the objectives, what have you learned, how will you use the information?

 

Student supervision – Students continually question what they see, and providing answers keeps you on your toes!

 

Information from the College – College web site – www.cptnb.ca or www.nbphysiocollege.ca; communiqués; member reference/new registrants’ information packages.

 

Teaching – Teaching activities (said to be one of the best ways of learning); what was the teaching experience (class, clinical situation), what did you learn, how has this affected your practice?

 

Teleconferences – Educational teleconferences on specific topics, for example, those held by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

 

How to Complete your Résumé

 

Name                                                                                       Include name, phone,

Address, City, Postal Code                                                       e-mail as header of

Residence Tel                                                                          each page of résumé.

(optional: add mobile, fax or e-mail if applicable)

 

PROFILE (Alternate headings:Summary of Highlights or Summary of Qualifications)

 

Ø      A [insert a descriptive titles] e.g. Professional Practice Leader/Clinician/Educator] with over [total number, not exceeding 10-15 years, suggested ] years of experience in [type of work e.g. Physiotherapy] in the Health care industry.

Ø      Strengths include [insert 3(?) strengths, e.g. knowledge of standards, leadership, and facilitation]

Ø      Skilled in providing [insert 2(?) e.g. evidence-based reports, exceptional client-centered care]

Ø      Able to [be creative in this sentence, it’s your choice]

Ø      Works well with [discuss interpersonal, and people skills]

Ø      Summarize any [awards, special recognition, specialized certifications, publications etc.]

 

 

WORK EXPERIENCE (Alternate headings: Professional History, or Career Summary)

 

Name of Employer                                                                                Dates

Job Title

 

Ø      Start each bullet point with an action verb in the past tense (see following table)

Ø      Organize the duties and responsibilities into bullet points

Ø      Wherever possible include the results you achieved in order to turn your accountabilities into accomplishment statements (see following table)

Ø      Quantify, as often as possible, your statements with numbers, time periods, percentages etc.

Ø      Be specific, add detail and description to your statements to help the reader understand exactly what you have done during your career.

Ø      Keep your sentences short and concise. Is your meaning clear?

 

POST SECONDARY EDUCATION

Ø      Program Taken

Ø      Name of Educational Institution

Ø      Date of graduation

 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ø      Title of Course

Ø      Name of Course Provider

Ø      Date completed

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE (optional) (Alternative title: Volunteer Work)

Ø      Include any volunteer work or fundraising activities

 

ASSOCIATIONS/AFFILIATIONS (optional)

Ø      Include any associations/affiliations that are related to your career objectives

 

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS (optional)

Ø      List in more detail any publications, presentations as summarized in the Profile.

Ø      References available upon request

 

The Accomplishment Statement

 

Ø      Is an important first step in developing a résumé

Ø      Is used to state your accomplishments

Ø      Gives employers an opportunity to see what you can do for their organization

Ø      Indicates a sense of “I take pride in what I can do” and can be the key to securing your next position.

How to develop an Accomplishment Statement:

Ø      List accomplishments of past positions held

Ø      Detail and expand upon accomplishments using the guide below.

 

Step 1	Step 2	Step 3
Choose a key action verb	Describe what you did	What resulted because of what you did?
Examples	Examples	Examples
Presented	On the treatment of sport injuries to colleagues	Which assisted the department’s objective to increase volume of patients seen by 25%
Completed	NDT introductory course	Implemented five new assessment and treatment strategies which enhanced my treatment of patients with CVAs
Established	A seven-clinic regional network	Which increased peer information sharing in the region by 75%
Wrote	A quarterly Q&A patient news bulletin on ‘Sprained Ankles’	Which reduced the number of routine queries by 25% and ensured consistent approach on responses
Implemented	Standardized discharge summary for patients going to long-term care	Improved information sharing between facilities and facilitated safe and effective patient transition for 20 patients in the pilot
Suggested	A new approach for teaching content to students	Which significantly increased retention of knowledge
Organized	Bi-monthly fire drills	Which ensured staff were informed and prepared for safe evacuation of patients at all times
Completed	McKenzie Part A	Which ensured a broader understanding of treatment approaches for low back pain
Completed	Upper quadrant course	Which significantly enhanced ability to diagnose/treat complicated shoulder pathology

 

 

Description of Practice Settings

 

This information may be captured in your résumé and/or a written job description. If so, please include in your portfolio, or you may complete this form.

 

Review your thoughts with your supervisor. You may discover that your own ideas about key job responsibilities are not the same as your supervisor’s!

 

Copy and repeat the information for each place of employment.

 

If planning a change, complete the information for any anticipated areas of responsibility in a new position.

 

Organization Name
Date(s) of employment
Title
Primary area
Special area interest
Client demographic
Key areas of responsibility   Ø           General terms of formal job description   Ø           List informal general expectations regarding terms of employment   Ø           List other functions outside your role as a PT
Special contributions/achievements   Ø           Consider the ways in which you have contributed to this employment setting.   Ø           Consider the ways in which this employment has benefited your professional growth and maturation.   Ø           List information, skills and/or professional attitudes that you have gained from the employment setting.