UK COM Biomedical Education Releases Recommendations for Individual Development Plans
[From Rebecca Dutch, Associate Dean for Biomedical Education]
Dear Chairs and Center Directors,
The NIH has previously recommended that all students and postdoctoral scholars covered off of NIH grants have an Individual Development Plan. Starting on Oct. 1, 2014, all NIH progress reports using the Research Performance Progress Report must include a report on the use of IDPs (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-113.html). This does not involve attaching or including the actual IDPs, but requires a brief description of how and whether IDPS are used to help manage the career development of students and postdocs associated with that award. I think it is therefore very important that all programs begin the implementation of IDP tools.
As a starting point in this process, I am attaching a draft IDP. If your department is already using an IDP, you are certainly welcome to keep using that as long as it contains the elements that NIH has asked for - just please let me know and send me a copy. This draft document was developed after analysis of IDPs from a number of institutes, and addresses the key points highlighted by NIH. I would greatly appreciate feedback on this initial draft so that we can improve the document over time. To use the IDP, the trainee should fill out the sections, share them with the mentor, discuss the various points, and then develop a plan for the coming year. I realize that the IDP is relatively long, but it is consistent with the other examples currently in use (and much shorter then some!) and this type of in-depth assessment is needed to fit the NIH training goals.
As an alternative to a written document, some institutes are using an on-line resource at : http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/. This site takes trainees through the skills assessments and training elements, then generates reports in different fashions. This is also a good alternative - I think it really just depends on what your department and faculty are most comfortable with.
One element that is not present in the draft IDP is an outline of what target goals should be for the various training categories. For example, Scripps has an extensive section at the beginning of their postdoctoral IDP on year-to-year goals (http://education.scripps.edu/postdoctoral/professional_development/files/TSRI-Grad-IDP-long.pdf). We can certainly add in these types of elements if people think they are needed - but I think this would be best done by a broader committee.
Please share this information with your faculty, and have them start using the IDPs. For the NIH progress reports, they can then include information on availability of a draft that is now being used and refined.
Just let me know if you have any questions -
Becky
Rebecca Dutch
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Associate Dean for Biomedical Education University of Kentucky College of Medicine
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