INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Each postdoc is required to complete and submit an IDP form for each year of enrollment in the program. The IDP form includes an annual report of the postdoc’s activities as well as defined plans for the following year. Signed, completed forms must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies by July 31 of each year, to include information from the previous academic year (July 1 through June 30).
Individual Development Plan (IDP) Policy for Graduate Postdocs and Postdoctoral Fellows at LSUHS
A mission of LSUHS is to adequately prepare graduate postdocs and postdoctoral fellows to compete and participate successfully in a broad-based and evolving research and research-related economy. The Individual Development Plan (IDP) provides a planning process that documents annual academic and scientific progress and identifies professional development needs and career objectives for all trainees.
NIH annual progress must include a section to describe how individual development plans (IDPs) are used to identify and promote the career goals of postdoctoral researchers associated with the award. Reporting on the use of IDPs will be in the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR), Section B, Question B.4. The RPPR will include a brief description of how and whether IDPs are used to help manage the career development of postdocs and postdoctoral fellows associated with that award.
Thus, use of an IDP is one mechanism for the Graduate School at LSUHS to meet its training mission and can also be reported on NIH grant annual progress reports. Inclusion of the actual IDP is not required in the progress report, simply a report of how it is used.
Purposes of the IDP for Trainees
- Identify long-term career goals
- Devise a plan for improving skills in order to achieve these goals
- Set short-term goals to improve efficiency and productivity for the upcoming year, and repeat the process on an annual basis
- Assure that the trainee and the mentor communicate on a regular basis about the trainee’s career goals and plans for achieving them.
The IDP benefits the trainee by helping to identify short-term goals, to provide a clearer sense of expectations, and to help identify milestones along the way to achieving specific objectives. Both mentors and trainees are actively involved in developing and implementing the IDP. The IDP also provides a tool for regular communication between the trainee and the mentor (PI).
The IDP process allows trainees to conduct a self-assessment of the past year, to set training and career goals for the upcoming year, to set longer-term career goals, and to discuss these steps with their mentor. Standardized forms have been developed for use by postdoctoral fellows at LSUHS (see attached documents). As part of the plan, the mentor and the trainee agree to meet on a predetermined basis to review the plan and the goals and to determine whether timelines are being met. If timelines are not being met, modifications in the plan should be discussed and implemented. Additional resources and an in-depth career-planning tool can also be found at https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/.
Developing an IDP
To generate an IDP, the first step is to conduct a self-assessment. The IDP form for LSUHS includes a section in which the trainee summarizes his/her research project and completes an annual progress report by answering several specific questions. Take a realistic look at your current abilities. This is a critical part of career planning. Ask your peers, mentors, family and friends what they see as your strengths and your development needs. The self-assessment tools on the myIDP website are helpful in further evaluating the individual’s values, interests and scientific skills. The myIDP website also offers a section on career exploration, in which the trainees learn about career options for PhD-level scientists and then compare those options with their own interests, skills and values.
Other Helpful Resources
- National Postdoctoral Association
- Fiske, P. S. (2001). Put Your Science to Work: The Take-Charge Career Guide for Scientists. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union.
- Bolles, R. N. (2002). What Color is your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career- Changers. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press.
Setting goals is the next step in the process. Ask yourself the following:
- What type of work would I like to be doing?
- Where would I like to be in an organization?
- What is important to me in a career?
The IDP form for LSUHS includes a section for the trainee to set out their plans for the upcoming year. There is also a section devoted to setting short- and long-term career goals. At this stage, all postdocs and postdoctoral fellows should discuss their career options with their mentors and outline strategies for achieving them.
Lastly, the postdocs implement their plans, with the guidance and assistance of their mentors.
Postdocs are required to update the IDP every year of the program. The completed IDP forms will be retained in the the School of Graduate Studies. The trainees and the mentors will also retain copies so that progress can be evaluated throughout the training period.
