Family Practice Vol. 20, No. 4, 496
© Oxford University Press 2003
Book Review |
Professional development: a guide for general practice.
Robin While, Margareth Attwood. (192 pages, £20.95.) Blackwell Science Ltd, 2000. ISBN 0-632-05629-0.
Retired GP, London
This book is a ‘must have’ for all general practices. It brings together all you need to know or might want to know about Professional Development. It sets out to be a practical book and in 180 pages it covers all the main areas of training and development which practices will require through the next decade. As Professor Mike Pringle points out in the Preface "It is important that our learning is integrated into our clinical care". This book should help practices to do just that. Its focus is on practice development, but the needs of the individual members of the team are also covered. It is a practical workbook to be read, stimulated by, taken down and used repeatedly for information, for ideas and for copying its proformas for Personal Development Plans (PDPs).
The book covers all aspects of the clinical and administrative structures in the practice for continuous development. It is divided into three parts. Getting started, Practice Development and Personal Development. It gives sufficient information and supportive evidence plus references if the reader wants more detail. Then there are the practical steps to be taken and, at the end of each section, there is a useful format to record the planned actions with completion dates.
The lay-out is clear and easy to follow, but there is always a dilemma between giving sophisticated details for completeness and the complexity putting off those who are just starting. The important thing is just that—to get started. The plan can be made more sophisticated later. An example of this is the suggestion that practices need a rather complex ‘Health Needs Assessment’ before embarking on a development plan.
The book is full of wisdom from the practical to the philosophical. I was struck by the notion that professional practice is a ‘moral endeavour’ about changing values and that professionals take part in ‘critical reconstruction’ of their practice by talking to colleagues and attending educational events. The practical side of the workbook tells you how to run practice meetings, away days, appraisal, etc., and there are blueprints for PPDPs, PDPs and Learning Portfolios. Altogether, the book is a source of much practical information and stimulation.
Many practices have collected articles and information about CPD, training opportunities, PCT targets, HIMPs, etc., and know that they are around somewhere. The joy of this book is that all this information is brought together and easy to find.
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