The beginning of 2026 is the perfect moment to set yourself up for a strong year of learning and growth. Creating your annual Professional Development Plan (PDP) is a simple but powerful way to focus your goals and ensure your CPD activities truly support your practice. To help you get started, here is a de-identified example from one of our members.

Why create your PDP now?

Taking just two hours at the start of the CPD year to develop your PDP can make a big difference. Your plan doesn’t need to be complex; it simply guides your learning for the year and can be updated as your needs evolve. Think of it as a living document that follows a helpful cycle of Think – Plan – Do – Review.

For Aotearoa New Zealand members, remember that the MCNZ requires an annual peer conversation about your practice. This often happens in the workplace and demonstrated easily in your PDP.

Key elements to include in your PDP

Your PDP should be linked to your scope of practice and include:

• Meaningful learning goals
• Planned activities to support your goal
• An expected outcome or impact of the learning

Don’t forget your PDP reflection in MyCPD

Your PDP includes a reflective component, completed later in the year via Section 1 in the MyCPD system. You type into the text box or upload a document.

You’ll notice Section 1 displays with an orange circle until your reflection is complete, then it automatically turns into a green circle. Once done, the MyCPD system will also automatically allocate the 2 CPD hours to your record.