Individual Development Plans

Individual Development Plan (IDP): Charting Your Career Journey

An individual development plan (IDP) is a tool to assist trainees in their career and personal development. IDPs are utilized within all areas including academia, industry, government, and not-for-profit. Its primary purpose and goal are to assist individuals reach their short and long-term career goals. We encourage trainees to share their IDPs with their mentors often to assist them in reaching their academic and professional goals.

Per the Expectations of Graduate Students and the Postdoctoral Appointment Policy:

Trainees will create an Individual Development Plan (IDP). In creating and developing the IDP, the trainee will work with their research advisor and other mentor(s) where appropriate. The IDP maps out the general path the trainee wants to take and helps match skills and strengths to career choices. Since needs and goals will evolve over time, the IDP should be revised and modified on a regular basis, no less that annually.

myIDP from Science Careers:

myHub recommends that SMD trainees use Science Career’s myIDP tool, a unique, web-based career-planning tool tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences.

Other IDP Tools & Resources:

• Individual Development Plans  (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
• Career Planning Resources (National Postdoctoral Association)
• Mentorship Matters for the Biomedical Workforce (Sally Rockey, Deputy Director for Extramural Research, NIH)