The Professional Development Scheme (PDS) is a free, online system for maintaining an audited professional record and for accruing points to build on your professional skills and experience. Please watch our online tutorial for a step by step guide on how to complete the PDS.
There are five tiers of membership which are determined by scores based on your prior experience and training, and on the accumulation of points for any on-going training and development activities which you may undertake.
The Professional Developement Scheme levels are scored as shown in Table 1.
Table 1
Professional Development Scheme Levels & Scoring
| Tier | Level | Points |
| Foundation | 1 | 0-736 |
| 2 | 737-1472 | |
| 3 | 1473-2208 | |
| 4 | 2209-2944 | |
| 5 | 2945-3679 | |
| Affiliate | 1 | 3680-4416 |
| 2 | 4417-5152 | |
| 3 | 5153-5888 | |
| 4 | 5889-6624 | |
| 5 | 6625-7360 | |
| Professional | 1 | 7361-8096 |
| 2 | 8097-8832 | |
| 3 | 8833-9568 | |
| 4 | 9569-10304 | |
| 5 | 10305-11040 | |
| Associate | 1 | 11041-11776 |
| 2 | 11777-12512 | |
| 3 | 12513-13248 | |
| 4 | 13249-13984 | |
| 5 | 13985-14720 | |
| Fellow | 1 | 14721-15456 |
| 2 | 15457-16192 | |
| 3 | 16193-16928 | |
| 4 | 16929-17664 | |
| 5 | 17665-18400 |
You can earn points from the following:
- Academic qualifications
- Research Competencies
- Professional development activities
- Professional courses and qualifications
- Professional registration
- Relevant publications
Research Competencies
Research competencies are weighted, determined by whether you have no experience, are trained, have some experience, are capable, are experienced or are highly competent at each task. Table 2 provides the definitions for each of the research competency grades 0 to 5.
Table 2
Research Competency Scoring
|
Grade |
Definition |
|---|---|
|
N/A |
Not applicable (e.g. if the competency is not useful for the role of the individual) |
|
0 |
Task: No experience; never performed the task before Knowledge: No exposure; never heard of the topic before Skill: Unable to use skill |
|
1 |
Task: Little experience, but received training Knowledge: Little exposure; but followed courses or read about the topic Skill: Use skill with difficulty and/or very rarely |
|
2 |
Task: Some experience; already performed the task at least once Knowledge: Some exposure; already applied knowledge of topic in their job at least once Skill: Use skill inconsistently and occasionally |
|
3 |
Task: Capable to perform task Knowledge: Knowledgeable; frequently apply knowledge of topic Skill: Use skill appropriately, but only occasionally |
|
4 |
Task: Experienced; regularly perform the task in their job Knowledge: Highly knowledgeable; use, reflect, critically evaluate information related to the topic Skill: Use skill appropriately, in all relevant situations |
|
5 |
Task: Highly experienced; able to train and guide others Knowledge: Expert knowledge; able to teach and assess others Skill: Use skill appropriately, consistently and confidently |
The number of points awarded for Academic Qualifications and Further Professional Development Activities are shown in Table 3.
Table 3
Scoring Scheme
Qualifications
| Qualification | Points |
|---|---|
| Doctorate (DPhil/PhD) | 1000 |
| MD | 800 |
| Masters (MSc/MA) | 600 |
| Degree (BSc/BA) | 400 |
| Diploma | 200 |
Further Professional Activities | |
| Attended a Conference | 10 |
| Presented at a Conference | 40 |
| Organised a Conference | 50 |
| Led a Conference | 50 |
| Attended a Journal Club | 5 |
| Presented at a Journal Club | 40 |
| Organised a Journal Club | 10 |
| Led a Journal Club | 10 |
| Attented a Long Training Course (>2 days) | 50 |
| Presented at a Long Training Course (>2 days) | 30 |
| Organised a Long Training Course (>2 days) | 40 |
| Led a Long Training Course (>2 days) | 50 |
| Attended a Meeting | 10 |
| Presented at a Meeting | 20 |
| Organised a Meeting | 30 |
| Led a Meeting | 40 |
| Undergraduate Mentoring | 5 |
| Masters Mentoring | 10 |
| DPhil/PhD Mentoring | 15 |
| Work-related Mentoring | 15 |
| Attended a Poster | 5 |
| Presented a Poster | 20 |
| Organised a Poster | 30 |
| Led a Poster | 40 |
| Attended a Seminar | 4 |
| Presented at a Seminar | 40 |
| Organised a Seminar | 10 |
| Led a Seminar | 10 |
| Attented a Short Training Course (0-2 days) | 25 |
| Presented at a Short Training Course (0-2 days) | 30 |
| Organised a Short Training Course (0-2 days) | 20 |
| Led a Short Training Course (0-2 days) | 25 |
| Undergraduate Supervision | 5 |
| Masters Supervision | 10 |
| DPhil/PhD Supervision | 15 |
| Work-related Supervision | 15 |
| Attended a Workshop | 10 |
| Presented at a Workshop | 20 |
| Organised a Workshop | 30 |
| Led a Workshop | 40 |
Once you have completed and submitted your profile, it will take about four weeks for the moderation process and the awarding of your membership level to be completed. You will be awarded a score, together with the appropriate membership level (see Table 1). You will be able to print off a certificate and both your score and membership level will appear on your profile.
Remember, when completing your Professional Development Scheme profile you can save and exit at any point and come back to complete later. You can return at any future point and add new skills, training or experience to increase your score. To learn how you can do this see the ‘How To Get More Points’ section.