A process model in continuing professional development: Exploring diagnostic radiographers’ views

Abstract

This article is based on an exploratory, interpretative grounded theory study that looked at practitioners’ perceptions of continuing professional development (CPD) in diagnostic radiography in the UK. Using a combination of in-depth interviews and secondary analysis of published material, a dynamic CPD process model was generated. The study aimed to explore what radiographers understood by the term CPD and whether it was perceived to have any impact on clinical practice. The study aimed to identify and investigate the components of CPD and how they interact with one another, to help to explain what is happening within CPD and what contributes to its effectiveness. The CPD process was shown to be complex, dynamic and centred on the Individual. Supporting components of Facilitation and External Influences were identified as important in maximising the potential impact of CPD. The three main categories were shown to interact dynamically and prior to Participation were shown to have a ‘superadditive’ effect, where the total effect was greater than the sum of the three individual parts. This study showed that radiographers are generally unaware of the holistic concept of CPD, using instead narrow definitions of CPD with little or no expectation of any impact on practice, focusing predominantly on personal gain. The model produced in the study provided a tool that practitioners reported was helpful in reflecting on their own involvment in CPD.