The integrated approach of the project has fostered collegial learning activities among the participating teachers and offered them opportunities for continued renewal and professional development of teacher competencies in astronomy and space science.
The HPL offers an approach to professional development based on competencies development, reflective practice, and problem-based learning.
# Scale: (1 = totally disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree, 4 = totally agree) * Scale: (1 = < 30%, 2 = 30 40%, 3 = 40 50%, 4 = 50 60%, 5 = > 70%) The general comments that were provided by reflected that respondents perceived that the training in the district teaching hospitals contributed to their professional development in the competencies as medical expert, manager and collaborator (see table 4).
Occupational therapists in Atlantic Canada have explored the use of online discussion groups, or 'on-line communities of practice', to enhance communication between occupational therapists in similar areas of practice, to increase the speed of obtaining evidence for practice, and as a means of professional development for continuing competency requirements with their regulatory colleges [ 14].
Fourteen themes emerged from the interviews: competency, professional development, intellectual stimulation, consultation, referral, social interaction, licensure, instructional content and format, time constraints and convenience, lack of cost, availability of other educational venues, malpractice insurance, providing voluntary medical services, and retirement.
Some targeted professional development training to refresh these competencies among existing members of these cadres might therefore go a long way toward alleviating these gaps in the short term.
Secondly, the strong association between personal accomplishment and psychological morbidity proves the need for employers to enhance staff competencies through professional development; this inevitably leads to improved self-esteem.
At the heart of their human resource management strategy are five distinct competency areas: professional development, personal development, leadership, certifications and qualifications, and job performance.
Research both here and overseas has demonstrated that allied health professionals are more likely to stay with an organization when they are able to attain higher levels of competency and professional development, there is good peer support in the workplace and inter-professional collaboration and workplaces encourage 'continuous learning cultures' [ 28, 40].
The GHD program is a set of mentored co-curricular activities built around defined competencies related to professional development and leadership skills to ameliorate health disparities in the United States and developing countries.
