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Individual Opportunity Plan (IOP)

Do you know what you want to achieve in your career in academic medicine?
How do you want to make a difference? What would you like to be remembered for?
What is your long term direction? Your goals for the next 3–5 years?
Your specific objectives for the next year?

Self-assessment and planning are essential for a successful professional career. If you have not made a plan, then you risk wandering and not achieving your dreams. By planning you can also take advantage of opportunities and measure your progress.

UMass Chan Medical School is committed to ensuring that every faculty member—basic scientist, researcher, clinician, educator—develops to their full potential at every point along their career path. The goals of junior faculty may be quite different than the goals for mid-career or senior faculty or leaders. The Individual Opportunity Plan (IOP) is a tool to help all faculty members plan their carers to achieve professional success. The IOP can guide you in the process of identifying resources and potential mentors to discuss with your chair.

The IOP consists of three steps:

  1. Setting Your Career Mission
  2. Self-Assessment: Personal SWOT Analysis
  3. Planning Your Career

To start your IOP: download the IOP Worksheet and click on Setting Your Career Mission.

When should I use the Individual Opportunity Plan?

The IOP can be used by all faculty to develop a personal career plan, regardless of their rank and responsibilities. But the IOP is particularly useful in the following situations:

  • For new faculty, who need to focus their mission and goals at the start of their career at UMass Chan Medical School. An IOP Workshop is part of the New Faculty Orientation.
  • For established faculty, who need to reflect on career changes and transitions.
  • For faculty engaged in a faculty development or mentoring program.
  • To prepare for your Annual Performance Review (APR) and to focus a discussion with your Chair or Division Chief on your needs and priorities for the next academic year.
  • To prepare for career discussions with a mentor or your chair or chief.

Individual Opportunity Plan ©University of Massachusetts Medical School 2012. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives 4.0 International License.