When learning gets messy: Reflections from my ePortfolio Review

Some of the most awkward and sprawling CPD cycles can often be the most meaningful, writes Dr Catriona Bradley

Last year, I had the somewhat bemusing experience of receiving a rather formal email from myself. It wasn’t the first time. The same thing happened five years earlier when I was last summoned (I mean invited!) to submit evidence of my Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for review by the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP).

For readers who don’t know me, I work as Executive Director of the IIOP and, as such, I oversee the CPD Review process for pharmacists. I am also a registered pharmacist who must comply with the statutory Review process, like everyone else. So, when my turn comes, I receive an automated letter from myself, as Executive Director, to myself, as registered pharmacist. It’s a strange experience receiving official invitations from yourself, particularly for something statutory.

My initial reaction to that email is probably similar to most pharmacists: ‘Oh gosh, I’d better get my ePortfolio in order.’ Even though I manage the CPD system and know it inside out, my heart still lurches a little when that email arrives. I would be mortified if the IIOP (let’s face it… me writing to me again!) had to tell me that my CPD didn’t meet the standard. While I am dedicated to professional development, I am not always fastidious about recording my learning straight away. Know the feeling?

When I received my ePortfolio Review notification last October, I promised myself I would be organised well ahead of time. Yet here I am, days before the deadline, reflecting on and updating the CPD activities documented in my ePortfolio.

One of my cycles relates to a fascinating article published last November by RCSI colleague Dr Jolanta Burke and collaborators. The topic was ‘meliotropism’, a term coined to describe an approach to wellbeing. Positive psychology continues to generate new concepts, despite their roots stretching back to the Greek philosophers. With my ePortfolio Review top-of-mind, I read Burke’s article with particular interest.

Burke et al define meliotropism (from the Greek melior, meaning ‘better’ or ‘to improve’, and tropism, meaning ‘to turn toward’) as an orientation toward meaningful, prosocial, health-promoting action that benefits both self and community. It is achieved by aligning thoughts, behaviours, attitudes, and life choices with what makes life worth living. The researchers explored how specific Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs — though in pharmacy, that acronym does conjure something quite different!) contribute to wellbeing.

Most of us have heard of these PPIs: Three Good Things, Gratitude Journaling, Signature Strength Use, Meaningful Goals, Positive Visualisation, Mindfulness, Acts of Kindness.

The study found that people who reported good wellbeing could not point to any single tool that created it. Instead, they described integrating positive psychology into their daily lives in ways that aligned with their personal values.

This makes sense, and not just in relation to wellbeing. Acquiring knowledge does not automatically lead to behavioural change. For example:

• We may know everything required to live a healthy life, but remain unhealthy if we never implement it.

• We may understand saving and budgeting, yet never meet our financial goals if our behaviours don’t align.

• We may undertake endless courses, but never experience true professional growth if we don’t embed our learning in practice.

See where I’m going?

This brings me neatly back to my IIOP ePortfolio. Earlier this week, I read over some of my CPD cycles. With Jolanta Burke’s research still swirling in my mind, I realised how easy, and satisfying, it is to record learning that is discrete and tidy: A conference session I’d forgotten until I miraculously found my notes; or mandatory training that I know I completed because HR wouldn’t let me forget. I am grateful to ‘past me’ for the occasions when I captured key learnings on my phone in the moment. These learnings are valid and usually do influence my practice, even if I still fell for a phishing email, despite excellent cybersecurity training.

But my most meaningful CPD cycles are the ones that aren’t neat at all. They are awkward, sprawling, and tentacled — impossible to tie-off cleanly. Writing them up can feel like trying to stuff an octopus into a net bag.

A good example is my learning over the past year about understanding and calming my inner critic. It may sound like a ‘woolly’ topic, but it was the most frustrating, albeit rewarding, learning experience of my life, eclipsing even my doctoral studies. It has had a profound impact on me, my work, and the people around me. Summarising that experience in a CPD cycle is difficult; there is no clear endpoint. But Burke’s research clarified something for me: This was more than acquiring knowledge. It was learning a new way of being, and that is deeply important professional development.

A less ‘woolly’ example is my learning in the area of AI. This, too, is a tentacled topic, perhaps reflecting the nature of the AI beast. I suspect this cycle marks the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning. In the spirit of collegiality, I’ve included that CPD cycle below. You will see what I mean about it not being neatly wrapped up. There is far more learning ahead, but hopefully it will pass muster for now. This is what I value about our CPD model. It supports authentic growth and personalised learning, the kind that truly develops us as professionals. I’m relieved we don’t rely on hours and credits, like many professions do. I doubt my ‘inner critic’ work would have earned points, despite its transformative impact. A credit-based system might also have encouraged me to limit my AI learning to formal courses, which is not a wise approach for a rapidly-evolving field.

Our model gives us freedom: To follow our passions, our patients’ needs, our specific learning goals, and our curiosity. It allows us to tailor our learning to support our own development.

As pharmacists, our learning rarely fits into tidy boxes, and nor should it. The most meaningful CPD is often the kind that stretches us, unsettles us, or changes how we show up in the world. Our model gives us the freedom to follow those threads of curiosity and growth, wherever they lead.

So, while meliotropism won’t make it into my ePortfolio Review submission this year, the spirit of it (turning toward what helps us thrive) absolutely will. And that, I think, is the real value of CPD: It helps us become better, not just better informed.

Reference

Burke, J; Giraldez-Hayes, A; Dunne, P. (2025) Meliotropic wellbeing mindset: a catalyst for sustaining long-term wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1-8.

Dr Catriona Bradley is a pharmacist and psychologist and currently works as the Executive Director of the Irish Institute of Pharmacy. She’s particularly interested in exploring psychology in pharmacy and always welcomes pharmacists’ views & comments in this area at catriona1.bradley@gmail.com.