It is beneficial to the postdoctoral experience that every postdoctoral/research fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital have an annual formal evaluation from their supervisor. A yearly evaluation of a fellow is mandated by the policies set forth in the Research Fellows Policy Manual. A commonly used mechanism for annual evaluations is an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The IDP is a kind of roadmap stating each trainee’s developmental stage and goals and can assist postdoctoral fellows in achieving their career goals and becoming contributing members of the biomedical research workforce. As of October 2014, the NIH will require the use of IDPs for all fellows funded by training grants and highly recommend their use for all fellows funded by other NIH mechanisms. This website has various resources and templates to guide the development and use of IDPs for fellows at BCH.
