A competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and attitude that one needs in order to function adequately in any given professional situation – a nurse must know how to give a crying child a vaccination, and a policeman must be able to stop a drunken brawl.

Competency orientated teaching has become an important objective in higher education. To meet this objective, an individual personal development plan (PDP) is indispensable. PDPs are based on what one knows about one's own skills and what one needs to acquire for one's future profession. Managing Your Competencies shows the reader how to go about drawing up a PDP.