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Growth-based Career Planning for Healthcare Professionals
A Narrative for Change

Stephanie Tempest (Edited by), Tempest (Author)

9781394232499, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 1 January 2026

240 pages
24.3 x 17 x 2 cm, 0.454 kg

“Applying a holistic lens, Stephanie explores ways to keep the human heartbeat central for everyone in the healthcare system.

 

She opens up the discussion on growth-based career planning where it has generally been narrowed and thinks about growth across the strands of practice in the wider healthcare ecosystem. She encourages honest conversations, values-based decisions and personal career control.

 

This book is accessible to a wide audience. Stephanie includes the Kawa model approach as a helpful solution-focused tool for practitioners. The metaphor of a river provides a common language for understanding across the sector and facilitates nurturing, movement, empowerment and potential joy and fulfilment in the workplace.

 

This book is an important and timely evidenced-based contribution to workforce discussions in the current climate of challenge and reduction. It will contribute to shaping sustainable growth-based career planning policy and decision-making across the healthcare professions.”

 

Veryan Richards

Lay Consultant

Associate Lay Consultant, The Collaborating Centre for Values-based Practice, St Catherine’s College, Oxford

 

 

“We live in a world hurried by a rough clamber to the clouds. So often colleagues reflect that it is not until we get there—into whichever of the clouds we were headed for—that we realise what may have been missed along the way: consolidated, broad learning; curiosity to explore and gain complementary skills and knowledge; nuance; joy; innovation; excitement; purpose; time to breathe; the chance to enjoy family life, not just survive it.

 

This beautiful slice of humanity gives permission to us all, whatever our life stage, to take back control: to enjoy career, life, and everything in between over the course of a rich journey, rather than having achieved it all in the first xx years only to look back and wonder why.

 

This book is a must-read for current and future health and care professionals (and indeed all career paths) and for people supporting this vital workforce. It offers a refreshing alternative to the traditional career ladder, inviting us to adopt a more human, flexible, growth-based approach to retain and develop staff, valuing the non-linear flow of the river.

 

Blending theory with real-life stories, this book highlights the value of healthcare careers across many different roles in practice settings, leadership, education, and research, and shows how they can coexist. The Kawa model offers a powerful, evidence-based metaphor for understanding careers as rivers—unique and evolving—with insights from the Kawa research community, alongside a dedicated chapter on human resources.

 

This is a deeply human book, reminding us that career choices happen in the context of our lives outside of work. Twenty colleagues from across nine healthcare professions share their successes and their growing pains too. Steph, in her true expert style, has crafted an honest, practical book to inspire and help us navigate meaningful healthcare careers within a complex landscape, offering good reason to stay, to thrive, and to grow. Thank you Steph for your creative and compassionate leadership of this innovative and vital work.”

 

Professor Beverley Harden MBE FCSP

Deputy Chief Allied Health Professions Officer

Multiprofessional Lead for Advanced and Consultant Practice

NHS England

Visiting Professor, University of Winchester

 

 

Growth-based Career Planning is a powerful reminder that careers are not ladders to climb but rivers to navigate. Professional growth doesn’t always mean climbing, but sometimes pausing, pivoting, or simply being.

 

Stephanie Tempest’s use of the Kawa model brings a human, holistic lens to career development. This book is a gift to healthcare professionals and those who employ them at any stage—encouraging growth with purpose. This book is a must read for those who want to shape a career that aligns with their values and bring joy to their work. It’s refreshing to see a contemporary and evidence informed approach to workforce development in healthcare.”

 

Professor Alison Leary PhD FRCN FQICN MBE

Chair of Healthcare & Workforce Modelling LSBU

Senior Consultant WHO Europe

Reimagines career development to empower healthcare professionals to grow across sectors and settings

With retention rates continuing to challenge the sector—not only among newly qualified professionals—Growth-based Career Planning for Healthcare Professionals offers a timely re-evaluation of career development rooted in contemporary workforce issues. This innovative book shifts the focus from outdated promotion-based models toward a perspective that values diverse roles, experiences, and aspirations, introducing a new narrative that emphasises opportunity, agency, and actionable insights for practitioners, managers, and leaders alike.

Inviting readers to think more holistically about their career journeys within the health and care ecosystem, Growth-based Career Planning for Healthcare Professionals:

  • Provides practical strategies for implementing inclusive career development across the four pillars of practice: clinical practice, leadership, education, and research
  • Highlights the connection between career planning, well-being, and workforce sustainability
  • Explores real-world applications of the Kawa model to support personal and professional growth
  • Features reflective, solution-focused questions to guide individual and organisational action planning
  • Offers narrative-driven insights into the career journeys of diverse health and care professionals
  • Addresses wider structural and cultural dynamics, offering strategies to foster equity and diversity as part of a humanistic approach to workforce development

Supporting person-centred workforce development through adaptable models applicable across sectors and settings, Growth-based Career Planning for Healthcare Professionals: A Narrative for Change serves as a vital resource for all healthcare practitioners, line managers, operational leaders, and strategic workforce planners across sectors. It is ideal for pre-registration learners (students and apprentices) in healthcare, particularly in modules related to workforce development, professional practice, career development, and leadership.

Glossary xiii

Author’s note on the content and book design xv

About the author - in three forms xvii

How to read this book (and if reading it in a paper version, Hopefully write in it too!) xxiii

About the co-authors and storytellers xxv

Reflective questions xxix

Endorsement xxxi

Acknowledgements xxxiii

Part 1 Why Do We Need to Talk About Growth- Based Career Planning? 1

1 The Limitations of the Career Ladder 7

Reflective Questions 12

References 12

2 Work and Life Outside of Work 13

Reflective Questions 17

References 17

3 Values- based Career Decisions 18

Reflective Questions 22

References 22

4 Autonomy 23

Autonomy in Career Planning 23

Autonomy in Our Work Roles 24

Reflective Questions 25

References 26

5 Growing Ambition and Patience 27

Reflective Questions 29

Reference 29

6 Joy in Work 30

Reflective Questions 32

References 33

7 Transferable Knowledge and Skills 34

Reflective Questions 39

Appendix 7.A Transferable Skills Activity 39

References 40

8 An Inclusive and Representative Workforce 41

Growing Routes into the Professions Including Apprenticeships 43

Career Promotion for Career Changers 45

Career Growth from Our Life Experiences 46

Reflective Questions 50

References 50

Part 2 What Is Growth- Based Career Planning? 53

9 Vertical Growth 57

Hierarchies of Structure 57

Levels of Practice 58

Vertical Growth in Practice 60

Reflective Questions 63

References 63

10 Lateral Growth 65

Reflective Questions 67

Reference 67

11 Growth for Consolidation 68

Reflective Questions 72

References 72

12 Growth through Portfolio Career Planning 73

Developing a Portfolio Career 75

Reflective Questions 77

References 77

13 Growth within the Clinical and Professional Practice Strand 79

Preceptorship (and Pre- Preceptorship) 82

Resources to Support Growth at Different Levels of Practice 83

Do I Need to Specialise to Grow my Career in the Clinical/Professional Practice Strand? 84

Growing Careers in the Clinical/Professional Practice Strand within Origin Professions and from Them 86

Reflective Questions 89

References 89

14 Growth within the Leadership and Management Strand 91

Leadership and Management Roles as Part of a Portfolio Career 93

Growing Leadership and Management Skills and Behaviours throughout Our Careers 94

Reflective Questions 98

References 99

Resources 99

15 Growth within Education, Learning and Development Strand 100

Reflective Questions 104

References 104

16 Growth within the Research and Innovation Strand 106

Reflective Questions 110

References 111

Part 3 How Do We Support Growth- Based Career Planning? 113

17 Career Rivers – Introducing the Kawa Model 115

Introducing the Kawa Approach 115

Thinking About Our Careers with the Kawa Model 116

Thinking About Our Careers: Past, Present and Future 117

Thinking About Our Careers: A Snapshot of the Present 118

What Goes into Kawa Maps? 118

River Water/Flow 118

Riverbanks 119

Rocks 120

Driftwood 120

Spaces 121

A Focused Narrative Example: Introducing Apih, from Technophobe to Fully Online Speech and Language Therapy Practice 121

Final Extracts from Interview with Apih 127

Using the Kawa Model for Holistic Growth- Based Career Planning 127

Reflective Questions 129

References 130

18 Using the Kawa Model Approach for Growth- Based Career Conversations 132

Introduction 132

Personal Investment 133

Growth- Based Career Decisions 134

Using the Kawa Model Approach to Support Growth- Based Career Planning in Practice 135

Longitudinal Kawa Maps 135

Cross- Sectional Kawa Maps 136

Personal and Professional Growth and Development 137

Pre- Registration Learners 137

Newly Qualified/Foundation- Level Practitioners 138

Experienced Practitioners at Enhanced, Advanced and Consultant Levels of Practice 139

Researchers and Academics 139

Management and Leadership Positions 140

Teams and Organisations 141

Focused Narrative by Kee Hean Lim 142

In Summary 145

Reflective Questions 145

References 146

19 The Role of the People Profession 148

The Roles within the People Profession 150

Disruption and Innovation in Workforce Planning 151

The People Profession As A Guide for New Ways of Thinking About Recruitment 152

People with Career Breaks on Their CVs 153

People Who Have Been Dismissed By a Previous Employer or Left Under Difficult Circumstances 153

People with Multiple, Short- term Posts on Their cv 153

The People Profession As A Guide for New Ways of Thinking About Retention and Flexible Working 155

Developing Staff and Encouraging Lifelong Learning for Growth and Retention 156

Cross Sector and Industry Projects 157

Supporting the Growth of the Broader Profession 158

Public Service 158

Spaces for Collaborative Reflective Practice 158

Learning on the Job and Learning ‘Just in Time’ 159

And Sometimes Leave Staff Alone 159

Developing Line Managers and Leaders 159

Other Kinds of Leaders – How Do We Nurture and Support Them? 160

The People Profession As A Guide to the Future of Work 161

AI and the Future of Work 164

A Final Word 165

Reflective Questions 165

References 166

20 The Role of the Regulators, Professional Bodies and Other Strategic Organisations 168

Regulators and Professional Bodies 168

Working with and for Your Professional Body (and Maintaining your Registration) 171

Resources to Support Growth- Based Career Planning 175

Reflective Questions 177

References 178

21 Growing Ourselves and Our Networks 180

Volunteering 181

Supervision 181

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) 182

Mentoring 183

Communities of Practice 184

Networking 185

Counselling 186

Reflective Questions 187

Resources 187

References 187

Epilogue – Dreams for the Future 189

Index 196

Subject Areas: Nursing & ancillary services [MQ]

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