Frequently asked questions

Path is in alpha. It is being developed and tested in a small, closed, invitation-only pilot. Features are being added and refined based on what testers find. Some things will be incomplete, change unexpectedly, or break. Alpha users should export their work periodically as a precaution.

The current pilot is closed and invitation-only. If you're not part of it, join the waiting list — you can sign up as a beta tester when wider testing opens, or just ask to be notified at launch.

We take data privacy seriously even in alpha — your content is private to your account, enforced at the database level. That said, alpha software carries inherent risk. Export your portfolio periodically if you are doing substantial work in Path. See the privacy policy for full details.

Path is built on a simple idea: professional development is a direction you choose, not just a record you fill in. Most tools ask you to log what you've done. Path asks you to argue that what you've done demonstrates something — and to direct your next move based on what's still missing.

The model has three layers. First, a framework — the standard you're working towards — defines the criteria you need to meet. Second, you build a portfolio of claims: arguments, in your own voice, that you meet each criterion, backed by evidence. Third, a coverage map shows you where you're strong, where you're thin, and what the highest-value next move is. You're not filling a form; you're building a case — and deciding where to go next.

A framework is the external standard — a set of criteria published by a professional body, regulator, or employer. The HCPC CPD standards, a teaching-fellowship scheme, your institution's promotion rubric: these are frameworks. They define what you need to demonstrate. You don't own them; you work towards them.

A path is your attempt at a framework — your portfolio for that particular pursuit. When you create a path, you're saying 'I am working towards this framework, starting now.' The path holds your claims, evidence, reflections, and coverage map for that attempt. Multiple people can work towards the same framework; each has their own path. You own your path.

The distinction matters in practice: you might run two paths simultaneously (promotion and fellowship, for example), and a single piece of evidence can support criteria on both.

Start from what you're aiming at — a licence renewal, a fellowship, a promotion, or moving into a new area of practice — and pick the framework that defines it. If you're working towards more than one thing, you can run a path for each at the same time, and a single piece of evidence can count towards several. Not sure yet? You don't need a specific framework to begin — build your portfolio, and attach a framework once the goal becomes concrete.

Create a path from the dashboard. Pick the framework you're working towards, give your path a title, and open it. The coverage grid shows all the criteria you need to address — empty cells are your starting point.

If you're unsure where to begin, use the self-assessment on any criterion to rate where you are now. The path will use those ratings to suggest the highest-value next move.

A claim is your main argument that you meet a criterion — written in your own voice, backed by evidence. It's the core of your portfolio.

A CPD entry records a learning activity (a course, conference, mentoring session, reading) with hours and date. It supports a claim but isn't itself an argument — it's the raw material.

A reflection turns an experience into captured learning. It follows a structured model (Gibbs, ERA, etc.) and is typically more personal and analytical than a claim. Reflections can address the same criteria as your claims and strengthen the picture.

Yes. Create a separate path for each framework. Content (claims, CPD, reflections, evidence) lives across all your paths and can be tagged to criteria from any of them — so a single piece of evidence can support claims on different paths.

Tasks are the to-do list that sits alongside your portfolio work. You can attach a task to a specific criterion on a path (e.g. 'find the audit report for A3.2') or keep it general. Both types show on your dashboard. Use tasks to capture what you need to do next without stopping what you're doing — the quick-create button (the + in the sidebar) creates a task from anywhere.

Yes. Each task has a priority (high, medium, low) and an optional due date. Tasks with due dates show up in your upcoming list on the dashboard.

Path doesn't prescribe what counts as CPD — you log what your framework or regulator recognises. Common types: courses, conferences, reading, teaching, mentoring, work-based learning. Add the hours, date, and whether the activity was participatory. Tag the framework criteria the activity supports.

Some frameworks and regulators (the HCPC included) distinguish between participatory CPD — done with other people, like mentoring, workshops, or peer review — and individual learning like reading or online courses. The participatory flag lets Path report these separately if your framework requires it.

CPD entries support criteria but don't count as claims — the coverage map distinguishes between claims (your argument) and CPD (your supporting activity). A criterion needs at least one claim to show as 'covered'. CPD entries appear in the CPD column of the grid, which shows the depth of supporting activity behind each criterion.

Path supports Gibbs, ERA, Driscoll, Rolfe, a teaching round (peer review), and freeform. Choose the model your programme or framework recommends if one is specified; otherwise pick the one that feels most natural. Gibbs is the most widely used in health professions education. ERA (Experience, Reflection, Action) is the quickest. Freeform is the most flexible if you find structured prompts constraining.

A reflection sits alongside your evidence — it is not itself a file attachment, but it can be referenced in a claim to show your thinking. For frameworks that ask specifically for reflective accounts (many nursing and allied health CPD frameworks do), the reflection is part of what you submit.

A case study groups a set of your strongest claims and evidence into a coherent narrative — typically around a project, role, or patient/student population. It is useful when your framework asks for an integrated account rather than criterion-by-criterion evidence, or when you want to show how several claims work together. Case studies sit on a specific path.

The statement is the single narrative that opens your portfolio — who you are, what you are working towards, and the arc of your development. Path names it for each context: a 'personal statement' for an Advance HE application, a 'summary of recent work' for HCPC CPD, or simply an 'overview' otherwise. A case study is more specific: it zooms in on one episode or area of practice and shows how multiple pieces of evidence cohere. A portfolio typically has one statement and several case studies.

No, but most submission formats ask for one. The statement is the narrative frame for your portfolio — it helps a reviewer or panel understand who you are before they read the individual claims. Path keeps one per path and names it for the context — a 'personal statement' for promotion or Advance HE, a 'summary of recent work' for HCPC CPD renewal — because what each asks for differs.

Yes. When creating a statement for a new path, you can 'start from' any previous path's statement. This copies the text so you can revise it, rather than starting blank.

A credential is a formal recognition — a fellowship, a badge, a qualification, a certificate of completion. Add the issuer, dates, a verification link, and a badge image. Link credentials to the criteria they evidence. They appear in your portfolio as a quick snapshot of formal recognition, separate from the claims and evidence that show your ongoing practice.

Add credentials that are relevant to the framework you are working towards, or that demonstrate substantive professional recognition (a fellowship, a chartered status). There is no value in adding every certificate of attendance — those belong as CPD entries, not credentials.

Network is a professional contact list for the people involved in your development — mentors, assessors, supervisors, collaborators. You can note how they relate to specific paths, which makes it easier to find who to ask for feedback or who reviewed a specific portfolio. It is not a personal address book — by design it holds professional relationship context only.

No. Network contacts are private to your account.

Yes. When you write a claim, you can tag it to multiple criteria within the same path. This is useful when your work genuinely demonstrates several things at once — a research project, a curriculum redesign, a leadership role.

Draft means you're still working on it. Ready means the claim is polished and evidence is attached — it stands on its own. Submitted means it's been included in a real application or submission. The coverage grid uses Ready status to calculate how far along you are.

No. When you create a new path for the same framework, you can import claims from a previous attempt and revise them. This is much faster than starting blank — open your new path and look for the import option.

PDFs and images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP). Video uploads are not supported during alpha. The maximum file size is 10 MB per upload.

During the alpha pilot, each account includes 100 MB of total storage for evidence files. This is enough for a reasonable portfolio of PDFs and document scans. Future versions of Path will offer paid plans with higher storage limits. If you hit the limit, contact us and we will sort it out.

Yes. Evidence lives in your library and can be attached to as many claims as it supports. A clinical audit report, for example, might back claims on leadership, evidence-informed practice, and service improvement all at once.

Strength rates how far a piece of evidence goes towards proving you can actually do something, rather than just that you know about it. It uses Miller's pyramid: at the top, direct records of practice (audits, observed assessments, patient outcomes); below that, demonstrations (simulation, presentations); then applied knowledge (case studies, enacted CPD); at the base, factual knowledge (certificates, reading lists). Path uses this to shade the evidence column in your coverage grid — one strong piece reads darker than several weak ones.

You can upload clinical evidence — audit reports, case records, observation notes — but you are responsible for ensuring any patient or client-identifiable information is redacted before uploading. Path stores files privately and does not access them, but personal data about third parties should not be held in a portfolio tool unless it is properly anonymised. When in doubt, redact. See the privacy policy for how Path handles the data you store.

No. When you create a share link, anyone with that link can read your path and leave comments or endorsements — no account required. The link is private: only people you send it to can access it.

You can set an expiry date when you create the link, or leave it open-ended. You can revoke a link at any time from the Share page, and it immediately stops working.

Feedback appears in two places: a summary on your Share page (up to three recent comments), and a full list on the Feedback page for that path. You can also see feedback directly alongside the claim or reflection it relates to — open any claim and reviewer comments appear in the panel on the right.

Yes. Create a separate share link for each reviewer, labelled with their name. You can see how many comments and endorsements each link has generated from the Share page.

They see your full path: the statement, all claims with evidence attached, CPD, reflections, and the coverage map. They can leave a comment on the path overall, or on a specific claim or reflection. They can also endorse criteria they're satisfied with. They do not need an account to do any of this.

No. Share links are read-only for the recipient. An assessor can leave comments and endorsements, but they cannot change your claims, evidence, or anything else in your portfolio.

Their feedback is saved to your portfolio permanently — it doesn't disappear when you revoke the link. Revoking the link just stops the assessor from accessing the path via that URL in the future. You keep all their comments and endorsements.

No. If you belong to an institution, they see only anonymous aggregate data — how many members are working towards each framework, and the distribution of progress. No individual content is visible to your institution unless you explicitly choose to share a specific path with them.

It makes a specific path visible to your institution admins — they can read it in a read-only view for mentoring or internal review. You can turn this on or off at any time from the path's Share page. Turning it off immediately removes their access.

Open a path's settings (the gear icon at the top of the path) and use 'Export to Word' to download a document with your statement and claims organised by criterion — available on desktop. You can also export everything — all your content across all paths — as Markdown files from Account → Export everything.

Markdown is a plain-text format: your content is saved as simple text files that open in any text editor, word processor, or note-taking app, without needing Path or any other specialist software. It means your portfolio is always yours — nothing is locked in.

Everything you create is private to your account, enforced at the database level. It is not accessible to other users, not sold, and not used for advertising. See the privacy policy for full details.

Everything is permanently deleted: all content, uploaded files, and account information. This cannot be undone. Export your work first if you want to keep it.