<p>The professional development pathways scheme is a local innovation in the North Bristol NHS Trust. While responding to national drives for personal, professional and organisational development to achieve and maintain service quality, the pathways are structured to focus on the individual development of every nurse who joins the scheme. The pathways scheme has been operational in the trust for over a year and is proving to be a positive experience for the staff, as well as a valuable recruitment tool. This article reviews the structure of the pathways scheme and some of the experiences of staff undertaking the scheme.</p>