Strategies for academic portfolios

16 | Volume 93, Issue 3 | Ohio Nurses Review | www.ohnurses.org

Creating a Nursing Portfolio
By Margaret K. Burns, RN-BC, CCRC, BSN, MS

PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

Portfolios are no longer solely the domain of artists, architects,
photographers, and models. They are considered an essen-
tial tool in demonstrating professional accomplishments and
documenting professional growth for a variety of professions
(Williams, & Jordan, 2007).

What is a Professional Portfolio?
A professional portfolio is evidence of the nurse’s skills,
achievements, and professional experience (Dennison, 2007). A
resume or curriculum vita (CV) is part of the portfolio. There are
two kinds of professional portfolios:

1. Growth and Development Portfolio and
2. Best Work Portfolio.

A Growth and Development Portfolio depicts evidence of the
nurse’s education and achievements. It is used to plan continuing
education and professional development.

A Best Work Portfolio is a collection of materials from the
Growth and Development Portfolio for review by others for a
specific purpose as a promotion, award or an evaluation. Select
items that are most relevant for the position, promotion, or
recognition.

Who uses portfolios?
Nurses, throughout the world, use portfolios. International-
ly, nurses in Australia, are required to develop and maintain
portfolios that demonstrate the assessment of their practice, the
currency of their practice and continuing professional develop-
ment (CPD). These nurses have an annual review process.

In 2013, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in
the Certification through Portfolio General Handbook, outlines an
alternative method for certifying registered nurses and advanced
practice registered nurses in specialties where a certification exam
is unavailable. An example is the “Genetic Clinical Nurse” cre-
dentialing process, which requires a professional portfolio.

In addition to certification requirements for some specialties,
the nurse can use a portfolio to document competencies and
achievements during evaluations, and for applications regarding
promotions or awards. A professional portfolio, which outlines
the Advanced Practice Nurse’s qualifications, “can be helpful in
facilitating the credentialing and privileging processes (Klein-
pell, Hravnak, Hinch, & Llewellyn, 2008).

Why create a portfolio?
There are at least three reasons to create a portfolio: 1. Self
Promotion; 2. Evidence of Outcomes; and 3. Structure and
Direction.

Self Promotion
The nurse can show the future employer or current manager
competencies, and accomplishments! The nursing student is
required to document clinical experiences as part of the course
requirements. The novice nurse could compile descriptions of
work assignments and le

The use of professional portfolios
and profiles for career enhancement
Deborah C Casey and Dominic Egan
Deborah C Casey, Senior Lecturer, Dominic Egan, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health, Leeds Metropolitan University
Email: [email protected]

Since the introduction of the Post-registration Education and Practice (PREP) standard for regis-tered nurses and midwives in 1995, the relationship
between the professional development, education and
training of registrants, and their fitness for practice has been
made explicit (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010a).
The PREP continuing professional development standard
requires registrants to:
w Undertake at least 35 hours of learning activity relevant

to their practice during the 3-year period prior to
renewal of registration

w Maintain a personal professional portfolio of learning
activity

w Comply with any request from the Nursing and
Midwifery Council (NMC) to audit how these require-
ments have been met.
In addition, to meet certain NMC practice standards,

such as the standards for mentors and practice teach-
ers (NMC, 2008a) or non-medical prescribers (NMC,
2008b), focused evidence to meet specific outcomes
must be collected as evidence of continuing professional
development. Maintaining a robust portfolio of material
evidencing professional development activities and how
they have informed and influenced practice is therefore a
mandatory requirement and failure to do so could jeop-
ardise NMC registration. However, this should not be
the only reason for evidencing personal and professional
development using a professional portfolio. This article
will discuss the wider range of potential personal and
professional benefits to the individual practitioner from
portfolio development activities.

The portfolio defined
There are a number of descriptions of what constitutes a
professional portfolio but a particularly useful definition,
provided by McCready (2007 p. 144) is:

‘…a visual representation of the individual, their
experience, strengths, abilities and skills.’

Individual portfolios will therefore be unique in terms
of content and presentation, reflecting the specific profes-
sional biography of that health professional. Although part
of the function of maintaining a portfolio may be as a stor-
age portal for certificates, transcripts and job descriptions,

it should provide much more than just a career resumé or
curriculum vitae summarizing academic and work history.
A portfolio should also provide evidence of how an indi-
vidual has developed both personally and professionally.
It is therefore a showcase for past accomplishments and
achievements, but can also be used as a dynamic vehicle to
enable future career and developme

Volume 28 Number 4 – S U M M E R 2015 35

The GNLI was a unique opportunity to connect with nurse leaders
from around the world. I now have a greater understanding of the
issues that face perioperative nurses worldwide, especially with the
Universal Healthcare Coverage — Developing Human Resources for
Health Strategy, which is to be tabled at the WHO Assembly meeting
in 2016. Global health care and equity of access is a worldwide
issue that will impact all of us, even here in Australia, therefore
understanding the issues facing refugees from a cultural perspective
and how this will impact health care needs for the future is a vital
component to consider. It is critical to the future of health care that
nurses are informed and present at the policy- and decision-making
forums that affect health care. In this way, nursing can lead the
future, anticipating the needs of our communities and ultimately our
patients. As part of the GNLI alumni, I am part of a network of global
nurse leaders which ultimately will benefit our patients and the role I
have as IFPN President.

The GNLI week was completed with a formal, celebratory graduation

ceremony and lunch on the lawn of the Château de Bossey. A
magnificent event to wrap up the intensive week! We were joined
by the GNLI Faculty, sponsors, various dignitaries and Acting
Chief Executive Officer — ICN Pierre Theraulaz, who thanked
ambassadors, sponsors and congratulated graduates saying, “Your hard
work and newly acquired skills will be vitally important to the health
of populations in your countries and add to the strengthening of
nursing everywhere”.

I am really glad that I seized this opportunity and was motivated to
apply by 2014 GNLI participant and current ACORN President Jed
Duff. I would also like to acknowledge the support given by ACORN
and my local Sunshine Coast PNAQ branch — thank you.

Ruth Melville FACORN
IFPN President 2015–2018
[email protected]

As we head into the pointy end of 2015, I can’t help but think of
those students nearing the end of the university year, particularly
those nurses who are at the end of their journey through the nurse
practitioner course and perhaps beginning the process of completing
their application to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation
Agency (AHPRA) to gain endorsement. I remember this time being
very stressful, but can assure you that there is light at the end of the
tunnel. After getting my final results and confident I had gained my
master’s status, I spent time developing my portfolio. I recall a unit
chair expressing how important it was to take the time to develop my
application, ensuring that I had all relevant information presented in
the correct manner. I attribute my swift endorsement p

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