3.13 How to develop a professional
portfolio
A professional portfolio is a comprehensive record of
professional roles and training undertaken. It is updated
regularly and provides a document that can be used for:
• applying for a new position, a salary increase, or further education
• evidence when audited by a nurse regulatory authority
for the purposes of continuing competence.
How do I develop a professional portfolio?
(from Competency Standards for Nurses in General Practice,
Australian Nursing Federation)
• gather all the information you have about your career including: job descriptions; references; and a resumé or
curriculum vitae
• collect copies of the following: education transcripts; any
records of attendance at continuing education sessions;
presentations that you
• have made; and a list of committee
memberships
• purchase an appropriate folder and plastic sleeves to store the documents
• consider the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council’s
national competency standards for the registered nurse
and the competency
• standards for registered nurses in
general practice and assess the information you need to
demonstrate that you meet each standard (note
• that it may
be difficult to produce evidence for every unit of competency
but you can use a reflection on your practice as another
form of
• evidence)
• include your self-assessment against the competency standards and your professional development plans
• collect resources such as the relevant nursing legislation,
the competency standards and the codes for nurses.
Sample index for the professional portfolio
| 1. |
Curriculum vitae |
| 2. |
Qualifications |
| |
2.1 |
Records of qualifications including undergraduate and
postgraduate studies |
| |
2.2 |
Nursing registration papers/license to practice |
| 3. |
Record of employment including job descriptions |
| |
3.1 |
Current employment |
| |
3.2 |
Previous employment |
| 4. |
Self-assessment |
| 5. |
Professional development plan |
| 6. |
Performance evidence based on competency standards |
| |
6.1 |
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council national
competency standards for the registered nurse and
enrolled |
| |
6.2 |
Competency standards for the registered nurse in
general practice |
More detailed examples of professional portfolios can be found on the websites of the Australian Nursing Federation http://www.anf.org.au/nurses%5Fgp/index_rn.html ; Nurses
Board of Western Australia (www.nbwa.org.au); and in the
3LP section of Royal College of Nursing Australia’s website
(www.rcna.org.au).
|
