Creating a Portfolio

Definition of a portfolio

A portfolio is a ‘collection of evidence which demonstrates the continuing acquisition of skills, knowledge, attributes and achievements. It is both retrospective and prospective, as well as reflecting the current state of development and activity of the individual’¹. We can deduce therefore that it provides evidence that you are keeping up to date with practice. It is a requirement for registration; it is useful when planning your career; it is used as part of your annual appraisal process and it is also necessary for interview. It will in time contain a record of lifelong learning which is an expectation of a health professional.

In order to compile a portfolio you will need to acquire a ring binder; a pack of multi-coloured dividers and some plastic pockets.

Remember that-

The contents must be legible,

It must be easy to find the relevant information so-

Create a front page index (Appendix 1)

Suggested structure

Section I – an introduction

Write approximately three to five hundred words of a personal statement. Include where you are in your career to date, your work environment and relevant work experience. Refer to teamwork and the ability to work solo; time management skills; communication skills; computer literacy and outline your future plans. In order to do this you can visit www.hseland.ie  and take the module on personal development planning.

Section II contains copies of your qualification certificates.

Section III contains your attendance certificates e.g. mandatory training, study days or courses. Please be aware that attendance certificates must be accompanied by some reflective writing that will indicate what you learned and how it will affect your work practice. A certificate without such information is of no benefit.

Section IV contains evidence of clinical competency.

Consider using

• Training certificates from a company e.g. new equipment you have been taught to use – include a brief description on what you learned and how it affects your work practice.
• Self- directed learning or e-learning packs pertaining to your work

Outline what you are doing that is keeping you up to date with new techniques and the latest thinking in your field of work. It may be useful to use the following headings:

Work Based – reflecting on experiences (downloadable form); considering feedback from service users; being a member of a committee; audits; secondments; job rotation.

Professional Activity – being a member of a special interest group; mentoring or teaching others; giving presentations at conference or in your place of work; organising study days; facilitating discussion on ‘interesting cases’; image interpretation sessions.

Formal education – Going on a relevant course; doing research; distance learning or e-learning; planning or running a course.

Self- directed learning – Reading articles; reviewing books and articles; updating your knowledge through use of internet;

These four sections would be common to most portfolios. Depending on your role in the workplace you can create more sections where you can place evidence of your CPD. You may for example be involved in workplace development, on-going education or in teaching and/ or assessing. Consider also the broad skills required namely – communication; team working; reliability; professionalism. Keep these in mind when selecting evidence of CPD.

The Health Professions Council (HPC)³ in the UK reminds us that when collecting evidence we need to keep in mind the following:

• Recognise the event / happening as significant
• Describe it accurately
• Collect evidence that will support your claim – this can be a written ststement from one of your colleagues for example
• Reflect on the happening or event and what you learned
• Using critical analysis decide if there is need for improvement
• If further training or learning is indicated, detail what resources are required
• Evidence must be valid, authentic, sufficient, current and reliable.
• It must also cover a range of learning activities.

The Society of Radiographers (London) suggests that CPD activities include but are not limited to the following:

• Attendance based events
• Self-directed learning or private study
• Hands on or experiential learning
• Discussion
• Reflection on events/practice
• Writing
• Teaching or presentation
• Professional body activities.

Examples of evidence

Remember to also include in your portfolio your planned learning activities. These can be devised from your personal development plan (PDP) or as a result of discussion during the annual appraisal process. Do not forget to include the resources that will be required in order to achieve your aims and objectives. If the aims include concepts or projects that are departmental requirements then there is a better chance that support will be available. Lastly, identify barriers to development but avoid negative input!

So, what is meant when we say ‘keeping up to date with practice.’ Pedler et al² start with a list of questions that may be of assistance to you.

• How much time do you spend reading (concerning your field of work) during the week/month?
• How much time do you spend looking at appropriate websites / electronic media?
• How would you describe the way you are reading the above material i.e. scanning or immersing yourself in it?
• Write down the names of the journals, websites and newsletters pertaining to work
• Which relevant journals / websites do you not read?
• Do you make use of available training packages?
• Do you ever make use of correspondence courses e.g. distance or e-learning?
• Write down the names of the professional bodies to which you belong
• Write down the courses or conferences attended during the year
• Have you made any visits or study tours during the past year?
• What other ways of developing your professional knowledge have you made in the past year?

Look at the answers to the above questions and consider the picture you get. Is CPD low on the list of priorities? Do you have a strategy for future development? It is suggested that you choose which methods of keeping up to date you will follow in the next six months and plan when where and how you will achieve your aims. It will most likely require both organisation and commitment. Perseverance is the key to success.

Appendix 1

Example of Index

References

1. Brown, R.(1995) Portfolio Development and Profiling for Nurses (2^nd edn), Lancaster, Central Health Studies, in Clark, E. and Rogers, J. (1996) Developing Your Professional Portfolio, Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

2. Pedler. M., J.G. Burgoyne and T.H.Boydell,  A Manager’s Guide to Self Development,

4^th edn, McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead, UK, 2001.

3. http://www.hpc-uk.org/  accessed Nov 9^th 2011.

Margaret Mulligan, IIRRT CPD Officer, Nov 2011.