The Development of a Professional Portfolio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvqBORISA5k
This week we will be looking at the concept of a professional portfolio. This is a file of your professional accomplishments, and includes, among other items, your professional licensure, diplomas, certifications, continuing education, educational, and selected professional achievements, and more. This is commonly done in many professions as a standard part of career advancement, and has become more popular in nursing.
Professional portfolios are an effective way to preserve your educational, clinical, and professional accomplishments (Davis, 2015). A strong portfolio should contain a balance of information, which includes both learning and achievements. Portfolios are now routinely used in health professional education and practice to assess professional competence. They are required for all registered nurses in England and Australia (Davis, 2015).
Nursing portfolios allow nurses to position themselves to leverage their talents and take advantage of career opportunities. Materials should be carefully selected to highlight and document clinical competencies (Norris, Webb, & McKeon, 2012). The portfolio provides evidence of the nurse’s skills, knowledge, attitudes, and achievements. They are a creative and dynamic way to provide a more complete picture of the nurse than traditional documents such as resumes. The intention is for the portfolio to supplement the resume, not to replace it.
What purpose do they serve?
The portfolio defines your unique professional nursing competence in practice and experiences, and documents your own unique career progression. A portfolio can help a nurse obtain a desirable job offer or professional opportunity, and it may help differentiate between two nurses competing for the same position. It helps to showcase professional development, illustrate specific areas of expertise, and may further enhance knowledge and skills, plan for additional career opportunities, help gain admission to school, validate competency, and document reflections on the art of nursing (Hespenheide, Cottingham, & Mueller, 2011).

The professional portfolio is a visual and holistic presentation of the nurse’s professional development and may include personal aspects, at the discretion of the individual. It gives the future employer a greater understanding of the person behind the title and name and may better enable them to see how that nurse will fit into the job description and what they have to offer the organization as a potential professional employee.
BSN level position that could benefit from a professional portfolio?
Portfolios are appropriate for the BSN level of practice to plan of additional career opportunities which will be clear once you have finished the upcoming assignment. Leadership, educational, and research roles are often undertaken by nurses with increased knowledge and developed experience in a specialty. More extensive requirements are necessary for those with specialty certifications or in advanced practice (Hespenheide et al., 2011). Professional portfolios are frequently used by nurses at an advanced practice level, to continually illustrate the diverse experiences gained over time.
Benefits of maintaining a professional portfolio
The portfolio provides a place to maintain an active and accountable reference of your knowledge development and evidence of skills and competencies to meet the complex needs of patients and the demands of professional practice (Davis, 2015). Although creating, maintaining, and updating a professional portfolio may sound time-consuming, it may be the one thing that sets you apart from other candidates who want the same job you do (Ward, 2015).
Portfolios provide an opportunity for personal reflection. It allows nurses to use their personal experiences to determine what they may do differently and take responsibility one’s own practice.
Disadvantages of maintaining a professional portfolio
Disadvantages include compatibility of electronic systems between your own and the facility or user’s capability. A portfolio that lacks professional quality may reflect negatively on the candidate. It needs to be updated regularly, and this can be labor intensive, especially if not done promptly. Key information may be forgotten and not readily available when requested.
Paper or Electronic format? How can technology be used to create your portfolio
The portfolio can be completed on either paper or electronically. Electronic portfolios are easy to update and transmit, and can be filed securely on a backed-up hard drive or cloud-based file server. The options for creative designs are greater and more easily updated in the electronic format. The e-format encourages streamlining the process and is environmentally friendly.
The paper format is convenient if you have an interview and are unsure if a computer will be available, or the employer wants a hard copy. It must still be backed up and should also be saved on an external drive, for safekeeping.
In either format, the portfolio must be well-organized and professional in appearance. There are software programs available to assist in assembling the portfolio. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) (2015) offers an electronic professional portfolio management system to aid in maintaining the records and documents necessary for portfolio development as part of the credentialing process with no exam required.
What is an e-portfolio? Take a look at this brief video that provides a summary:
There are numerous electronic options for portfolio construction, including: Google, WordPress, Mahara. Here are a few sites to help you along with creating an electronic portfolio:
Creating a Professional Portfolio using Google sites
https://sites.google.com/site/nyceportfolios2010/professional-portfolios
Using WordPress to create a Portfolio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_WyVPgxHuY
Mahara for Portfolio Design
https://mahara.org/
What is included in a professional portfolio, upon completion of this program?
Common items that should be included in a portfolio are personal demographics, educational background, personal philosophy of nursing, CEU certificates, list of committees and professional projects, professional memberships, annual performance appraisal, scholarly publications/presentations, community service or volunteering outside of work, specialty certifications, and future career goals (Davis, 2015). This may also include transcripts and scholarly work. In addition, projects that have been part of employment positions. Some examples of might be:
• the creation of a new policy regarding a specific practice, for example, the creation of an “admission checklist” for a nephrology unit
• an award for exemplary service to the unit
• evidence of professional certifications, such as PALS or CCU
• thank you letters or letters of appreciation from patients
• acknowledgement from the director of nursing
Here are a few examples from the web of actual nursing portfolios:
Sample #1
VANESSA R. MORTON, R.N.
• Personal Nursing Philosophy
• One Year & Five Year Goals
• Resume
• Letter of Recommendation
• Employee Award
• Senior Practicum Teaching Project
• R.N. License
• BLS Certification
• Professional Organization Membership

My Professional Nursing Portfolio
April 17, 2013
One Year Later…
It is amazing how quickly a year has gone by after graduating nursing school, and I have another great year ahead of me!
Over the past year I have had the privilege to work with some of the strongest and most passionate nurses, doctors, and support staff I have ever met. As a new graduate, I never expected my first position as an R.N. to be in women’s health, and I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I have so far. There are so many new nursing skills that I have learned, and so many that I have been able to become very proficient at.
However, since graduating, I have often thought about the goals that I set for myself, and the desire I feel to continue my education. It was a very difficult decision for me to become a student again, but I know that the decision to work towards and to receive my BSN degree would be one that would be a great benefit to me, and open the doors to other areas in nursing besides women’s health.
In just a few weeks I will begin online classes at Anna Maria College for my RN-BSN completion program, and I am very excited! I resigned from my full time position at the clinic, but remain on staff as a Per Diem nurse. I enjoy having the flexibility in my schedule, and love that I can still be a part of the clinic and take care of patients when I can. Since I am still so new to nursing, my next goal is to find a position in a different out-patient clinic, a medical/surgical unit, or in an environment where I can broaden my knowledge and work with a more diverse patient population.
I am very excited to see where the next year is going to take me!
February 9, 2012
WELCOME
Welcome to my personal nursing portfolio! As a new graduate registered nurse, I created this website to represent who I am as a professional, and to share my journey as I transition from a student nurse and into my career. I am very excited to begin this new venture, and I look forward to updating my website with my future accomplishments and stories of where my new profession takes me.

Recognizing patients as individuals is critical to me as a professional, and one of the concepts I base my nursing practice on. In order to create a nursing plan of care that is beneficial to the patient, it is necessary to recognize that patients are each very unique biological, social, psychological, economic, ethnic and spiritual beings. I chose a career in nursing because it will provide me with new knowledge each day, and I will be able to share it by teaching my patients something new every day.

Sample #2
Welcome!
September 10, 2012
Hi and welcome to my professional nursing portfolio!
In this blog you will find 7 pages related to my nursing career in its earliest development. The column to the right provides links to the main pages:
• A Biosketch
• Curriculum Vitae
• Philosophy of Nursing
• Overall Career Goals
• Resume
• Skeleton of my Curriculum
• Writing Samples
My name is Kaleigh Reagan, RN. Even though it has been over two years now that I have had the privilege of signing my name with “RN” at the end, I still do a little happy dance in my head every time. I feel honored to be able to call myself a nurse, to be a part of a profession that is dedicated to helping others. Although nursing has always felt to be a part of my roots, my professional nursing journey began May 19, 2012 when I completed my degree at the University of New Hampshire. I earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSn) and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. I have now been a staff nurse in on a medical-oncology unit since April 2013. This position continues to humble and teach me something every day. I don’t know exactly what my future in nursing holds, but I will always be searching for new ways to grow.
Kaleigh Reagan, RN, BSn
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH
Degrees: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
GPA: 3.77
Objectives:
• To gain at least 2 years experience as an RN to serve as a foundation for future goals
• To obtain additional education and certifications in nursing specialties of interest
• To maintain phlebotomy skills outside of my nursing job
• To become a substitute school nurse in addition to my current full-time nursing position to gain a better understanding of pediatric and community nursing
• To provide compassionate health care services to my community
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Sample #3
Background

Sandra Nakkoul
Registered Nurse
New York State
In May 2011, at the age of 22, I graduated from nursing school and received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the College of Health and Human Services at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. After relocating to the state of New York, I received my license to practice as a registered nurse and currently work at Orange Regional Medical Center.
In June 2007, I graduated from Salem High School in Salem, N.H. I grew up in Windham, N.H., with my parents and two older sisters. My family has been invaluable, instilling in me spirituality, humility and unconditional love.
Throughout nursing school clinical rotations I have met many amazing patients and healthcare professionals in various disciplines. While in college, I worked at the Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital in Salem, N.H. That is where I had my most formative experience thus far in my nursing career. Working at the bedside, I was able to witness remarkable recoveries that patients have accomplished through hard work and the assistance of their nurses and nurses’ aides. I have learned that the most important factor in getting well is having a positive attitude about life and the current situation one is in. As an RN and a former nurse’s aide, having this outlook myself, coupled with my self-sacrificing spirit, will help me make a difference in patients’ lives.
Becoming a nurse has helped me to follow through on my dedication to live my life helping others. I am creating this portfolio with hope that it portrays my commitment to this profession and my enthusiastic desire to be an asset to whatever healthcare community I am a part of in the years to come.

Reflective Statements can serve as the introduction: A Sample
My journey as a nurse began after graduating from college with a bachelor’s degree in human resource management. While interviewing for positions in the business field, I could not help but feel unfulfilled. Shortly after graduation, I found myself applying to nursing school. Thankfully, this turned out to be what I consider to be the best career decision of my life. I loved the challenge of nursing school and finally felt that I was doing what I was meant to do. Since obtaining my licensure, I have worked in surgical nursing and the Operating Room Department. I think that my most recent accomplishment of obtaining my BSN proves my commitment to the profession. In doing so, I have found that some of my strengths are that I am motivated and open to change. I believe that in the ever-changing world of healthcare, it is important to have goals that encourage professional growth, and nursing provides a myriad of opportunities to demonstrate this. Frequent self-assessment and reflection have aided me on the voyage of becoming a better nurse, and I hope to continually practice what I have learned.
References
American Nurses Credentialing Center [ANCC]. (2015). ANCC patents certification through portfolio credentialing process. Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Certification/ANCC-Patents-Credentialing-Process.html
Davis, C. (2015). Developing a professional nursing portfolio. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 13(1), 4. doi: 10.1097/01.NME.0000457285.39465.5c
Hespenheide, M., Cottingham, T., & Mueller, G. (2011). Portfolio use as a tool to demonstrate professional development in advanced nursing practice. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 25(6), 312-320. doi:10.1097/NUR.0b013e318233ea90
Norris, T.L., Webb, S.S., & McKeon, L.M. (2012). Using portfolios to introduce the clinical nurse leader to the job market. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(1), 47-51. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0b013e31823c18e3
Ward, K. (2015). Creating a professional nursing portfolio. Nursing Examiner. Retrieved from http://www.nursingexaminer.com/nursing-jobs/nursing-portfolio/