This document discusses professional portfolios and their role in the 21st century workforce. It defines a professional portfolio as a purposeful collection of work that tells the story of a person's efforts, progress, and achievements. Portfolios provide a narrative presentation of professional accomplishments and can be used for education, career advancement, performance evaluation, credentialing, and regulation of practice. Individual benefits of portfolios include demonstrating continuing professional competence and critical thinking skills. Drivers behind nursing portfolios include moving from continuing education to continuing professional competence and relating competence to outcomes. Key attributes of portfolios are that they are organized, individualized, reflective, selective, and ongoing.

1. From Novice to Expert:
The Role of the Professional Portfolio
in the 21st Century Workforce

2. What is a Professional Portfolio?
“purposeful collection of…work that tells the story
of…efforts, progress and achievement in a given area”
 A collection of documents to recognize and evaluate
the knowledge base, abilities and attitudes of nurses
 These documents provide a narrative presentation of
a persons professional accomplishments
 The contents of the portfolio will vary depending on
how the portfolio will be used
Arter, J.A., Spandel, V., & Culham, R. (1995) Portfolios for assessment and instruction (Contract no. RR930002004) Washington DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

3. What a Professional Portfolio is Not?
What a Professional Portfolio is Not?
 A shoe box or file of documents
 A transcript in a learning management system
 A history of education completed with an online
CE vendor
 A Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
 A web page (e.g., Facebook or Linked In)

4. Uses of a Professional Portfolio
 Education Tool
 Career Advancement
 Performance Evaluation
 Credentialing
 Initial Specialty Certification
 Regulation of Practice

5. Individual Benefits of Portfolios
 Demonstration of continuing professional
competence, not just continuing education
 Demonstration of critical thinking skills
 Ability to reflect on personal and professional
growth
 Personalization of work

6. Drivers behind Nursing Portfolios
 Move from Continuing Education to Continuing
Professional Competence
 The Relationship between Competence and
Outcomes
 Regulation and Credentialing
 Excellence Programs, e.g., Magnet & Baldrige
 The Emerging Nursing Workforce

7. The Defining Attributes of a Portfolio
 Organized
 As in the medical record, sections are consistent, e.g., nursing note, lab results
 Individualized
 As in the medical record, data within the section based on the individual
 Reflective
 Unlike the medical record, reflection on the past is acceptable
 Selective
 Activities included in a portfolio can be chosen based on use case
 Ongoing
 As in the medical record, the portfolio is a life-long record of professional
development
As utilized by ANCC (Monsen, R. B., 2005)

8. Output of an Electronic Portfolio
 Curriculum Vitae/Resume
 Supporting Documentation of Activities
– Professional Education
– Publications
– Presentations
– Honors, Awards, Special Achievements
– Professional Experience and Expertise
– Community Activities
 Reflective Documents

9. Attributes of The Professional Portfolio

10. Organized

11. Individualized

12. Reflective

13. Selective

14. Ongoing

15. Individual Benefits of
The Professional Portfolio by Decision Critical
 Decreased time involved in compiling the portfolio
 Elimination of cumbersome paper-based processes
 Create customized portfolios
 Secure password protected environment
 Real-time capture of activities
 Private access with any Internet connection
 Ease of distribution
 Assures compliance

16. Organization Benefits of
The Professional Portfolio by Decision Critical
 Centralized Professional Nursing Database
 Leadership Development
 Succession Planning
 Career Ladder
 Robust Reporting
 Magnet
 Compliance
 Competency

17. Aggregation of The Professional Portfolio Creates a
Comprehensive Professional Nursing Database

18. Questions?????
Contact: Gary Rust, Vice President of Sales
Decision Critical
1.800.794.1770
grust@decisioncritical.com
www.decisioncritical.com