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Student portfolios have been used in nursing education to purposely collect a representative sample of a student's work in a course or program of study. In this rapidly changing technological environment, and somewhat competitive job market, students need to present themselves professionally through an electronic medium rather than the traditional paper format. The eportfolio not only replaces the resume, but also displays a student's talents and abilities that go far beyond the traditional resume. Faculty feel the eportfolio provides the student with an edge in the hiring process as schools of nursing increase their enrollment.

The eportfolio provides documentation and showcasing of skills the student has acquired throughout their nursing education or up to a set point in time. It may therefore be used to demonstrate writing and skill proficiency such as with a summer or graduate internship or it may be distributed to potential employers as a nursing graduate of either an undergraduate or graduate program. Each portfolio should contain select elements demonstrating outcome behaviors of a baccalaureate or graduate degree program. These may include the traditional resume, personal nursing philosophy, skills acquired, references, and examples of papers or electronic presentations. Each section of the eportfolio software program should have dedicated sections addressing each of these areas.

The limitations of eportfolio development relate to the software application, the time required to create an eportfolio, and the storage and distribution of the eportfolio to distant potential employers. Although the eportfolio process described here pertains to students, its application may also be used with both novice and veteran nurses.