From Novice to Expert: The Critical Role of the Electronic Portfolio in the 21st Century Nursing Workforce

Friday, 16 July 2010: 8:30 AM

Kenneth W. Dion, RN, MSN, MBA
Not Applicable, Decision Critical, Inc, Austin, TX

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify validity and reliability issues; implementation best practices; and, opportunities for organizational improvement through electronic portfolio implementation.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be provided with an innovative strategy to create/sustain professional career advancement and development through electronic mapping of professional roles, responsibilities, competencies.

Portfolios aren’t just for student nurses anymore.  In fact, the adoption of professional portfolios for evaluating and enhancing competence, creating professional development and career progression plans, and succession planning strategies is gaining momentum across all constituents in today’s nursing field. 
Nursing programs are implementing professional portfolio programs for both faculty and students. 
Service providers see the benefit of portfolios in their recruitment and retention activities, leadership development and succession planning, and Magnet Recognition. 
State boards of nursing and specialty certifying bodies, have implemented, or are considering implementation of, professional portfolios for demonstration of professional competency leading to re-licensure or specialty certification.
Today’s healthcare provider organizations use professional portfolio documentation for a number of purposes, not the least of which is the ability to provide real-time documentation necessary for both internal competency management programs and to populate the Annual Demographic Information Form required by the ANCC Magnet Recognition TM program.  . 
The individual healthcare professional uses professional portfolios to keep a consummate lifetime representation of professional abilities, achievements, and efforts – from qualitative to quantitative aspect of their practice. 
This presentation will discuss the impact that portfolio development is having across the healthcare spectrum.