Professional Portfolio In Nursing

A professional portfolio is a collection of carefully selected materials that document the nurse's competencies and illustrate the expertise of the nurse (Oermann, 2002). Portfolios are used by several careers such as artists, designers, and architects. A portfolio is one way to showcase a person’s talent and is an invaluable marketing tool when selling an item or applying for a different position. A portfolio is not something that is made and forgotten. It must be reviewed frequently and updated often. If not, it can cause the difference between getting that job you applied for or being passed over.

All nurses should maintain a professional portfolio to reflect on their own development of

knowledge and skills over time, present evidence

No two portfolios are alike and should

constantly change as a nurse grows professionally. It is best to save more materials than

needed for the current portfolio because at a later time the purpose of the portfolio might change

(Oermann, 2002). A portfolio should not be confused with a curriculum vitae, resume or e-portfolio. A

curriculum vitae is a brief list of personal and professional accomplishments, education obtained,

and prior nursing experience. It usually accompanies a job application, is two or three pages in

length, and focuses specifically on academic credentials. A resume lists the educational

institutions attended, the positions held, and other background information about a nurse

(Oermann, 2002). Resumes are recommended to be no more than one page in length. In

contrast, an e-portfolio is a collection of digitized material that includes resources,

accomplishments and demonstrations that represent an individual’s work and education history.

This can include text-based or multimedia elements available on a CD-ROM, DVD or Website.

It would be of utmost importance for all nurses to start a portfolio early in a career