how to prepare a portfolio

Professional Portfolio: putting your midwifery portfolio together

Sarah Stewart 2008sarahstewart07@gmail.com

Image: 'Be seeing you'

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Commercial or do-it-yourself?

A commercial portfolio provides a concrete framework

to follow

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Do-it-yourself

Allows you the freedom to construct your own format and

use different medias for presentation

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Use loose leaf A4 binder so you can move sections around

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Provide evidenceProvide evidence

Image: 'Thank You Note Letterpress'

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Do not put important original documents in your portfolio just in case the portfolio gets lost or stolen – use photocopied/certified documents only

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Be positive…Image: 'Orange Explosion' www.flickr.com/photos/72369970@N00/175532290

and relevant

Image: 'African elephant'

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Be interesting…Be interesting…

Image: 'Crystal Ball'

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Creative…

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analytical…

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and critical

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Typed text is easier to read & ‘smarter’ than hand written text

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Think about alternative medias to present your work

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Do not be afraid to share portfolio with colleagues

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Everyone has the same apprehensions and questions

Constructive discussion will Constructive discussion will enable you to identify areas enable you to identify areas

you can developyou can develop

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Personal details

• Name, address, employer, contact details

• Midwifery qualifications• Midwifery philosophy• Personal reflection. What are your

strengths and weaknesses?

• Interests and personal information

Employment history

• Job title, employer or practice setting, dates, description of job/key responsibilities

• How big is your caseload; how much time spent on teaching & administration?

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• Level of skills acquired• Innovations of practice you have

implemented• What were least enjoyable aspects of job

and why did you leave?

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Education and professional qualifications

• General education– Key events/learning – you may not want to

go right back to primary/secondary education, but there may be a key event/learning that heavily influenced your life

– Dates /where/provider of education• Professional qualifications• Other qualifications• Significant events or achievements

Continuing education

• Provide evidence of formal and informal education

• Clinical update, personal skills development• Conference or seminar attendance• Significant reading – this may be an article,

poem, book that made you think and had an effect on your practice

• Keep record of compulsory education eg infant resuscitation workshop

Evidence of reflection

• Name of activity

• Date

• Location

• Your objectives for the activity

• A summary of content

• Learning outcomes and implications for practice

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Critical incident

• An event that made you think about your life and practice

• Incident that well or not so well• Incident where your intervention

made a difference• An event that captures the essence of

midwifery• Demanding incident

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• Where and when did it happen?• Why is it important to you?• What were you thinking about?• What were your feelings?• What did you find demanding or satisfying?• What would you have done differently?• How do you feel now?• What did you learn from the incident?• What broader issues such as ethical, political or

social arise from this situation?

Professional activities• NZCOM membership and participation• Representation• Teaching • Working with consumers• Local activities• Unpublished work• Conference or seminar presentations• Published work• Research• Writing policies or guidelines

• Activity

• Date

• Location

• Description of activity• Outcomes – what went well and not

so well? What did you learn and how will you apply it to practice?

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Competencies for entry to register

• Portfolio needs to demonstrate you have achieved that basic level for entry to Register

• Self assessment • Evidence of how you maintain practice• Critical incident/exemplar• Details of specific case or episodes of care• Examples of information resources you use

• Examples of documentation or care plans

• Examples of how you practice in relation to evidence or research

• Evidence of how you communicate or work with women, students and colleagues

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Midwifery Standards Review

• Analysis of statistical data

• Consumer feedback

• Discussion of aspects of care

• Self assessment

• Keep most recent information you presented, development plan and attendance certificate in portfolio

Professional development plan

• Developed as part of MSR process

• May be specific short term aims or long term aims

• Reviewed at regular intervals

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• Goal/objective to be achieved• Date commenced• Planned completion date• How are you going to achieve these

objectives• Key steps• Resources required• Results/outcomes and how will you

evaluate these• Others involved with project

References • Hull, C., & Redfern, L. (1996). Profiles and portfolios.

MacMillan: Basingstoke.• Midwifery Council of New Zealand. (2008).

Recertification Programme: competence-based practising certificates for midwives. Retrieved 21 October, 2008, from http://www.midwiferycouncil.org.nz/content/library/Revised_Recertification_Programme_updated_May_2008.pdf

• Stewart, S. 2000. Professional Portfolios: a necessary evil? New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, June, 22: 23-24.

and

• New Zealand College of Midwives. Professional Portfolio: www.midwife.org.nz