ANSWER
Academic Portfolio Strategies for Nurses
A portfolio is a document that contains information about a person’s education, skills, professional accomplishments, and work experience. Creating a portfolio is analogous to developing a brand in marketing. It is the most efficient way to demonstrate one’s competencies and provide a record of one’s ongoing development to peers, employees, and educational faculty. A well-designed nursing portfolio enables health professionals to demonstrate their progress and provide a comprehensive view of their career path toward becoming skilled nurses.
A well-developed portfolio includes evidence-based information about a nurse’s education, licensure, and employment history. It is described as “a chronological, visual representation of a nurse’s professional growth” (Clarke, 2019, para. 3). The portfolio does not replace a curriculum vitae (CV) but rather serves as a supplement that validates the information contained in the CV (Clarke, 2019). A CV provides an overview of a person’s previous education, employment, and skills, whereas a portfolio provides a more detailed look at their professional accomplishments, knowledge, and experience.
Including information about a person’s academic activities in their professional portfolio helps them achieve several objectives. The first is to provide an overview of the learning and development process’s continuity. A portfolio should include information about one’s teaching and educational development, scholarship and advancement of knowledge and its applications, and contributions to the university and community (“Developing a professional nursing portfolio,” 2015). Describing how one applies their knowledge in their professional practice contributes to forming an image of a skilled and competent professional.
The second portfolio development strategy provides evidence of one’s education, career competencies, and expertise. They may include “copies of college or graduate school transcripts, licenses, continuing education units, in-service attendance, awards, annual performance appraisals, promotion dates, and letters of recommendation” (Davis, 2015, p. 4). Incorporating academic evidence into one’s portfolio can help to highlight one’s accomplishments and clinical competence.
The third method is to include a statement of academic goals in one’s professional portfolio. It demonstrates a person’s commitment to continuing education, professional development, and career advancement (Davis, 2015). Nurses must constantly advance their knowledge, learn new skills, and improve their competence to achieve long-term career goals. For example, incorporating one’s goals into one’s portfolio helps to communicate the highest level of commitment to personal and professional growth and development.
Incorporating academic accomplishments into one’s portfolio also aligns with the university’s emphasis on social change. Walden University is dedicated to imparting knowledge that “can be applied by its graduates to the immediate solutions of critical societal changes, thereby advancing the greater global goal” (“Vision, mission, and goals,” n.d., para. 1). Nursing is a profession that benefits the community as a whole while also improving the well-being and quality of life of each individual. This concept can be included in a nursing portfolio by including a list of university courses nurses apply to their professional practice. Furthermore, Walden University is dedicated to integrating students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities into their academic programs (“Vision, mission, and goals,” n.d.). In one’s portfolio, describing one’s academic achievements acquired skills, and knowledge helps to establish a link between one’s education, professional practice, and the vision of nursing as an instrument of social change.
References
M. Clarke (2019). The significance of maintaining a professional nursing portfolio. Leaders in Health. Web.
C. Davis (Ed.). (2015). Create a professional nursing portfolio. Nursing Made Simple, 13(1), 4. Web.
QUESTION
Nursing 6003N Discussion – Week 8 Academic Portfolio Strategies
A successful branding strategy is one of the most important contributors to organizational success in marketing. A strong branding strategy can help a company’s products gain visibility and credibility.
Similarly, nurse scholars can develop a personal brand to increase their work’s visibility and credibility. Develop and maintain an academic portfolio to start building your brand. This activity can help you share the fruits of your labour and contribute to your success. The Discussion in this Module asks you to consider and share strategies for building your portfolio.
To Get Ready:
Consider strategies for developing portfolios or portfolio elements that emphasize academic achievements.
Examine one or more samples of resources for portfolio development from your research.
Week 8’s third day
Include at least two strategies for incorporating academic activities and accomplishments into your professional portfolio.
By the sixth day of Week 8,