Nurses have a responsibility of maintaining their competence, as they are accountable for what they do in practice. Nu

Nurses have a responsibility of maintaining their competence, as they are accountable for what they do in practice. Nursing academic portfolios offer an opportunity for student nurses to demonstrate their capacity for self-evaluation, empowerment, and self-reflection. An academic portfolio is a form of experimental learning, where student nurses identify their learning needs and establish their future career. The journey to develop academically and professionally requires student nurses to establish an academic portfolio, which incorporates a plan that would consequently assist in seeking employment opportunities, in addition to advancing their career through further education.

One of the strategies for incorporating academic activities and accomplishments in my professional development goals is through the use of ePortfolio. ePortfolio helps in cultivating meaningful learning experiences by allowing students to compile their artifacts, which showcase specific knowledge, skills, as well as attitudes, which in turn helps in sharing ideas and connections (Douglas et al., 2019). ePortfolio enables students to make follow-ups of academic activities, as well as accomplishments throughout the year using a virtual platform. As a nurse who aspires to take a management position in a clinical setting, I can utilize the ePortfolio to communicate to my colleagues on my experiences and achievements in nursing.  

Another strategy for enhancing academic activities for professional development goals is through attending nursing professional development events to learn more on career trajectory, as well as learn how to handle real-life situations. Nurses can attend workshops with colleagues or volunteer to lead a group of health professionals to offer healthcare services outside the clinical settings (Bindon, 2017). Workshops help in exercising one’s knowledge and skills, in addition to creating connections with other nurse practitioners within the locality. Additionally, Dyson (2018) encourage nurses to engage in volunteering in order to have an opportunity for preparing them for the challenges in contemporary nursing practice. 

 Student nurses should choose the kind of competencies they would like to place in their portfolios, with respect to what they plan to demonstrate to their prospective employers. As a student nurse practitioner, I should align my goals with what the university perceives as social change. Social change is part of health promotion approaches, where nurse practitioners promote health as a human right, and which should be utilized to address social injustice (Valderama‐Wallace, 2017). Walden University terms social change as the capacity to apply ideas and strategies to promote and facilitate action research, support collaborative alliances, leading to purposeful action for sustainable future. I am prepared to make a positive social change through gaining vital skills and connections with other healthcare professionals. 

I can utilize my academic portfolio as a starting point for carrying out further research on health promotion practices, as well as social change action. Creating and maintaining academic portfolio helps in identifying strengths, in addition to establishing a learning plan for addressing societal needs for social change (Cope & Murray, 2018). I want to contribute towards social change through visiting patients in their localities and directing chronic ill patients to where they can get necessary assistance within their reach. The use of ePortfolio will boost my connections to my future employers, in addition to getting referrals on employment opportunities from friends. My future goal is to attain an advanced degree, which would enable me to expand my specialty in nursing practice.  

References

Bindon, S. L. (2017). Professional development strategies to enhance nurses’ knowledge and maintain safe practice. AORN Journal, 106(2), 99-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2017.06.002 

Cope, V., & Murray, M. (2018). Use of professional portfolios in nursing. Nursing Standard, 32(30).

Douglas, M. E., Peecksen, S., Rogers, J., & Simmons, M. (2019). College students' motivation and confidence for ePortfolio use. International Journal of ePortfolio, 9(1), 1-16. http://www.theijep.com

Dyson, S. (2018). Preparing nurses for contemporary nursing practice. In Critical pedagogy in nursing (pp. 139-171). Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56891-5_7

Valderama‐Wallace, C. P. (2017). Critical discourse analysis of social justice in nursing's foundational documents. Public Health Nursing, 34(4), 363-369. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12327