Strategies for Academic Portfolios
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Strategies for Academic Portfolios
In the realm of marketing, a successful branding strategy is one of the most important contributors to organizational success. A solid branding strategy can help add visibility and credibility to a company’s products.
Similarly, nurse-scholars can build a personal brand to add visibility and credibility to their work. You can begin building your brand by developing and maintaining an academic portfolio. Such an activity can help share the results of your efforts and contribute to your success. This Module’s Discussion asks you to consider and share strategies for building your portfolio.
To Prepare:
• Reflect on strategies that you can pursue in developing portfolios or portfolio elements that focus on academic achievements.
• Review one or more samples from your own research of resources focused on portfolio development.
Respond this post/essay below by offering additional ideas regarding academic achievements to include or offering alternative ways of presenting the current achievements.
ESSAY to respond:
Traditional resumes may still be the standard method of submission for job applications, but in the growing age of social media and technological growth, ePortfolios may soon be required (Hannans & Olivio, 2017). A well-developed electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) can successfully establish a positive digital identity by presenting professional goals and experiences, accentuating specific skills or achievements, and connecting with other professionals who may lead to new opportunities (Casey, 2015). Furthermore, ePortfolios can be easily updated online and can serve to facilitate future career and development planning. Research also shows that an estimated 60% to 80% of employers do online searches of potential hires, so online presence and eportfolios are necessary to give your potential employer a deeper insight into your experience, education, evaluations, and awards. (Casey, 2015). As a future advanced practice nurse, maintaining a well-organized and attractive ePortfolio is essential to me.
First strategy
The first strategy I utilized to start my ePortfolio was to organize all my nursing documents and licensures. I created an “NP Portfolio” folder in my Google Drive account. To this folder, I have scanned every certification and license, including expiration and renewal date, in PDF format titled with a description of the document. I also created a Google spreadsheet for every certification and license and put the issue date and the expiration and renewal date. The spreadsheet looks similar to this:
License / Certification /Associations Number Issue Date Expiration Date
APRN license
RN license
BLS certification
PALS certification
ACLS certification
TNCC Certification
CEN Certification
Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
To this spreadsheet, I included professional associations that I have joined or plan to join throughout my professional career. Also, I included future certifications exams, such as the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification, to set future academic goals for myself. Keeping track of these goals on this spreadsheet not only keeps me accountable but plants the seed for continual academic and professional growth while staying organized.
I included professional associations that I have joined or plan to join throughout my professional career in this spreadsheet. Also, I included future certifications exams, such as the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification, to set future academic goals for myself. Keeping track of these goals on this spreadsheet keeps me accountable and plants the seed for continual academic and professional growth while staying organized.
Second strategy
The second strategy I utilized was to update my LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is the largest online network for building career profiles and making professional connections. Being part of this social platform, I searched locally for “acute care nurse practitioners” and looked at other professionals in my similar field of practice who are currently employed. The advantage is that I can see skills and certifications others have acquired to get hired and the professional organizations that have joined. This is extremely useful as it provides insight regarding what potential employers are looking for in my field of practice.
Furthermore, searching out other NP in my area allows the opportunities to connect with these professionals, leading to future opportunities such as prospective preceptors and mentors. As this course has already taught me, building a robust professional network is wise at any point in your nursing career. LinkedIn is an essential tool to find fellow advanced practice nurses.
Social Change
Walden University defines positive social change as a deliberate process of creating and applying ideas, strategies, and actions to promote individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, cultures, and societies (Walden, 2020).
It is well known that emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a serious problem nationwide, and the Covid-19 pandemic only increased the demand for healthcare needs. And while nurse practitioners (NPs) have a proven record of providing high-quality, cost-effective care in the emergency department, many EDs in us do not utilize NPs (McGee, 2007). This could be multifaceted, with physician groups concerned that NPs may become doctor substitutes without the proper training and education that the critical role demands. Other factors include lack of standardized training for emergency NPs, lack of clarity of NP role definition, the scope of practice, and differentiation from the medical role (Weiland et al., 2010). Therefore, my goal is to obtain my acute care np (AGACNP) certification and work in the emergency department. Increasing the presence of advanced practice nurses in the ED setting, I believe, will create social change and challenge the existing boundaries of NPs in the emergency setting.
Conclusion
The ePortfolio and a strong resume and references are a great way to organize your professional life and the contributions you’ve made as you consider your applications for advanced recognition. It also facilitates reflection on continuous learning, advancement of skills, and aid in goal achievement. It is a living document that I can use to help employers gain insight into my academic and professional skill set and a tool to track my progress throughout my advanced practice nursing career.
References
Casey, D. C., & Egan, D. (2010). The use of professional portfolios and profiles for career enhancement. British journal of community nursing, 15(11), 547-552. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2010.15.11.79625
Hannans, J., & Olivo, Y. (2017). Craft a positive nursing digital identity with an ePortfolio. Am Nurse Today, 12(11), 48-9.
Leahy, R. L., & Filiatrault, A. (2017). Employers’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Employment Electronic Portfolios. International Journal of ePortfolio, 7(2), 217-223.
McGee, L. A., & Kaplan, L. (2007). Factors influencing the decision to use nurse practitioners in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 33(5), 441-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2006.10.019
Walden University. (2020, May 31). Why Walden? https://www.waldenu.edu/why-walden/social-change. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://www.waldenu.edu/why-walden/social-change
Weiland, T. J., Mackinlay, C., & Jelinek, G. A. (2010). Perceptions of nurse practitioners by emergency department doctors in Australia. International journal of emergency medicine, 3(4), 271-278.
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