Hello and thank you for taking time to tour my clinical nurse educator e-portfolio. Hultquist (2016) defines an e-portfolio as portfolio as an assemblage of ones works in electric format that serves as an evidence of his or her academic and co-curricular activity over time. According to Hoever et al (2016) an e-portfolio may comprise a variety of electronic files in various formats say videos, images or text. Why would one need a portfolio? Recent researches have indicated that at least four out of five potential employers approve of electronic portfolio as being ideal to them in gaining an insight into job applicant’s skills, knowledge and achievements (Booth et al, 2016 p.57). An e-portfolio therefore provides an easy and convenient way of gaining a job seeker’s background and has proved more effective than just a mere presentation of a curriculum vitae or interview. Roux & Halstead (2017) claim that interviews would take really short time if an electronic portfolio had been submitted earlier prior to the interview. To students, like myself, an e-portfolio provides all the necessary chances to brand and market my talents, skills and abilities. It will also provide an opportunity to enhance my soft skills and place them at a competitive edge with peers and at acceptable levels with employers or internship opportunity providers.
Booth et al, (2016 p.57) advises that when thinking about the design and ideal characteristics of an e-portfolio, it is prudent keep in mind the target audience and the purpose it is intended to achieve. It is imperative, therefore, that one gains an understanding of the various types of portfolios and how they are used before coming up one. This is because the design and characteristics of a portfolio may vary from one type to another depending on the type of portfolio being deigned (Girouard & Bailey, 2017).
This section will, therefore, highlight the various types of portfolios in contemporary life before looking at the design principles and the ideal characteristics of a well-designed e-portfolio. Although there are several types of e-portfolios in use for different purpose across the globe, there exists three major types of electronic portfolios namely the showcase portfolio, education portfolio and a learning portfolio (Roux & Halstead, 2017). According to Hultquist (2016), a professional e-portfolio, also known as the showcase portfolio is a demonstration of milestones of the students’ academic journey and the knowledge acquisition processes he or she went through to attain his or her current academic status. Developed by students as part of full filling their academic requirements for a certain course, learning e-portfolios are a showcase of learning processes and serve as an evidence of learning having taken place or currently taking place Roux & Halstead (2017). Learning portfolios are shared among colleague students to elicit peer feedback and form a vital part of learning process. Last but not least, assessment of education portfolios are used to assess ones general and specific academic skills and competencies. By application of both summative and formative reviews, a feedback on the eminence of evidence submitted by students in their portfolios is generated and relayed back to instructors, departments and colleges (Hultquist, 2016).
With the knowledge of types and uses of e-portfolio, I will now focus on the design and characteristics of an e-portfolio.
The experience on goes through while navigating an e-portfolio or any website for that matter is synonymous to user friendliness one experiences while interacting with a certain software in a computer or any other electronic device (Girouard & Bailey, 2017). An e-portfolio should be designed in such a manner that it allows quick and easy navigation from content or item to another in a systematic way. Navigations should thus be placed in a desirable order. Ironside et al (2017 p.190) observes that many sites have since taken keen consideration on this aspect and taken it to a whole new level, making it an unavoidable part of the browsing experience.
Hoeve et al, (2014) contents that one of the most fundamental strengths of a modern e-portfolio is its ability to create a narration environment. The content should be coherent and flawless and this easily controls the experience of the user, easily swinging him to the author’s side. June et al (2016 p.183) however cautions that the developers should avoid the temptation to overwrite and fall into lengthy stories that end up bogging the readers.
Urden et al (2017) likens a portfolio as court exhibits that must not just be proven but seen. He adds that they must be enough to convince the reader of the narrator’s story. A well designed e-portfolio should contain several images, documents, links and any other hard evidence that can be easily accessed as proof of works done.
Lastly the materials presented should be short, precise accurate and relate to one another in a systematic way. They should also be consistent to the story in the portfolio Nardi & Diallo (2014 p.231) for instance it will be embarrassing to say that one graduated in the year 2017 while the certificate indicates otherwise.
I acknowledge that there are different type soft model used by individuals to reflect on experiences. I will however dwell on the Gibbs (1988) model of professional reflection. In order for a reflection to be successful, this model suggests a six-stage approach. The first step is description in which the context of an event is explored and covers fine details such as what transpired, where and how it happened (Booth et al, 2016 p.57). Next is the feelings step that allows the narrator to explore his or her thoughts and feelings at the time of the event (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). The third step is evaluation in which one is allowed to make their own discernment about the event. It is followed by analysis which involves an inner thought about what happened bit by bit and why or how it ought to have happened. In conclusion stage, potential options that may be used to handle a situation are explored. Lastly, is the action plan in which one comes up in what to do so as to effectively deal with such a situation should it arise again.
I joined this university four years ago then a beginner and have gradually gone through and for that matter still going through the famous Benner’s stages of clinical competences. Being a part time practitioner and part time student and a hospital experience spanning over two years, I can confidently consider myself a stage four practitioner or simply proficient. This journey has however not been a short one, enrolling as a mere beginner, to advanced beginner and moving to competent practitioner before attaining my current status is not easy (Hultquist ,2016). Besides I still have the expert level ahead of me combined with a vast ocean of experience to be gained through continuous knowledge advancement and practice.
Four years ago, I had no medical background knowledge or experience. Then I could not discern the application of skills and knowledge I was gaining. As a novice, I appreciate all the basic skills and values I acquired mostly through observation. A years later when we started going for supervised rounds in wards, I became so happy that I was able to exhibit some level of acceptable performance. I was also able to execute light assignments independently and this built a great deal of confidence in me. I have since then, been able to confidently say that I am a competent practitioner having mastered all the skills, can make critical decisions and I am able to handle complex situations without struggle. In life it is difficult to truly realize ones dreams but as both (June et al 2016 p.185) and Urden et al (2017) observe, ones dreams are as valid as life itself as long as one lives. At this stage in my career, I would rate myself proficient as I am able to flexibly and efficiently execute all the nursing assignments during demonstrations to students and in real life practice.
I want to be a clinical nurse educator. Being a nurse educator is such an important role because you are training professionals on how to care and preserve generations (Masters, 2018). Furthermore, a nursing trainer can practice anywhere in the world (Adelman-Molalla, 2014). Being a nurse or a nursing educator is a respectable and highly sought profession because anyone in this career touches lives and hearts. Becoming a nurse educator is a process with stringent merit and criteria to be met (Jorgensen, 2015 Kearney-Nunnery, 2015). To be a clinical nurse educator in Australia, one must meet all the Australian Health Practitioner regulatory Authority (AHPRA) requirements which include having no criminal record, proficiency in English language, possession of professional indemnity insurance, having a four year bachelor’s degree in nursing from any recognized institution in the world, a postgraduate diploma from accredited Australian medical school and clinical experience of over four years. Applicants must also show evidence of progressive and continuing professional development as well as being engaged in active practice for a certain number of hours. On my journey, I already have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and currently pursuing a postgraduate diploma in the same field. With two years hospital nursing experience, I am only two years short of achieving my dream.
One does not need a whole day with me to realize that I am one camera-happy individual. I enjoy shooting and or appearing in videos. I realized that apart from just recorded video, I can do an online live educative video. Along with online videos I anticipate to open an online forum that discusses any emerging issues and solutions in the field of Nursing. It is on this forum that I will do trials for webinars. Webinars re web based seminars in which one can teach certain aspect in real time (Nardi & Diallo, 2014 p.231). I will later upload it on YouTube. Click on projects to view the tentative design of my Nursing Forum webpage.
My nursing career education experience and practice has been nothing short of an eye opener. I had since childhood remained convinced that nursing entails only one area; critical care but came to learn that nursing is such a broad, diverse and dynamic field. Entering and being in nursing profession is one moving experience. It involves providing practical care to patients and this creates a great impact in both the care-giver and the client’s lives (Hoeve et al 2014 p.302). As a nurse, one acts as the patients advocate by providing first hand care and relaying the patients’ needs to the right channels (Ironside et al., 2017 p.191). I want to be the kind of a caregiver that any patient would feel comfortable around, trust and one that patients would speak to with their hearts, hope and confidence. All along, I have learnt to embrace respect and compassion as the two most fundamental values in nursing. I always serve with the wise counsel of Booth et al, (2016 p.57) keeping in mind that as an immortal being, I have been through and still might find myself in a situation that I am completely dependent on a healthcare giver, and will expect the same compassion I give to my patients from whoever will be attending to me. Amongst my colleagues, I value honesty and loyalty. Honesty is the fuel that powers trust (Girouard & Bailey, 2017). I want my colleagues to know that they can always call on me and that I will be always be professional in my practice both as a nursing practitioner and a nurse educator.
I believe that everybody irrespective of his or her gender, age, racial background or socio-economic standing in the society deserves dignified treatment and compassion. As Ellis et al. (2014), puts it, compassion is the first step towards recovery. As an aspiring clinical nurse educator, I look forward to providing holistic approach in delivery of my content to the learners as whatever I tell, do or instruct them to do will certainly bear an impact in their present and future practice as nurses. It is therefore vital as Wilkins et al. (2017), advises, to take care of the wellbeing of not just the body but mind and soul of a patient as well. A nurse coordinates patients care through provision of primary healthcare and consulting with other experts outside their scope of practice.
Now let me talk about clinical nursing educator as a profession. Although I have only been in the wards for two a years, I have learnt quite a lot juggling between classes and hospital as a student and as a care giver. I consider myself being lucky to pursue my Nursing degree India. The medical curriculum in India is one of the most rigorous and demanding programs in the world. I have detailed how I was able to achieve requirements for a registered nurse during the four years of my studies. Visit my blog (www.myname.wix/professional/lifeincampus) for a detailed narrative. Meanwhile here is a snippet of how I have been able to travel through the academic journey since landing at the university.
Over the four years, I have come to learn that collaboration and effective communication with colleague healthcare members, student nurses, and patients is the key towards the successful implementation of patient-centered model in healthcare service delivery. As Urden et al (2017) and Roux & Halstead (2017) content, nurses’ key role is to support their clients who in this case are patients. A nurse is thus the voice of the voiceless (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). I will always remember one instance when one patient confided in me that he had been smoking marijuana for over five years and was planning to quit. My teamwork, communication and collaboration skills came in handy. I talked to him about the benefits of staying free from hard substances just like we had learnt in class. I also talked to his attendant and helped her with some tips to apply in helping the patient achieve his goal. Long-time smoking of marijuana bears detrimental mental effects to an individual. I then talked to our resident psychiatrist and booked the patient in for a series of counselling and evaluation sessions. Quitting an addition of over three years is incredibly difficult (Lalani, & Marshall, 2018) but following this encounter and the collaboration we had had, I felt confident that the patient was eventually going to quit smoking. As an educator, the same spirit of teamwork, effective communication and consultation is paramount. This may be from educator to learner, learner to educator or educator to educator.
As a learner, decision making becomes part and parcel of my every breath in decision making. Back in my second year of nursing studies, our lecturer would mention that the way we were accustomed to react to situations was not the way she was trained to. A lot has changed and will certainly continue to evolve as practices in the medical field keep changing. He who that refuses change sharpens the sword that will eventually pierce his goals (Chang et al., 2018 p.32). A rigorous academic environment demands anyone who is involved in the ecosystem of service delivery to be a sharp astute critical thinker. Alligood (2017) and Bender (2016) both warn that failure to critically think and take the right decision when it is due may harbors detrimental effects given that nursing is all about live saving. This challenges me because I aspire to be both a life saver and a trainer of life savers. I cannot afford to take a back seat, not even once.
As an educator, one must demonstrate a considerable influence to learners. As Veenema et al. (2018) and Pijl-Zieber et al. (2014) content, a real teacher influences. I could not agree with him anymore. Having been influenced to be what I am today, I believe in the culture of sound mentorship since the ones I teach look after me and I will one day be accountable for their behavior in practice. I have learnt to think and rethink before making a decision, communicate well, respect my colleagues, students and patients the same way I would expect them to respect me. This does not however imply that I am perfect; as a human being I have my own weaknesses and do make mistakes. As Andradite al (2018) and Moran et al (2016) advice, strong leaders admit their faults and learn from them. Although I find it difficult openly admitting my weaknesses, the few occasions I have accepted my fault have won me a number of friends. I was privilege to attend last year’s annual interuniversity leadership summit where I learnt a lot about styles of leadership such as diplomatic, aristocratic, laissez sphere, charismatic and transformative style. In my gallery you can view the photos I took while attending the summit and in my blog you can download the report I submitted to the faculty when I came back.
My mission in life is to become a clinical nurse educator.
I love teaching just as much as I love clinical nursing and each of the professions has its half of me. I am pleased to present my online teaching video that I am working on. In my video titled “The demise of Physical Examination”, I explore the significance of physical examination as a basic procedure and how it has come to be overlooked (Iwasiw & Goldenberg, 2014) at the expense of patient’s lives. The goal of the presentation is to emphasize the need for thorough and proper physical examination for patients before moving to advanced medical testing procedures. Click on the thumbnail to view the presentation slides
For more information about my project, career or any general enquiry, please feel free to reach me [email protected] or visit my blog at www.myname.wix/professional/lifeincampus and let us share our experiences.
Reflection
The uncertainty nature of the future leaves everyone in a state of apparent dilemma and possibly preparation. Being flexible and adaptive is thus the key to success especially in medical field (Carrington et al., 2016 p.285). These goals are key milestones that I have identified and commissioned myself to achieve in my professional career.
After graduation, I intent to secure a full time job as a registered nurse so that I can continue gaining more experience in nursing practice. Within one to two years, I would like to enroll for a postgraduate program to obtain a master’s degree in Nursing but not before seating for advanced nursing practitioner (ANP) certification exams. With this I will become an expert professional.
My long term key long term goal is to continuously remain in active nursing practice gain the required experience and knowledge so that I can easily rise through my professional ranks. It is my hope and desire that with time, multiple years of experience and knowledge acquisition, I will be able to attain a doctorate of Nursing and become a consultant nurse. I want to be a lecture nursing at university. This will make me more flexible, open minded, adaptive to new emerging trends and rely on evidence based research guided by the maxims of professionalism nursing. I look forward to utilizing my expertise to not only save lives in wards and emergency rooms but also molding lives and careers in class and lecture halls.
My ambition is to become a clinical nurse educator. A nurse educator is a trained nurse that teaches other future nurses. She is in charge of various training and development responsibilities in a medical facility. Her overall mandate is to ensure that student nurses acquire the relevant skills required to fulfill the merit of a qualified nursing practitioner
As a nurse educator, one will bear the responsibility of designing, developing and teaching the academic curriculum in accordance with the laid down guidelines from governing authorities. He or she will also evaluate and revise the syllabus when need arises and help the learners identify their respective learning needs. She is responsible for proper use and care for equipment and supplies within the teaching facility, and offers nursing services to patients as demonstrations in the course of her duties.
To merit as a clinical nurse educator, one must be a holder of at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing, possess a valid nursing license and must undergo a postgraduate nurse educator certification. These credentials coupled with over four years of experience in active practice in hospital environment places one at a competitive edge for this position.
Based on these requirements, the major milestone I still have to gain are; experience, completion of my postgraduate nursing education, and acquisition of nursing educator certificate. Only then will my dream come true.
References
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