E-Portfolio: Purpose, Need, and Materials

This article discusses the purpose, need, and materials required for creating an ePortfolio in the field of nursing. It explores the advantages of ePortfolios and how they can help in career development. The article also includes a reflection on the experiences of job hunting as a nurse and a philosophy of nursing.

Running Head: E-Portfolio
E- Portfolio

E-Portfolio
Table of Contents
1.0. Introduction.......................................................................................................................3
2.0. Structure and organization of plan.................................................................................3
2.1. Purpose of having an ePortfolio......................................................................................3
2.2. Necessary to create an ePortfolio in the field of nursing................................................4
2.3. The need of ePortfolio in the field of nursing.................................................................5
2.4. Materials need for an ePortfolio......................................................................................5
3.0. Hobbies...............................................................................................................................6
4.0. Selection of theoretical/conceptual material...................................................................7
5.0. Philosophy of Nursing.....................................................................................................10
6.0. Relevance of career development of nursing................................................................10
7.0. Timeline to prepare this ePortfolio................................................................................12
8.0. Conclusion........................................................................................................................13
References...............................................................................................................................14
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1.0. Introduction
An ePortfolio is also known as electronic portfolio, online portfolio or digital portfolio. It is
actually a collection of electronic evidences that are assembled and also managed by the user
and this happens mostly on the web (Eynon & Gambino, 2017). These e-portfolios are
demonstrated by the user’s abilities or platforms for expressing oneself. Since it is done
online the user can maintain them by editing them whenever they want to.
This report will tell the readers about ePortfolio which is being used now to get jobs. The
purpose of ePortfolio, necessary to create it, need of it in the nursing field and finally
materials needed to write one correctly maintaining the standards. Then the Gibbs reflective
model is written, philosophy of nursing. Finally a timeline is written on ePortfolio.
2.0. Structure and organization of plan
2.1. Purpose of having an ePortfolio
According to the three authors Thibodeaux, Cummings & Harapnuik, (2017) the purpose of
ePortfolios are many and also diverse because it works very well as compelling digital
Curriculum Vitae. These ePortfolios act as effective marketing tools to attract potential
employers for giving feedback and also commenting on it. While preparing my ePortfolio I
kept in mind that the design or the layout should be unique and distinct from others as in my
competitors. From the initial days I knew that the field where I belong to is very demanding
in this country and I have to present the best ePortfolio to attract the recruiters.
As per the views of the author Smith, (2018) these days almost everyone is using an e-
portfolios to showcase their work, qualification and also at the same time to show the world
regarding the strengths and weaknesses. Even I have shown my strengths that I know to use
various medical apparatus like ventilators, suction apparatus, ECG Machine, Cardiac Monitor
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and so on. Since I have experience from four to five nursing homes it will definitely add as a
benefit for me.
Some of the medical officers and doctors say that the best way any unemployed or employed
can demonstrate their skills to any soon to be employer is through utilising the resume, cover
letter and also strong references and as an added advantage online website like LinkedIn is of
good health.
2.2. Necessary to create an ePortfolio in the field of nursing
These days an ePortfolio provides huge amount of advantages to the students who are still
studying and also those who have just stepped into this field or is looking for a job change.
Reasons to create it are:
 Since I have an educational degree in this field, reflecting on the skills and
experiences it will help me to determine how much prepared I am to serve the post I
am looking for. On top of that it will also help me to understand how much of help I
am ready to give to other people.
 When it comes to fresh graduates from this field it reflects on their professional and
clinical growth because admission to the nursing field are short but it has long term
goals to build a concrete career in this field, and this is something every nursing
students looks forward to it since the day he or she joins classes.
 In nursing fields the ePortfolios are used a lot these days because it says about the
candidate’s progress and it also says about the learning outcomes.
 The aim or process of creating an ePortfolio will always support to prepare
professional interviews which are required to get the job, and also for academic
applications.
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2.3. The need of ePortfolio in the field of nursing
Jobs related to nursing is very much necessary to run a health care system as they can
perform lots of job in different sectors like in schools, colleges, nursing homes, hospitals and
so on. Therefore to get a job according to my qualification and experience will be necessary
and this ePortfolio will definitely help me. In New Zealand all the nursing professions wants
nurses who comes from a good college so that they can recruit quality graduates to improve
the service, even the nurses wants candidates to join them who have graduated from good
colleges and at least have experience in this field so that their work load reduces and the HR
of a nursing home do not need to arrange any training and development programs.
2.4. Materials need for an ePortfolio
The nurse practitioners of New Zealand are very much skilled; health practitioners of this
country have advanced education, demonstrated competency and clinical training. These
nurses have legal authority to practise in any hospitals or nursing homes they want to.
 Biography: This is the most important part of the ePortfolio and it is written in the
third person (Collins & O'Brien, 2018). This part of the ePortfolio is condensed
narrative version of curriculum vitae but it is infused with personality. In my
ePortfolio I have included my name, contact information, educational background and
experience and at the end I have also added fields I am good at, duties I have done
and also my responsibilities.
 Educational background: I have used this section to write about my educational
information regarding the qualifications I have gained over the years. According to
the authors Andrews & Cole, (2015) educational qualification should be written in a
reverse chronological order as in from the recent qualification to the least recent. In
this part relevant projects, testimonials, presentations, coursework, professionals’
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memberships, professionals’ affiliations, transcripts and so on.
 Professional experience: This is another important part and it focuses on how skills
and experiences are suited to the ePortfolio owner’s profession along with the career a
person is seeking. This is written in the same way as educational section is done
which is to list the jobs in reverse chronological manner (Haggerty & Thompson,
2017). For each position it includes the names, locations of the employers, dates of
joining, job titles, job duties and job responsibilities. So during my research time I
came to know about this point and have included in my portfolio.
 Performance and skills: By displaying the skills and performance this will help to
make ePortfolio stand out so I have included this part and have written it properly in
details. As viewed by the authors Nielsen, Pedersen & Helms, (2015) this include the
background and also some experiences that reveals applications of the skills.
 Evidence of competencies: Regardless the reason why an ePortfolio is created it
should always include the evidence of competence in the areas where the expertises
are shown properly. In the field of nursing this will help the employers to understand
the experiences, skills, abilities and knowledge of the candidate.
 Awards and honours: Since an ePortfolio is nothing but a resume it should always
have a section where the candidates should write about the awards and the rewards he
or she has received throughout his life. This will increase the value of the profile and
at the same time it will be visible to the employers. Memberships in any educational
or professional organizations should be highlighted properly in this part.
3.0. Hobbies
Though I do not get much time apart from my job and family but still whenever I am free I
spend my time in my garden. This way I feel I can stay connected with the nature. It brings
me closer with the flowers and green plants and also fills my lungs with pure form of oxygen.
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I derive pleasure from growing beautiful flowers and seasonal vegetables.
4.0. Selection of theoretical/conceptual material
Gibbs model of reflection
By birth I belong to New Zealand but my education happened in India and during my school
days we (me and my family) would stay in south India, so fortunately I know some of the
local languages like Malayalam and Tamil and even I know to speak Indian national language
which is Hindi. Due to my father’s job purpose we shifted to India and we had planned to
settle in this country rest of our lives because we liked the country and I thought I would have
bright career here because there are no dearth of hospitals and nursing homes in the southern
part of the country. From every part of India people would come to these regions for check up
which was really developed. In fact the Indians believe that the best treatment is available
only in South India. The experience which I had gone through when I was looking for a
permanent job I will describe here through Gibbs reflection model.
According to the authors Barksby, Butcher & Whysall, (2015) reflection is the most
important part of human activity because in this process it helps a person to recall and
recapture the experiences which he or she had to go through, then think about it and also
evaluate it. This is considered as important experience because it helps a person to develop
from the past experiences.
Gibbs model is described in 5 stages and here I will describe my experiences through 5 stages
which I had to go through in my professional life. Maybe people think that getting a job as a
nurse is easy because there are not many people who take up nursing as career but this is
completely wrong.
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 Description: When I was applying for job in India recruiters where really happy
seeing my education qualifications and on the top of that they were really impressed
that me being a foreigner I knew to speak in 3 Indian languages. They were also
experienced that I knew the usages of almost all medical apparatus and during the
final stages some of the nursing homes asked me to tell them rather show them how to
use these medical apparatus and I could impress them by using these medical
apparatus in correct way. On the other hand after cracking so many rounds in the
interviews I still would not get a good job.
 Feelings: Now after coming back to New Zealand I feel I was a victim of nepotism or
racism because those recruiters would prefer to give jobs to the Indians only and not
me maybe they would feel that I would not stay in the country for ever and I would
have left the job in the middle causing huge loss to the nursing home. Or maybe they
wanted to reduce the rate of unemployment from the country. Yes it is true the rate of
unemployment in India is more than in New Zealand so in a way they were right but
when it comes to a noble profession like nursing it was necessary for them to recruit
someone who knows the job well and would be able to serve the patients well
controlling temper and ready to serve at any time of the day.
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Figure 1: Showing Gibbs Reflective Cycle
(Source: "Gibbs' Reflective Cycle Helping People Learn From Experience", 2019)
 Evaluation: Since I was not getting a job I went for many interviews, I did not care
whether it was a good nursing home or not as in the nursing home had all kinds of
facilities or not. I would almost apply for job all over the area where I lived. In a way
I got to learn many things, got to face different human resource professionals and now
I consider it as a learning experience. According to the author Middleton, (2017)
evaluation always helps to make sure an experience’s relevance and later to find out
the best course of action how to work on it in the coming days.
 Conclusion: While analysis all the interviews now a days in my free time I feel this
was a kind of learning process which helped me to grow better in my field in other
ways I have now become better and all my experiences and responsibilities I can write
down in my ePortfolio. If the same kind of situation arises that I am applying for jobs
and not getting it i will approach towards it in a different way and this time it may not
be in a positive manner because now I am married and I have a family to support, so I
need a job where I can be true to myself and at the same time support my family.
 Action Plan: Now that I am looking for a job in New Zealand I have promised myself
that I will serve my patients diligently and I will be available 24 hours a day. I feel I
should look for a nursing home or hospital which is near my house because if any
kind of emergency situation rises I can go to the hospital and help the sick patients.
Nursing job is not an easy job and it needs lot of dedication. Young students who are
freshly graduated they are looking for a job to showcase it on their ePortfolio but I am
looking for a job to serve people, to do something good for the society. On the other
hand at the end of the month when I will get a salary it will be like an added bonus.
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5.0. Philosophy of Nursing
According to the authors Dahnke & Dreher, (2015) the philosophy of nursing is a statement
which is mostly written and it says about a nurse’s value, belief and ethics which a nurse has
to follow during her professional career as in during the treatment time. From the very first
day of our nursing class we are taught about it. The philosophy part was equally important to
our lectures as the academic part. This philosophy begins by highlighting and identifying the
beliefs that this is a noble profession and a nurse can be needed at any time of the day. A
nurse has to believe that his profession is different from other professions. This is a kind of
social work for which the nurses are paid. Throughout the day a nurse needs to work for long
hours and most of the time the work is challenging and simultaneously the work is
emotionally draining.
From my personal experience I have seen that many patients want a particular nurse next
time when he comes back to the nursing home, maybe the patient got connected with the
nurse and feels that this particular nurse can help him to recover. In this profession I have
seen people being happy just for my good work and hard work. This is a satisfaction which a
nurse wants to achieve. Therefore now when I am looking for better option I feel that each
and every person is created out of the image of almighty and a relationship regarding healing
is really vital. To respect a nursing home or hospital’s rule and patient’s sickness is also a
part of our philosophy. We cannot share with others what a patient is going through.
6.0. Relevance of career development of nursing
As per the views of the author Long, (2018) when a nurse checks his or her nursing career
journey there are many options for him to opt for. Nursing is an only profession where a
nurse can select any field he or she wants to go as in the department the nurse wants to opt
for. Nurses who are cared by the employers and if the employers invest little more money on
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them then they stay back in the nursing home for years. Most of the times a nurse do not
change their work place easily if there is no problem. Though the nurses do not need training
sessions for months but at least few days of training is needed for them to know how a
nursing home works, rules and regulations of the nursing home, the ways doctors wants the
nurses to function and so on.
Some nurses these days along with serving patients they also think about their career. This
field have lot of opportunities and growth. A nurse can grow his or her career along with
increase in salary, which is very much necessary these days. According to the author Schiller,
(2016) a nurse should continue learning throughout her career. A nurse needs to update
herself regarding patient care, treatments, medical techniques, latest medicines available and
healthcare trends as well because most of the times doctors are not available in a nursing
home and when a doctor is not available it is the duty of the nurse to take of all the patients.
The career development is necessary for the betterment of the patients as well because this
way the patients will also get better treatment.
Since I come from India I had to cope with many medical techniques, apparatus and so on to
know who the nurses of New Zealand works. The ways of working for both the countries are
very much different. India is developing country so the techniques they use for patients are
less developed than the techniques which are used in New Zealand. Though this was not a
problem for me because I had experience and I am a quick learner. Patients feel free to speak
out their mind to me because I am good at communicating and I listen to their problems
carefully.
Those days have gone when promotion was based on how long an employee stays with the
organization. Any employee belonging to any field should not allow himself or herself to
grow comfortable in performing only few tasks for years. In our field if a nurse keeps on
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doing the same work which he or she was trained to do then throughout his life he will
remain unpaid rest of the career therefore no growth will happen.
7.0. Timeline to prepare this ePortfolio
Timeline was very important part of this task this is what I feel because while writing a
timeline I had to go through all the experiences that had happened in India and in New
Zealand. The journey was not easy and also I believe it will not be easy but now I have learnt
my job well and I am ready to take up new responsibilities.
2 days: I cannot say that I had taken a day to write this ePortfolio. Firstly I took two days to
research this subject as because this subject was completely new to me. I heard about
ePortfolio from very few people staying in New Zealand but since I stayed in India for a long
period of time I did not know about this subject. In India the concept of ePortfolio was not
common so I would submit normal traditional curriculum vitae everywhere.
1 week: Then for a week I read the purpose of ePortfolio, why is it necessary to have one,
how it can be useful for the employers and also candidates who are applying for jobs. I saw
that graduates from the nursing field prefer ePortfolios more than a traditional curriculum
vitae because through it they can show more about the achievements which traditional
resume cannot be display.
3 days: the next 3 days I read about materials required for ePortfolios. As because I was
about to make an ePortfolio I read this part very seriously because I did not know much about
it and also at the same time that I did not want to lose out on any points.
2 weeks: the next two weeks I believe it was crucial for me because this was the period when
I had to write about a reflective model. Firstly I read about few reflective models written by
different authors, and then I decided which one to select. I liked the Gibbs Reflective Model
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so thought to write on that. I would sit back alone and would think of all the experiences
which I had to go through since my college days when I joined a college in India. I had
learned many things during the course and had faced various types of experiences. Mostly all
the experiences were good but bitter experiences were during the time of trying for jobs.
2 days: to write the Philosophy of nursing it did not take much time because I know this part
very well and I practise all the philosophy every day. I do not change these philosophies at
any cost because these morals make the work easier and helps the patient get better at the
earliest.
1 week: even this took some time because I had to think what is the relevance of taking up
this career was and whether I have done the right thing or not by coming in this field.
8.0. Conclusion
To conclude still in New Zealand many human resource professional believes in traditional
curriculum vitae but according to me ePortfolio is an innovative way to share all experiences
and skills of a candidate. While I was preparing my ePortfolio different thoughts came across
my mind and then I felt that these patients have become a part of my life. Seeing the
competitive nature of the nursing job it can be said that recruiters do not only look for good
grades only but they try to see who knows the job well and who can look after the patients
well. I must also say that I had a good time to write this report because I could spend lot of
time on myself thinking about the past days and so on which I generally do not do.
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References
Barksby, J., Butcher, N., & Whysall, A. (2015). A new model of reflection for clinical
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ePortfolio, 8(1), 43-55.
Dahnke, M. D., & Dreher, H. M. (2015). Philosophy of science for nursing practice:
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Eynon, B., & Gambino, L. M. (2017). High-impact ePortfolio practice: A catalyst for
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Long, B. (2018). Adult Nursing: A Nursing Process.
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nursing education mediated by ePortfolio. Journal of Nursing Education and
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Schiller, C. J. (2016). Critical realism in nursing: an emerging approach. Nursing
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Smith, T. L. (2018). Reflection of Professional Nursing Growth Through E-Portfolio.
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