Rajinder Kaur's E-Portfolio: Pediatric Nurse Application for IHM

This e-portfolio, created by a nursing student, serves as a comprehensive application for a pediatric nurse position, specifically targeting a role at the Institute of Health and Management (IHM) in Australia. It begins with an introduction outlining the importance of a portfolio in showcasing skills and experience, particularly for a pediatric nursing specialization. The portfolio details the student's educational background, including a Bachelor of Nursing degree, and relevant work experience at Sachdeva Hospital, emphasizing their experience with children. It incorporates the Gibbs Reflection Cycle to analyze personal experiences, feelings, and evaluations related to their nursing journey, highlighting both achievements and areas for improvement. The portfolio also discusses Benner's Stages of clinical competence. Artifacts such as academic records, IELTS scores, and experience certificates are included to support the application. The student's selection criteria are clearly outlined, emphasizing their suitability for the role. The portfolio aims to demonstrate the applicant's dedication, skills, and suitability for the position, showcasing their enthusiasm for pediatric nursing and their commitment to providing quality care to children.

Running head: E-PORTFOLIO
E-Portfolio
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Content
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Portfolio and its uses:.................................................................................................................3
Portfolio Design and its Characteristics.....................................................................................4
Gibbs Reflection Cycle:.............................................................................................................5
Benner’s Stages of clinical competence.....................................................................................8
Artefacts Included:.....................................................................................................................9
Selection Criteria or career development.................................................................................13
Reference..................................................................................................................................15

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Introduction:
Portfolio is one of the most important aspects of professional career and the portfolio
allows the individual to provide concrete and collective records of the experience and degrees
of the individual to the organization they are seeking to start career in. It has to be mentioned
in this context, that the concept of portfolio encompasses a living and changing collection of
the records that reflect the accomplishments, experiences, skills and attributes that have been
acquired or developed by the individual in the course of their life. Along with that, portfolio
serves as a potent tool in marketing oneself to the rest of the world, especially the employers,
corporations, colleges and universities. Hence, it is a simple and yet very effective manner of
letting the employers recognize and understand the competence, expertise and skills that the
individual might have before making the choice of hiring or getting enrolled in professional
courses (Cadd, 2016).
I will like to be in the pediatric ward as it is my main area of interest. I have had
experience of working in hospital. I think I can serve your organization with my knowledge
and experience. I hold a bachelor degree of Nursing. I am writing this portfolio in order to
express my enthusiasm as a candidate for the post of pediatric Nurses Position at your
medical center. I am very interested in the job vacancy announcement posted on (the source
name) for this vacancy. I am very much energetic in nature and highly motivated to continue
my duty as a staff nurse. However, I will be very much thankful if I can get chance to serve
the society by giving quality care to the patients specifically to the new born and children.
Portfolio and its uses
Being an aspirant nursing professional myself, I understand the importance of having
a perfect, spotless and attractive portfolio myself. Ever since childhood, the concept of

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providing care and support to the needy and ailing has attracted me, and having the
opportunity to provide the care needed to the children had been my biggest dream in my life.
I have veered my education in a direction where I can become a nurse specialist myself in the
paediatric nursing department. This paper will be my attempt at designing an attractive
resume portfolio for myself which highlights each of my achievements and expertise that I
have acquired till date so that I can become a nurse specialist in the paediatric departments
and achieve my dream. The appropriately made portfolio can act as the tool for me that will
help in setting me apart from the hundreds and helps me to put across how I should be the
ultimate choice for the employers in Institute of Health and Management, Australia (Green,
Wyllie & Jackson, 2014). In addition to this, my resume, registration certificates, experience
certificates are attached in the appendix section of this report. My IELTS score report is also
attached to this report.
Portfolio Design and its Characteristics
As discussed by Chawla (2017), a portfolio can be defined as the collective
assortment or record or all of the educational, professional and personal achievements in life
which highlights the achievements, experiences, skills and academic performance. The
portfolio highlights and showcases example of some of the best work experience including
the life experiences, values and achievements of the individual. It holds extreme value in the
present day employment scenario. For instance, the authors have mentioned that the personal
information that an individual incorporates in the life of an individual holds great importance
in the portfolio and it also can greatly affect and reflect on the ability as an individual. Along
with that, portfolio serves as a potent tool in marketing oneself to the rest of the world,
especially the employers, corporations, colleges and universities (Bice & Wyatt, 2017).
Lastly, it can be mentioned in this context, the portfolio does not take the place of the resume,

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on the other hand, it accelerates and accentuates the ability of the individual and also helps
the individual to explain what they want to offer to the chosen field that they are pursuing the
career in (Cadd, 2016).
On a similar note, the portfolio if made appropriately can act as the tool that helps in
setting oneself apart from the hundreds having the same degrees and experiences, it helps the
individual put across how he or she is the better choice and why he or she should be the
ultimate choice for the employers in Institute of Health and Management (IHM), Australia. I
am writing this portfolio in order to express my enthusiasm as a candidate for the post of
paediatric Nurses Position at your medical centre. I am very interested in the learner vacancy
announcement posted on for this vacancy. I am very much energetic in nature and highly
motivated to continue my duty as a staff nurse. However, I will be very much thankful if I
can get chance to serve the society by giving quality care to the patients specifically to the
new born and children.
Gibbs Reflection Cycle:
Description:
I am Rajinder Kaur, daughter of Shri Tarlok Singh and I have been a quite good
academic student all throughout my life, I had completed by secondary and higher secondary
education from the Punjab school education board, where I scored 76.3% marks which I
believe is considerably good. As mentioned above, my aim at life had always been to proceed
with the nursing and hence I enrolled in the degree of bachelors nursing degree in the Baba
Farid University of Health Sciences in the year of 2012. It had been a wonderful experience
of three years and I have learned a variety of things from the experience that I have had. I

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graduated with my B.Sc. in nursing from the university in the year of 2016, and attained
71.1% marks. Although, I had not been able to achieve distinction grade in any of the
subjects, yet I believe more than 70% marks indicates at my performance to be quite good.
Post obtaining the degree, I started my career in the Sachdeva Hospital as a staff nurse from
22nd November and I worked there for two years and resigned on 9th of January, 2018 to
progress in my career as a nurse specialist. I also had experience of working with children
and I have also cleared my IELTS exam which I believe sets me a few steps ahead in getting
the opportunity to get enrolled in the IHM Australia.
Feelings:
While describing my feelings, I would first and foremost like to mention that I am
extremely grateful for the opportunities that I have attained that has helped me achieve
everything I have, even though I have went through a few hardships as well. My secondary
results have been very good for which I had been ecstatic and confident to pursue my dream
of working as a nursing professional. However, my results in the Bachelor in nursing degree
had not been as good as I had expected it to be as I did not score distinction marks in any of
the subjects, which demotivated me for a period. Although, it lasted for only a few months as
I got the opportunity to work in the Sachdeva Hospital shortly. The experience of working
there had been extremely good and although I had been extremely nervous while starting
practice, the staff there had been very supportive and helpful. Their welcoming response to
me helped me develop a variety of skills which I could only develop from practice. They
have always praised me for my dedication, co-operation and communication skills which
helped grow at each step. Although I had my fair share of conflicts and errors committed, I
learned effective interpersonal communication skills which helped me resolve any conflict
situation easily, that helped me feel more confidence with each day.

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Evaluation:
The evaluation section of the Gibbs reflection cycle provides the opportunity for the
individual to reflect on the good and bad points of the experience (Tanaka, Okamoto &
Koide, 2018). In this case, I have mainly good experiences to highlight. First and foremost,
my educational performance had been good at all times and I had been a sincere and
dedicated student all throughout my life. The dedication and sincerity has reflected in my
professional career as well, which has helped me gain the respect of the senior staff and
management in the Sachdeva Hospital as a hardworking, dedicated, efficient and co-operative
employee. Another good aspect that I would like to mention in here includes my experience
of working with the children which gave me immense joy while engaging with them
playfully and the children also liked me. It is crucial for the nursing professionals working in
the paediatric ward must engage with the children, gain their trust, and develop a playful
camaraderie with the children so that the children are comfortable with them and they can
share their concerns more easily. The only bad experience that I have had includes the lack of
confidence and acculturation issues I experienced while in college in Amritsar.
Analysis:
Analysing the experience that I have had, I would like to mention that I possess
almost all of the skills that is required to study further to attain the career of professional
nurse specialist in the paediatric ward. I would like to mention that the institute of health and
management is one of the greatest academic institutions in Australia for pursuing higher
education in nursing and hence I have chosen this institute to go forward in my career, and I
believe I possess all the skills, expertise and credibility required to be a deserving candidate
for this position. Along with having a good academic records, I have had a long experience of
working in the hospital, which has helped me develop practical skills of handling patients,

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providing care and co-operating in a multidisciplinary care setting. The gap between
theoretical and practical knowledge in nursing has been reported to be a very crucial factor
affecting the performance and competences of the nurses transitioning into practice
(Monaghan, 2015). As I have already had a two year long experience of working in a hospital
with an excellent experience certificate, I believe I am a deserving candidate. Along with
that, I have also had a notable experience of working with the children as well, which is
another feather in my cap in terms of professional experience and knowledge which will help
me become an efficient and competent paediatric nurse. Lastly, acculturation and language
barrier has proved to be significant issues for the nurses or nursing students that have
migrated to Australia. I have also cleared my IELTS test as well, which indicates I am good
in the language aspects as well which will help me adjust in the learning environment in
Australia as well.
Conclusion and Action plan:
On a concluding note, I believe I have gathered all of the knowledge, experience and
expertise that is required to attain a post graduate degree from the esteemed institution IHM,
Australia. I will be equally dedicated and hardworking to bring out my best while studying in
the institution and will be an efficient nurse when I start practice as a nurse specialist in the
paediatric setting. I would be taking extra efforts to enrol in skill improvement programs to
improve my concentration, attention and communication skills further to hone my
competence further.
Benner’s Stages of clinical competence
According to Benner’s Stage of clinical competence a caregiver or nurse has to
undergo through the five stages of development (Brouwer et al., 2016). These five stages are
Novice, Advance beginner, Competent, Proficient and Expert. Beginners have had no

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experience of the situations in which they are expected to perform (Alligood, 2017).
Advanced beginners are those who can demonstrate marginally acceptable performance.
Competence, nurse has been on the job in the same or similar situations two or three years,
develops when the nurse begins to see his or her actions in terms of long-range goals or plans.
The proficient performer perceives situations as a whole rather than chopped up parts or
aspects, and performance is guided by maxims (Brouwer et al., 2016). The expert performer
no longer relies on an analytic principle namely rule, guideline and maxim to connect her or
his understanding of the situation to an appropriate action.
I have completed my graduation degree in Nursing Science from Baba Harid University of
Health Science, Amritsar in 2016. Along with that I have completed my internship of 2 years
from Sachdeva Hospital in 2018. Therefore in my career, I am currently in the stage of
competent nurse because I have the experience of being in paediatric department for two
years. I have also completed my basic academic degree to be considered as an advanced
beginner. Therefore my goal is to reach the final stage of this model, which is expert nurse
through pursuing the fourth stage named Proficient nurse. It will help me to have enormous
background of experience while having intuitive grasp on large range of unfruitful,
alternative diagnoses and solutions.
Artefacts Included:
I was born in 15th March 1992 in a small town named Dhingi at Punjab, India. From
my childhood I am very passionate about treating people and providing healthcare services.
People with poor health condition always makes my desire to be a successful nurse and to
relive those people from indescribable sufferings. I am the only child of my parents and they
always cooperates with me to make my dream comes true. At the very beginning of my
teenage phase I realised an attraction towards becoming a nurse which had strengthen my

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willingness forever. Besides, from my high school days I had interest in bio-science, human
anatomy and medical science. As a result, I have got my bachelor degree in nursing and
healthcare science and now I am preparing for higher study to be a clinical nurse specialist in
paediatric department. I have been working in a hospital industry for 2 years, with my most
recent experience being a Nurse at Sachdeva Hospital, India as a staff nurse. I possess
valuable skills such as confidence and empathy that I believe make me best suited for the
position of Nurse.
I have several hobbies that keeps my recreational self active and happy. Among my
many hobbies, the most essential is photography. I love to take photograph of nature and
people. Besides, my another hobby is playing piano. When I become sad I use to take up my
piano start playing. Music helps me to be peaceful and passionate towards my targets. On the
other hand photography helps me to visualise my surroundings from other perspectives. I also
like to frame cultures and their uniqueness in my photography. My mission is to prosper in
my nursing career and be an efficient nursing specialist in paediatric department. To achieve
these aims I have planed my further path study and professional direction.
I finished my education at Government Medical College under Baba Farid University
of Health Sciences with a degree in Bachelor of Nursing. I have done internships during the
fourth semester of my bachelor degree at Government Medical College. After that, I have
started my tiny carrier at Sachdeva Hospital. There I worked as a staff nurse for two years. I
have received my matriculation or tenth level degree in 2010 from Punjab School Education
Board. I have finished my secondary level education of 12th level in 2012 from PSEB with
the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Computer Science. I have completed my
graduation degree in Nursing Science from Baba Farid University of Health Science,
Amritsar in 2016. I have completed my internship of 2 years from Sachdeva Hospital in
2018. I can use these experiences in my future professional field as a Clinical Nursing

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Specialist in paediatric department. The knowledge I have gained through my previous
academic journey can help me to pursue further higher qualification.
Matriculation Senior Secondary B.sc Nursing
2010 2010-2012 2012-2016
Govt. Senior Secondary School,
Punjab School Education Board
Govt. Senior Secondary School,
Punjab School Education Board
Baba Farid University of Health
Sciences, Faridkot.
As a nurse my main goal is to learn and develop my professional skills and I believe
that this kind of enthusiasm to work will make me a good employee for any organization. In
my previous organization , my responsibilities include:
 Monitoring the condition of the patients and reporting ant abnormalities.
 Administering the medications in compliance with the established policies and
standards.
 Preparing and implementing the customized interdisciplinary care plan.
 Ensuring cleanliness and hygiene in the patients’ rooms.
 Identifying physical and psychological requirements of the patients.
 Taking care of new borns.
My self-assessment as nurse is as below.
Patient care – 5/10
Acute care- 9/10
Ventilator care5/10

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Treatment planning- 6/10
Clinical experience- 4/10
Critical care- 8/10
Paediatric care- 8/10
A philosophy of nursing refers the process of identifying and highlighting the beliefs
of any caregiver or nurse, which are important to the healthcare profession as well as to the
person (Smith & Parker, 2015). The philosophy of nursing consists of some core information
that helps individual to interpret the purpose, duties and responsibilities of the nursing
profession. It consists of the ideologies that make an individual a nurse, as opposed to being
another profession. It also indicates the choice of individual to identify an ideal nurse. Apart
from that the philosophy of nursing can help any individual to express such a wide-ranging
profession in only one word. The core believes anyone has is the most important part of
nursing as both a profession and a lifestyle (Masters, 2014).
My philosophy of nursing is that all patients’ needs holistic approach to gain a
complete recovery that should involve the physical care, mental support, socio-cultural
support and healthy relationship with caregivers. The nursing philosophy of Florence
Nightingales influenced my nursing philosophy. In accordance with that philosophy, my
nursing philosophy also includes the cleanliness and making healthy atmosphere around the
patients (Utley, Kristina Henry & Smith, 2017). I think patient should also have the access to
the nature, greenery, free air. In child treatment, my philosophy is that the child can be cured
completely only with approach that can make the child fill secured and relaxed.
My mission is to provide effective healthcare service to my patient with a holistic
approach while taking care of their physical disabilities, mental health, cultural perspective