Portfolio evaluation for professional competence: credentialing in genetics for nurses.
The use of professional portfolios, comprised of a wide variety of materials and evidence to profile the scope and depth of a clinician's practice competence, is gaining popularity. The usual methods of showing professional competence via paper and pencil/computerized testing, oral presentations, or performance observations provide a picture of competence at a given point in time based on didactic content recall. Portfolios present an opportunity for presentation of a larger number of competency evaluation points. Although examinations can be validated with psychometrics, providing accuracy and reliability of evaluation of portfolios is a more complicated matter. This article discusses the experiences of the Credentialing Committee of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics as they created and validated the evaluation of professional portfolios to provide a quality credential for nurses in genetics.
Cook
Sarah Sheets
SS
Columbia University School of Nursing, 630 West 168th Street, Box 6, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Kase
Ron
R
Middelton
Lindsay
L
Monsen
Rita Black
RB
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003406:Credentialing; D004282:Documentation; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005826:Genetics, Medical / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D012956:Societies, Nursing; D013041:Specialties, Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States