title: Continued professional competence and portfolios.
abstract: It is traditionally assumed that licensure of healthcare professionals means that they are minimally competent. Many nursing specialty organizations offer examinations and other processes for certification, suggesting that certification is associated with continued competency. Can standardized examination for certification and continuing education for recertification ensure continued competency? Continuing education and testing provide a limited picture of an individual's knowledge and/or skill acquisition in a limited area at one point in time. However, portfolios promote critical thinking, self-assessment, and individual accountability. A portfolio is a portable mechanism for evaluating competencies that may otherwise be difficult to assess. This article summarizes some of the literature addressing portfolios, including aspects of portfolio development process, the value of portfolios versus continuing education for competency assessment, evidence associated with portfolio usage, and suggestions for organizing nursing portfolios.
authors.affiliation: North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega, USA. mphinallydone@aol.com
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Delarose
authors.forename: Cecil A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leske
authors.forename: Kathryn G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Sapnas
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schroeter
mesh_terms: D000575:American Nurses' Association; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003406:Credentialing / Q000458:organization & administration; D004282:Documentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008008:Licensure, Nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013850:Thinking; D014481:United States; D014956:Writing