title: The teaching portfolio as a professional development tool for anaesthetists.
abstract: A teaching portfolio (TP) is a document containing a factual description of a teacher's teaching strengths and accomplishments, allowing clinicians to display them for examination by others. The primary aim of a TP is to improve quality of teaching by providing a structure for self-reflection, which in turn aids professional development in medical education. Contents typically include a personal statement on teaching, an overview of teaching accomplishments and activities, feedback from colleagues and learners, a reflective component and some examples of teaching material. Electronic portfolios are more portable and flexible compared to paper portfolios. Clinicians gain the most benefit from a TP when it is used as a tool for self-reflection of their teaching practice and not merely as a list of activities and achievements. This article explains why and how anaesthetists might use a TP as a tool for professional development in medical education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, North Shore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Sidhu
mesh_terms: D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000193:education*; D004282:Documentation / Q000379:methods*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods*; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*
keywords: anaesthesia; medical education; teaching