Nursing portfolio

1 Has anyone out there made a nursing portfolio? Not for nursing school, but for career nurses. What do you put in it? And is it worth it?
Where I work, the nursing portfolio is used for the career ladder, i.e. going from Staff Nurse I to Staff Nurse II. Ours should contain our CEU certificates for that license renewal cycle, proof of conference attendance, copies of ID cards for professional organizations, copies of ACLS/PALS/BLS cards, proof of certifications, information about volunteer work in a medical/nursing capacity, committee work and work products, e.g. policies, pictures of poster presentations, statistical analysis of outcomes as a result of interventions implemented, copies of talks or training presentations, etc.You cannot move up the ladder where I work without presenting your portfolio.

A portfolio is a must and should be started as a nursing student. I wish that I still had some of the papers I wrote in my BSN program and projects that I have done over the years and the photos and articles that were in the local paper about the units where I was employed.Mine includes scans of my drivers license, 1099 form, passport, degrees and transcripts, state licenses, AACN, ANA, and Sigma theta tau memberships, CCRN, ACLS PALS BLS TNCC, NIHSS, THLS. I keep a health records section with a copy of my yearly physical, TDAP, titers for Hep B, varicella, measles mumps rubella, N95 fit test, PPD and flu vax. Using a scanner it is easy to update and send the files to an agency. Some people take pictures with their smart phone that's ok too.I have a binder for everything. There is a resume that I keep updated with hospital addresses and phone numbers. There is a place for CEUs that I need to track and save for my CCRN and a section for employer evaluations.If I worked in a facility with a clinical ladder it would be simple to copy everything required, punch holes and put it in a document folder in order to receive the step up on the payscale.

Quote from icuRNmaggieA portfolio is a must and should be started as a nursing student. I wish that I still had some of the papers I wrote in my BSN program and projects that I have done over the years and the photos and articles that were in the local paper about the units where I was employed.Mine includes scans of my drivers license, 1099 form, passport, degrees and transcripts, state licenses, AACN, ANA, and Sigma theta tau memberships, CCRN, ACLS PALS BLS TNCC, NIHSS, THLS. I keep a health records section with a copy of my yearly physical, TDAP, titers for Hep B, varicella, measles mumps rubella, N95 fit test, PPD and flu vax. Using a scanner it is easy to update and send the files to an agency. Some people take pictures with their smart phone that's ok too.I have a binder for everything. There is a resume that I keep updated with hospital addresses and phone numbers. There is a place for CEUs that I need to track and save for my CCRN and a section for employer evaluations.If I worked in a facility with a clinical ladder it would be simple to copy everything required, punch holes and put it in a document folder in order to receive the step up on the payscale.

For clinical ladder participants save a copy of those cards and compliments for your portfolio in case they ask for something like that or, just for yourself.