Time to start work on professional portfolios: as competence-based practising certificates become a reality, registered nurses need to develop their professional portfolios.IT IS the beginning of another year and time to get started on a professional portfolio. For those of you who already have a gleaming example of your nursing practice ready to go, well done! This is not for you, so you can turn to the next page. This report is for those registered nurses (RNs) who are just about to get started, so in March 2005 they will be ready for their competence-based practising certificates. The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCA HPCA High-Performance Computer Architecture HPCA Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (bill, New Zealand) HPCA Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association HPCA Hippocalcin HPCA Hospice & Palliative Care Associates ) was passed in September 2004 and requires the registering bodies (for nurses that is the Nursing Council) to monitor the competence of health professionals regularly, not just at registration and in a disciplinary investigation, as at present. From March next year, Nursing Council will require RNs to maintain a professional portfolio to demonstrate competence. Audits of RNs' portfolios will not begin immediately but it is good to be prepared. At present, the Council does not require portfolios from enrolled nurses (ENs), although members of NZNO's Enrolled Nurse Section are lobbying to change that. What the Council will require from these nurses and others, such as registered obstetric ob·stet·ric or ob·stet·ri·cal adj. Of or relating to the profession of obstetrics or the care of women during and after pregnancy. obstetrical, obstetric pertaining to or emanating from obstetrics. nurses, is yet to be decided. Midwives now have a separate Midwifery midwifery (mĭd`wī'fərē), art of assisting at childbirth. The term midwife for centuries referred to a woman who was an overseer during the process of delivery. In ancient Greece and Rome, these women had some formal training. Council, which was established in December 2003 and will come into full effect in September this year. The Nursing Council developed guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. for competence-based practising certificates for midwives in June 1999 and these are available on its website: www.nursingcouncil.org.nz. It is not yet known whether the new Midwifery Council will adopt these guidelines, revise them or establish new guidelines. Consultation with midwives will occur during 2004. Registered nurses who work in an organisation with a professional development and recognition programme/clinical career pathway (PDRP/CCP) will have that support and guidelines available to help them develop their portfolios. Hopefully they will also have a study leave clause in their agreements that allows time to put portfolios together. Those without a PDRP/CCP may find things a bit more tricky, but it is time to start. Although most of us have had years of experience writing nursing notes, the thought of formally writing things down can seem a bit intimidating in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. . I remember in the mid '90s asking a colleague: "Do I really have to put in a reference after every single thing I write in this assignment?" I had embarked on my masters degree and was truly daunted daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin . Now, a few years later, I find referencing, fairly easily. However, I, like many other nurses, had chosen to do that study. With the passing of the HPCA we do not have a choice--we have to be involved in formal writing. Nurses do not have to write lengthy assignments for portfolios, but they do have to write enough to demonstrate competence in practice. Getting started is half the battle. Nurses who feel a bit afraid about it, or feel stuck, are not alone. Research into PDRPs (1) shows fear or that "stuck" feeling is common. If you can just get over that first obstacle, you will be on your way. Get yourself a folder. It could be a ring binder ring binder Noun a loose-leaf binder with metal rings that can be opened to insert perforated paper ring binder n → carpeta de anillas ring binder n with plastic pockets or a clear file book. Put in four pieces of paper: the first stating your name; head the second "Table of Contents"; the third "Curriculum Vitae curriculum vitae CV, resume Medical practice A formal listing of a person's professional education, objectives, work history, including location and dates of service at a particular hospital, health care facility, university, the role filled at the time of service, " (CV), and the fourth "Professional Development". Now you've started! The table of contents can be finalised towards the end, once all the sections for the portfolio have been finalised, but it is useful to start listing the different things that may be included. The Nursing Council booklet Guidelines for Competence-Based Practising Certificates (2) gives some direction. It can be purchased from Nursing Council for $10 (ph 04 385 9589), or get it free of charge from the website on: www.nursingcouncil.org.nz under publications. I recommend all workplaces have a copy readily available. The CV is personal, factual information, including name, address, contact details. Some word processing word processing, use of a computer program or a dedicated hardware and software package to write, edit, format, and print a document. Text is most commonly entered using a keyboard similar to a typewriter's, although handwritten input (see pen-based computer) and packages have templates for CVs, or you could ask a friend or colleague if you could see their CV to get some ideas. The NZNO NZNO New Zealand Nurses Organisation library has some helpful references on the website (www.nzno.org.nz) in the professional section under library, in the "how to ..." guides, or you can phone Linda Stopforth on 04 931 6736. Nurses need to start compiling evidence of their professional development. The requirement will be ten days (75 hours) of professional development relevant to your practice in the last five years. (2) As portfolios will be required in March 2005, nurses should record information about the professional development they have undertaken from March 2000. Record the title, date, length of time (in hours) and who presented or provided the course, seminar etc. The key content can be listed briefly. Nurses can start making copies of documents to be included in their portfolio, such as qualifications and certificates. Documents can be certified See certification. by another RN, a registered midwife MIDWIFE, med. jur. A woman who practices midwifery; a woman who pursues the business of an account. 2. A midwife is required to perform the business she undertakes with proper skill, and if she be guilty of any mala praxis, (q.v. , a Justice of the Peace, a kaumatua Kaumatua are respected tribal elders of either gender in a Māori community who have been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both current and future or a lawyer. (2) Show the original and the copy to such a person and ask them to sign and date the copy, putting "certified as true copy". It is important to keep originals and a copy of all portfolio contents, just in case it gets lost. Over the next couple of months Nursing Council will be consulting with nurses about further details, such as scope of practice and what else is required to demonstrate competence. Please look out for this, have your say and encourage your colleagues to do so too. Updates will be on the Nursing Council and NZNO websites. Information will be published in Kai kai Noun NZ informal food [Maori] kai noun N.Z. (informal) food, grub (slang) provisions, fare, board, commons, eats (slang Tiaki Nursing New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. and you can use your NZNO staff as a resource. You can do it--so go for it and get started! REFERENCES (1)) Roberts, F. (1999) The people, the programme and the place: Nurses' perceptions of the Lakeland Health Professional Development Programme. Unpublished masters thesis. Wellington: Victoria University. (2)) Nursing Council. (2001) Guidelines for Competence-Based Practising Certificates. Wellington: Nursing Council. |
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