An educational (or professional) portfolio is a collection of
evidence that demonstrates the progressive acquisition of knowledge,
skills, and attitudes.It also gives a picture of your individual experience in a learning situation. Portfolios were first developed in the 1940’s as an alternative to testing. They have become the primary means for evaluation of professional competence in fields like architecture, writing, most fine arts, and education. This is because they allow flexibility for an individual to give a representative view of their accomplishments and competence. Medicine, being both a science and an art, is very suitable for the use of portfolios.
Portfolios also promote reflective thinking and encourage you to be self-directed in determining the direction of your future learning. The medical school faculty believe that the development of life-long learning skills is critical to your future success as a physician. But, this must be coupled with an accurate self-assessment to direct your future education. In order to encourage these skills, you will compile an educational portfolio during your two month Medicine Clerkship.
This portfolio is an opportunity for you to demonstrate both your growth in the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required in the field of Internal Medicine and your level of competency in the six core competencies of the College of Medicine. The following table of contents lists the core competencies and the required work that you should include in your portfolio. However, many of you will engage in other educational activities that you may choose to include in your portfolio. The main requirement is that you provide some type of documentation of the learning activities in which you engage to achieve competency. I have provided suggestions of ways to enhance your competence, many of which come from previous students. Hopefully these will help promote growth in your self-assessed areas for improvement.
A portfolio is as good as you choose to make it. You will be assigned a portfolio advisor who can serve as a resource and mentor during this rotation. You should try to meet with your advisor at least every two weeks to review your progress. You will be evaluated based on your final level of competency.
In summary, the educational portfolio is designed to promote the following goals:
- Increase self-directed learning among students and promote habits that foster life-long learning.
- Encourage reflection on your own level of competence, your educational needs, and the medical and psychosocial needs of your patients.
- Allow the student more flexibility and creativity to demonstrate the achievement of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary in Internal Medicine.
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here for on-line portfolio (password required)
