We all depend on technology to manage our daily responsibilities at home and work to make purchases, open doors, send messages, attend meetings virtually, and more, but did you know you can also use technology to advance your nursing career?
Technology for Career Advancement
You are likely already using technology to tackle tasks like grocery shopping and take-out orders, but are you also using it to help advance your career?
As registered nurses, we put a lot of time and effort into obtaining and organizing documents we must maintain. But we do much more than obtain required continuing education hours, maintain certifications, and renew licenses. Where are you documenting that?
We should all record our many accomplishments, such as presentations, publications, preceptor hours, acts of service, etc. We should highlight these accomplishments in job interviews, annual performance evaluations, and graduate school applications.
An e-portfolio is a quick and easy way to track this! And even if you are the exception and already have a binder full of accomplishments, read on. It’s time to ditch the paper copies and binders and create an e-portfolio.
E-Portfolio Tool
An e-portfolio is a digital version of a hard copy portfolio. Today many free and low-cost resources are available to assist you with creating one. Google Sites™ is one of those resources. To get started in Google Sites™, you must create a free Gmail™ account if you don’t already have one. Your Gmail™ account also gives you access to Google Drive™. You can use Google Drive™ to upload documentation of your achievements in various forms (pictures, PDFs, Word docs, etc.) and link or embed them in your customized e-portfolio in Google Sites.
Design ideas are endless, so play around and find what designs suit your preferences. You will continue refining your e-portfolio’s look if you are like me. The great thing about creating your e-portfolio in Google Sites is that you will have a “published” version and a “draft” version. Before publishing any changes, you can repeatedly preview your “draft” version.
Your e-portfolio serves multiple purposes. It is a repository to store documentation, a tool to keep you organized, and a website that can be shared when you apply for jobs, graduate school, or promotions. And if you’re worried about privacy, not to worry. Google Sites allows you to set permissions regarding who can view your e-portfolio. You can share with specific individuals, those within your organization, or publicly.
My Experience with E-Portfolio Creation
As a PhD nursing student, I created an e-portfolio to document my achievements throughout the program. While initially finding creating an e-portfolio intimidating, I soon realized it was well worth the time and effort required. There are thousands of free how-to videos online, so after watching a few, I got to work.
I created a folder in my Google Drive, uploaded copies of all my documents, and easily linked each of my records to my e-portfolio in Google Sites. As a result, I now have my very own e-portfolio that I can share with others to display my curriculum vitae, certifications, presentations, etc., in a digital format. And you can too.
