WELCOME
This is an interactive session please feel free to join in at any points with your
comments, thoughts and idea’s .
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2 .5 hour session
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By the end of the session you will hopefully have a clear idea of the direction
you want to take with your e-portfolio
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Location of toilets
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Breaks
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Feedback
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Fire Exits
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Mobile phones off/on silent
AGENDA FOR THE SESSION – E-PORTFOLIO
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What are e-portfolios?
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E-portfolios from a nursing employer prospective
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Voluntary work in the nursing sector
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Benefits of voluntary work in the nursing sector
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E-Portfolio – Best Practice in Nursing
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What to avoid
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Getting Started
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FASCINATING FACTS
Getting to know you:
Please pick a partner and share with your
partner a fascinating fact about you.
Then please share with the rest of us
your partners fascinating fact !
WHO ARE NEW DIRECTIONS SOCIAL CARE ?
New Directions Recruitment was founded in 1994 and is part of the
New Directions Holdings group which is Wales' leading independent
provider of recruitment and training services. Recruiting within the
social care and nursing marketplace, in the public and private sectors,
its services cover temporary, contract and permanent recruitment.
We are specialist recruiters in the following
area’s:
Nursing /Elderly Care
Children Services
Hostel Services
Adult Services
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EXPECTATIONS
ACTIVITY:
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET OUT OF
TODAY’S SESSION?
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WHAT WILL THIS SESSION COVER
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Sector specific voluntary work available for students in the nursing sector
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What part do e-portfolio’s play in making you attractive to employers
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Best practice for the nursing sector to enhance employability
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Case Study
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Reflective Practice
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Good and bad practice when using your e-portfolio
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Working together to make your e-portfolio professional, sector specific and
overall a tool for you to use when seeking employment
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WHAT ARE E-PORTFOLIOS?
• E-portfolio’s are an online space for
you to bring together information and
digital objects that demonstrate your
learning development, skills and
competencies.
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E-PORTFOLIO’S
In September 2012 The University of Glamorgan was successful in
securing funding in order to develop an online tool where students
would be able to store, manage and showcase some of their work
and experiences which might then assist them in seeking
employment.
The main purpose of these sessions is to give students the opportunity
to engage with an employer (relevant to their area of study) so that
they may learn what an employer might like to see in their eportfolio and hence how a good e-portfolio would help to enhance
their employability.
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Your e-portfolio is a chance to show case your skills therefore
think about the following:
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Make your e- portfolio sector specific
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Keep in line with your area of interest
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Your e-portfolio should represent you as an individual and include the
following:
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Your interests and what they are
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Your academic development
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Professional Development
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Personal development
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Reflective accounts
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Remember :
Your e-portfolio is a reflective account and hopefully
when you have completed your course you will be able
to see your development throughout.
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Most importantly your e-portfolio is a chance
for you to appeal to the job market within
your chosen sector it can be a great piece of
work to chart your journey through studies,
extra curricular activities and personal and
practical development so use it wisely!
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E-PORTFOLIO – NURSING EMPLOYERS
PERSPECTIVE
From a social care employers perspective work experience is crucial whether that
be voluntary or paid experience. A social care employer will also be looking at
your life experiences and the type of individual you are.
When applying for jobs to gain experience /volunteering or even undertaking
extra curricular activities the following points are important to remember :
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If applying for voluntary or paid work is it relevant ?
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What skills are you utilising in this position/activity which will make you
attractive to an employer?
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Are you being exposed to experiences which you may come across in your
chosen career?
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Are you going to develop a keen understanding of your chosen sector?
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SOCIAL CARE/NURSING
A social care/nursing employer is looking for an individual who
can be supportive, considerate and respectful of others
regardless of background, opinions and attitude . Working in a
nursing environment can be challenging at times and life
experience as well as formal training is a must.
One route to gain valuable experience is voluntary work in a mix
of sectors ,types of work which are applicable and can gain
you a valuable insight :
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VOLUNTARY WORK – SOCIAL CARE
VOLUNTARY WORK
SKILLS ACQUIRED
•Telephone Counselling e.g.childline,samaritans
•Ability to listen, sensitively and
carefully, to what they are telling
you enhancing communication skills
•Allows you the ability to observe
the running of a service and
interact with children
• Gain experience in communicating
with elderly with varying
conditions e.g. hard of hearing,
dementia patients etc. Gives you
the opportunity to observe various
job roles in the care home.
•Local Council Day Care Centre
with children
•Voluntary in a care home
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VOLUNTARY - CONT
VOLUNTARY WORK
SKILLS AQUIRED
•Befriending in own home
•Develop a keen understanding of
day to day challenges these
individuals face enabling you to
understand and develop empathy
as well as increase your own
confidence in dealing with people
•Develop an understanding of the
pace of life within a busy hospital
ward, develop skills such as
communicating effectively ,showing
compassion for others.
• Ward Visitor
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VOLUNTARY WORK – BENEFITS
• Enhance your communication skills
• Make you more attractive to an employer
• Give you a unique insight into the sector you
are going to work in
• Increase your confidence when interacting with
people of all walks of life
• May lead to paid work in this sector
• Opportunity to forge links with employers
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USEFUL CONTACTS FOR VOLUNTARY WORK :
www.wrvs.org.uk
www.hallmarkhealthcare.co.uk
www.homelessuk.org
www.nspcc.org.uk
www.redcross.org.uk
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15 min break!
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E-PORTFOLIO –
USE YOUR PDP EFFECTIVELY:
The personal development page of your e-portfolio is important as this gives an employer an
insight into you as an individual, as a social care employer a few things that we look for:
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Voluntary Work - relevant voluntary work as discussed in the last section will make you
very attractive to an employer – even better would be if you were able to incorporate
different types of voluntary work , this will show a potential employer that you have
developed a realistic understanding of your chosen sector which is crucial in the social
care sector
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Fundraising – This is an ideal opportunity to show that you are an individual who likes to
give back to the community and it also draws upon skills such as event management,
people management and marketing skills .
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Extra Curricular activities - These give a unique insight into the type of personality you
have for example playing a sport can give an indication that you work well in a team and
show good communications skills.
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Conferences / Study Days attended - Attending as many nursing
conferences/study days is very relevant as it shows your keen, your
passionate and dedicated to widen your knowledge about nursing. Plus they
are great learning experiences as you have the opportunity to meet like
minded people and talk everything nursing related. Also many days will have
workshops where you actually learn about topics.
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Memberships to professional organisations – rcn,nmc etc.
@Twitter
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E-PORTFOLIO – INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS:
As an employer recommendations are invaluable not only do they back up what
an individual is saying , they give added value as an employer/colleague has
taken time out of their busy schedule to put pen to paper .
A few things to remember regarding recommendations:
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They don’t always have to be from your employer they can be from colleagues
that have worked alongside you.
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They can be more personal and can reflect on your personality as well as
skills
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Be strategic and consistent when gathering recommendations – for example
it may look odd if you have been recommended a lot for one placement but
not at all for another this may ring alarm bells
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RECOMMENDATION EXAMPLES
“is a fantastic individual to work with - she has a great work ethic and is
passionate about providing an outstanding service to her candidates
and clients. She is a supportive colleague who has drive and a great
sense of fun.” – colleague - this gives an insight into how an
individual may fit into a team
“always offers a professional and helpful recruitment service that
produces positive results. It is a pleasure working with her.” – client
, this gives an insight into an individuals work ethic, professional
attributes etc.
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E-PORTFOLIO – DETAILED
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INFO
As a social care provider one of the first things we look at and question are any gaps in
your CV, this is where you can really utilise your professional development to show
employers at a glance everything that you have done and skills you have acquired in
each job whether that be voluntary or paid , a few tips below:
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Account for gaps in employment – if you haven't been working or haven't undertaken
any work – why? It could be you simply haven't got time alongside your studies at
this point in the course tell us!
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Explain any gaps in employment – so if you haven't been working just studying use
this opportunity to explain how your studies have gained you invaluable time
management ,experience of working to deadlines etc.
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Explain any skills you have acquired however big or small – working in the social
care or nursing industry needs you to draw on a huge amount of skills in your
everyday career give us an opportunity to understand what you have achieved .
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E-PORTFOLIO -CONT
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Try and stick to a common theme – For example if you are looking to work
within children services as your chosen sector your voluntary work,
fundraising etc. should reflect this and if it doesn’t explain how it could gain
you transferable skills relating to a job in children services
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Overall the most important thing for a social care or
nursing provider is:
• You have a good understanding of the industry we
work in
• You have practical hands on experience
• You have validated that this is the right
career/course choice for you
• You have a good transferable skill set.
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PRESENTATION OF E–PORTFOLIO
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Use clear concise language
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Use the same font throughout
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Use visuals wherever possible
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Be reflective wherever possible to show the reader what you as an individual
have learnt from your experiences
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Keep professional pages professional
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Make your personal development about you and how you have developed as
an individual
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Be creative let you e-portfolio represent you as a person
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WHAT TO AVOID
Although your e-portfolio is a reflective account of your professional and personal
development you must be mindful that it could also be shared with tutors and
also potential employers, a few tips below of what to try and avoid:
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Job hopping – jumping from job to job rings alarm bells for social care
employers if you were only employed on a fixed contract or temporary basis
ensure you state this clearly
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Not giving enough details – ensure that if you have undertaken fundraising or
voluntary work you give enough detail to ensure the reader is clear on what
your job/activity entailed.
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Being too professional – although professionalism is extremely important
ensure that you are also showing employers your personality you can do this
by showcasing your extra curricular activities etc .
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YOUR THOUGHTS ON
WHAT MAKES A GOOD
CASE STUDY?
CASE STUDY
Example of a good e- portfolio :
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A common theme throughout e.g. - the student is focused on a career in
elderly care therefore all voluntary/paid work has been around that
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The student has included a section for recommendations allowing an
employer to gain an insight into the student straightaway
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The student has used an alternative format e.g. – including reflections from a
journal
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Throughout the student has reflected on what skills they have acquired from
their pieces of work
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
By
reflecting in an on-going way within your e-portfolio
you will be developing the reflective skills that will
enable you to become a reflective practitioner.
Reflecting on your nursing care will increase the
potential for learning within the different practice
learning experiences.
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SOME IDEA’S FOR E-PORTFOLIO
• You could complete one reflective writing per term
• You could incorporate reflective statements relating
to placements
• You could reflect on voluntary work ,paid work
• Reflect on your experiences truthfully you can learn
by them!
• Showcase yourself with your reflective writing.
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WHY USE REFLECTIVE PRACTICE?
• Reflective practice enables nurses to develop their
skills
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It will increase your knowledge
• It will help you deal with emotionally challenging
situations
• By developing your reflective practice early on in
your education it will pay dividends on every clinical
placement you undertake, building a strong
foundation for a successful career in nursing.
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GETTING STARTED – THINGS TO REMEMBER
• Your E-portfolio is a work in progress and should be used
throughout your studies
• Remember your objective and end goal and try to evidence
you working towards that
• Capture all your achievements big or small shout about
them!
• Keep a common theme throughout as discussed earlier remember if your area of interest is in elderly care try to
make your paid/voluntary work relevant
• Be Reflective!!
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ACTIVITY
List three things that
you feel you can
already add to your
e-portfolio based on
todays workshop
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EVALUATION/CLOSE
Any questions ?
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