The use of electronic portfolios in nursing and SCPHN education

The Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) requirement to revalidate Registration every three years (NMC, 2016) has highlighted a need to maintain a portfolio of evidence that showcases safe, reflective practice. With the growth of the internet and the increasing use of social media platforms, there are new ways of collecting, displaying and disseminating information that can demonstrate competence for nurses. While the NMC have not insisted on an electronic portfolio (E portfolio), this method is a useful way of storing data, recording continuing professional development (CPD), reflecting and demonstrating competence to practise. The E portfolio is being developed in Higher Education Institutions (HEI's) to assess Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) students in practice. This helps to encourage the use of this method for ongoing revalidation purposes. This article will discuss two examples of the E Portfolio: the Google portfolio and Pebble Pad