Nursing: Professionalism in Context Assessment 1
Assignment task:
This assignment is a reflective essay for the subject ‘Professionalism in Context’. The
assignment focus is to justify reasons for an electronic portfolio in the Nursi ng
Profession.
(This is not a reflective essay based o n what has been learnt throughout a course nor is it part of a reflective journal; however, it is a deep
analysis and reflection on this tas k and highlights changes in thinking.)
Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) are utilised in nursing to enhance effi ciency when recording
professional development. As aspiring nurses, students are required to und erstand the importance
of ePortfolio engagement. Appropriate content and structure are used to appeal to prospect ive
employers and medical authorities. Incorporating a formal design in my ePortfolio was achieved
through analysis of articles and online resources. Material used in the portfolio provided an insight
into personal career objectives as a student nurse. Further design ideas were attained through
meeting professional requirements set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA).
The use of evidence and reflect ion in profiles are fundamental to communicating career
progression. Nursing ePortfolios enable knowledge and skills to be conveyed to professional bodies,
while individuals develop from novice to expert.
A professional design for the ePortfolio was achieved through analysis of peer rev iewed journal
articles. According to Katerattanakul & Keng (2008), the inclusion of core, contextual, visual, and
accessible data is fundamental to an ePortfolio. As a result, options for curriculum vitae and
assessment material were included to meet intrinsic requirements. Furthermore, the presenc e of
accessible qualities is outlined by dist inct links on the top of the page. The contrasting colour
scheme combined with minimal scrolling is employed in the online profile, meeting visual and
contextual requirements (Katerattankul & Keng 2008). Professional profiling in this manner allows
communication with a wide variety of readers. Mills (2009) proposes that an assessment portfolio
conveying learning accomplishments is appropriate for novice nurses. The use of an educational
portfolio for students is further emphasised by Hawks (2012). My profile is identified as an
educational portfolio through reflecting on clinical performance, preceptor evaluation, and
assessment material. The integration of reflection is used to support learning objectives and
professional development (Casey & Clark 2009). As I progress in my career, artefacts will be us ed as
evidence to support my reflections . Technical, practical, and emancipatory reflections will be
included in the online profile to outline competencies (Mills 2009). Incorporating the literature into
my ePortfolio will promote engagement with the medical community.
Understanding the use of effective communication strategies were emphasised through the
critique of online nursing profiles. Appearance and content of electronic reso urces were evaluated
to gain insight into professional design. Hawks (2012) suggests that ePortfolio s are required to be
concise in order to engage with a broad audience. Succinct examples were utilised as a model fo r
my personal profile (Gurung 2015; Leonard n.d.). In contrast, Jimenez (n.d.) utilised information
that was personal and irrelevant to the nursing profession. Further engagement is achieved
through an established introduction with emphasis on the individual. Latoures (n.d.) provides a
welcoming introduction through advertisement of her name in the title. My ePortfolio has adopted
this technique in order to engage with potential employers. Organisation of profiled information is
just as important as content in portfolios (Katerattanakul & Keng 2008). Failure to structure data
The following are general co mments about the structure and content of an
academic essay written for university – they are not prescriptive and
intended as an educational guide only.
Comment [RT1]: The o pening sentenc e
in the Intr oduction is a str ong statement
and is addressing the assignment task. The
tone and use o f language is ap propriate for
this type of essay.
Refer to: http://www.uts.edu.au/curr ent-
students/support/helps/self-help -
resources/academic-writing
Comment [RT2]: These statements
clearly outline the backg round and
research to this essay.
Refer to: http://www.uts.edu.au/curr ent-
students/support/helps/self-help -
resources/academic-writing/essay-wr iting
Comment [RT3]: Evi dence and
reflection form the background and
support direction for the body of work to
follow. The intr oduction has a cle ar outline
of how, what and where this ref lective
essay will meet the assessment criteria.
Comment [RT4]:
A new topic sentence
outlines the a nalysis of jour nal research
and forms the core discussion for this
paragraph. The reflective questio ns: ‘What
theory proves to be useful and why? What
have I learnt from this?’ form part of the
answers for justifying this approach. Refer
to: http://www.uts.edu.au/current -
students/support/helps/self-help -
resources/academic-writing/reflectiv e-
writing
Comment [RT5]: These expressio ns are
good exampl es of transitio nal words linking
statements to the topic sent ence.
Comment [RT6]:
Refer to Comment
RT5.
Comment [RT7]: Refer to Comment
RT6.
Comment [RT8]: This comment ties the
theory and reflection together and is an
illustrat ion of how the to pic sentence has
expanded the w riter’s ideas through the
paragraph.
Comment [RT9]: Ano ther sentence on
reflectio n which ties in wit h the assignment
question.
Comment [RT10]: The last sentence of
the previous paragraph is a summary for
the paragr aph. At the same tim e it forms a
link to the t opic sentence o f the next. This
is clearly shown here.
Comment [RT11]: Another reflective
sentence t hat links to theoretical concepts.
Comment [RT12]: This in-text
reference signifies that the date is not
known.
