If you hate writing in your e-portfolio...

 

If you hate writing in the e-portfolio because you find it cumbersome, did you know that if you get a speech to text program like Dragon Naturally Speaking, you can dictate straight into it instead. It works very well, seamlessly, and is much quicker. Just a little tip.

 

What's The Point of the e-porfolio? Isn't it just more bureacracy?

 

Actually, it's not; the e-portfolio serves several purposes

 

1. TO YOU: it helps you to reflect on your learning experiences to see what you've got out of them. It also helps you in terms of creating a reflective diary for you to note down and think about any experiences and particular patient encounters. Finally, it signposts things you should know so that at the end of training you're ready and safe to practice as an independent GP.

 

2. TO DEANERY & PMETB: it ensures you have acquired the minimum competencies to practise safely

 

3. TO THE PUBLIC: it ensure them that you have gone through some rigorous structured training thus helping them to have faith in our profession and reassurance that their tax money used for training you is justified.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, But Where's the Link to the e-portfolio on the Web? Come on mate, catch up..

 

Sorry, thanks... I nearly forgot about that. Here it is: http://eportfolio.rcgp.org.uk/login.asp You can find it on the main brafordvts webpage too.

 

 

 

What To Put On Your e-portfolio

 

 

 

Who Can Put Stuff On My e-portfolio?

 

Apart from by yourself, evidence can be also recorded on your e-portfolio by your trainer (in primary care), educational supervisor, or clinical supervisor (in secondary care)

 

 

I'm Struggling to Add Log Entries to My E-Portfolio

Here are some suggestions from our trainees:

a) if it is because you don't know what to write: read and familiarise yourself with the curriculum headings and what they mean

b) If your struggling to find the time to add entries:

- consider coming in half an hour early each day during your hospital or GP post to add log entries

- load the e-portfolio at the same time as you do your GP surgery; in that way you can add 'rough notes' on interesting patients you see and you can then 'smarten' them up later

- use your surgery admin time to add in entries

- use 'gaps' in your daily hospital work as opportunities to add stuff on

- if it takes ages to drive home (because of rush hour traffic eg after half day release), consider pulling over and adding some stuff on until the traffic dies down. Of course, you may wish to invest in mobile broadband to do this.

- change your attitude: many of you hate the eportfolio and feel sick at the thought of it. But the e-portfolio is here to stay. If one cannot change the e-portfolio, then perhaps one needs to change oneself. Change your attitude and adapt to it. The more you start looking at it positively, the less it will impact on you negatively. Trust me on this one.

 

Sometimes, trainees hate the eportfolio because they are not particularly good at typing. Typing with speed definately makes the job of adding log entries less cumbersome. If you're typing skills aren't very good, consider investing in the following software program: I guarantee you'll be good within two weeks:

 

'Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing' - type this into somewhere like Amazon; costs less that £20.

 

 

 

Common Reasons Why Trainees dont make effective use of their e-portfolio

• Among an infinite number of possible reasons are
• • (s)he doesn’t understand its value (both in terms of assessment, i e for others, and in terms of recording experiences and reflection, i e for him/her)
• • (s)he does understand its value but hasn’t got into a routine of doing it, in which case (s)he may need rather explicit suggestion of a routine  
• • (s)he does understand its value but thinks (s)he can’t find the time in his busy job
• • (s)he does understand its value but is lazy and/or disorganised
• • (s)he doesn’t know how to do it – in this case, he might need to look at someone else’s.  You could get permission from one of your other supervisees to show him/her theirs?

 

 

A Special Note About Log Entries and PDPs

 

• Make sure you add log entries that mean something to you. Quality is more important than quantity.
• Don't save them up and add them all in one go a few times a year! This looks bad because it will appear you've only logged stuff in time for the ARCP panels as opposed to maintaining a continuous log and continuously reflecting

 

PDPs should show a:

1. Description
2. Interpretation
3. Reflection
4. Action (Change)
5. Future learning plans - writing "do more reading" frequently becomes irritating because it doesn't consider the other ways you might fill a learning gap (and often doesn get done either).

 

 

Guide: How to write a log entry

Use a short title: by using short titles to your log entries means you can search for a specific one much easier. Try and use a short title that tells you what the log entry is about eg"Under 16y old wanting the pill with mother present"

You should add log entries to satisfy two things

1. adding entries that you will personally find helpful referring back to in the future

2. adding entries that will serve as evidence to people like the ARCP panel that you are covering all the compentencies and curriculum headings PMETB require you to cover. At regular intervals, you should review your curriculum and competency coverage and try and identify the weaker areas and try to deliver on those specifically.

 

Longer entries tend to be deeper and more meaningful. Remember, quality is more important than quantity although there has to be a minimum quantity too.

If you find you write too much about a case, may be you need to focus on one area and go deep into that area?

 

 

Tips for PDP writing

1. Try and write PDPs in terms of either what knowledge, skills or attitudes you need to develop.
2. Remember, you can "send" outstanding things from your learning log entries to your PDP - use it because it saves you writing it all out again for your PDP.
3. If you don't have time to write out the PDP completely, why not just add something 'quick and dirty' for the time being to serve as a signpost for you to smarten up later?
4. Whilst you dont have to be too comprehensive, you do have to be specific.
5. Try and add structure to what you write to make it easier to read: for instance, if you have a list of actions to take, number them or bullet point them.
6. Try and write PDP action plan in terms of the mnemonic SMARTIES: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Framed, Inspirational, Emotional, Successful (see below)
7. And remember, you don't have to fill in every box of the eportfolio's PDP form: it's there as a template/guidance. The box most people struggle with is "how will I know when it is achieved". instead of sticking to this title why not just add your reflections on completing the PDP item? Of course, you'll need to add the subheading "Reflections:"

 

I hate writing in my eportfolio
If you hate writing in the e-portfolio because you find it cumbersome, did you know that if you get a speech to text program like Dragon Naturally Speaking, you can dictate straight into it instead.  It works very well, seamlessly, and is much quicker.

 

 

SMARTIES

 

Who should read the e-portfolio entries - educational or clinical supervisor?

We at Bradford think that trainers should do most of the validation of e-portfolios when the trainee is in post with them (most, not necessarily all).  This is for several reasons

 

1. It’s more practical – it’s very time consuming for an ES to go through all the eportfolio entries and validate them.  I think most will end up losing the will to live and we need to keep our educational supervisors enthused!      If ES’s did it, it would take them around 3h to do leaving very little time for all the other EQUALLY important aspects of educational supervision.
2. A good proportion of the e-portfolio entries will have been discussed with the trainer already.   The trainer would then be able to easily and more reliably validate that entry against the competencies
3. By the trainer doing it in a progressive way throughout the 6m period, (s)he is in an ideal position to provide a drip method of feedback to the trainee on their eportfolio entries thus enabling the trainee to record them even better in the future (an ES would only be able to do this during their once or twice meetings during the six month post).
4. Reviewing how their trainee are writing up e-portfolios in a progressive manner provides the trainer with another informal form of assessment on how the trainee is progressing eg level and depth of reflection.

 

What I do with my trainee, which might help some of you, is to periodically (say once every 6-8w) hijack the tutorial to look at the e-portfolios, read them and see what we can learn from them.

 

Finally, remember that assessments are only half the picture; Naturally Occurring Evidence will balance and enhance.