Electronic portfolios are touted as an innovative mechanism to track and fast-track a nurse’s career. They consist of an organized record of accomplishments, awards, certificates and research that has been done. Many would find it as overwhelming in spite of its promised benefits; however, there are at least some aspects of an e-portfolio that should be encouraged. For instance, evidence-based practice is an incredibly relevant part of healthcare that if used in a timely manner can benefit patients incalculably.
Encouraging at least these endeavors for an e-portfolio would do much in the way of not only rekindling the creative and critical-thinking juices, but to foster an environment of inquiry and forward-thinking in the workplace. There remain challenges, nonetheless, which may be made worst from burnout or general unhappiness with the work environment. This can easily translate into a nurse feeling too overwhelmed to reap the full benefits of investigating what may be of interest and having it turn into an irksome burden. It’s therefore proposed that workplaces make this a priority by offering incentives to registered nurses willing to engage in enrichment activities.
We must also address another challenge that stems from short-sightedness or even budgetary problems within the workplace. It’s of no use to have willing nurses ready to do research and access a slew of articles of evidence-based practice if the workplace fails to provide access to academic databases. Libraries may be able to provide some access, but there’s really nothing like a healthcare organization setting up its own workforce to benefit from the newest advances in healthcare. I’ve worked at a few different places as a registered nurse, and have yet to experience access to databases to answer some burning questions or to simply satisfy an intellectual curiosity.
Healthcare organizations must provide access to academic databases if they take evidence-based practice seriously. We are already behind the trend by nature, but it’s negligence to refuse investment in such a database of knowledge that’d serve to train an even better, up to date workforce. It’s one thing to motivate a nurse to do self-improvement activities after-hours; but it’s another thing to have a healthcare organization fail to encourage and much less provide the investment to allow a self-motivated nurse from furthering their base of knowledge for an ever-evolving healthcare environment.
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