One of the very important elements of the portfolio is the Midwifery Standards Review, which is an aspect of the recertification program. This is an audit process and opportunity for reflection on one's practice. Hospital midwives do this once every three years and LMC midwives who carry a midwifery caseload ( ie care for women from conception to 4/6 weeks postpartum) do it every year. Until 2005 it was a voluntary process - now it is compulsory. The process involves:
- writing a reflective statement about one's practice over the year
- reviewing practice statistics
- reviewing consumer feedback forms (every client/woman is asked to complete an anonymous feedback form)
- reflecting on practice compared to the New Zealand College of Midwives' 10 Standards of Practice
- reviewing information that one gives to women
- completing a professional development plan for the following year.
There are several issues for me.
- How to organise this material in the portfolio.
- How to get all this information into my ePortfolio without compromising the anonymity of the women I look after.
- How to get all this information into my ePortfolio without compromising the power of reflection yet keeping me professionally 'safe'. In other words, how can I be honest and reflective in an open environment?
I did play with the idea of having a page per year and having all aspects of my review on the one page. However, I have chosen the format illustrated above because I think it will be interesting to compare my reflections year by year. However, I am also mindful that I do not want to dump a whole heap of text on a page in a way that does not engage the reader.
Please feel free to have a look at what I have done so far, paying particularly attention to the 'professional development' page and comment here: what did you think of the format? What suggestions do you have for improving the format or doing it differently?
2 comments:
Hi Sarah--how you have this organized makes sense to me. I don't know if you can do this or not, but I found myself wanting audio and/or video reflections, particularly in your general statement about what you believe. That feels like it would be so powerful to hear those words in your own voice, although I understand that you may have to do a written version for the re-certification.
Thanks as always for sharing your process here!
Thanks for that, Michele. You know, I never think of audio but on the odd occasion I use it, people always comment on how much they like it and how they feel more connected to it.
I am doing a teaching session in May with my senior undergraduate students and want to get some of this sorted beforehand. So I'll have a 'play' with this beforehand and get your feedback.
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