READ THIS FIRST: Introduction to the ePortfolio

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Whether we like it or not, the ePortfolio is here to stay.

The most important thing to know is how to use it as a trainee and funnily enough, how to use it as a GP trainer! You may find you are often directing your trainer on what to do and what needs to be filled in at your 6 monthly reviews.

The RCGP have 3 useful guides at:

http://www.rcgp-curriculum.org.uk/gp_eportfolio.aspx

It is important to read the trainee guide, we recommend reading it cover to cover twice. Laborious, but extremely productive in the longer term!

It is also useful read the guide for trainers before attending your review as it gives a good walkthrough on exactly what the trainer needs to do on it.  It might be an idea to print out the relevant pages of the trainer's manual before your review.  The RCGP is surprisingly strict on this, and if your trainer or you have not filled out your review correctly, they DO call you up to the Deanery panel for a slap on the wrist.  Get it right first time so you don't have to go through the stress of a panel discussion.

We have covered the assessments required in the WPBA board, so we will be focussing on the other parts of the ePortfolio in this board.

Hope it's helpful.
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Official words on the ePortfolio:

The ePortfolio
 
At the beginning of specialty training, when they register with the RCGP, each GPStR will be given access to the RCGP ePortfolio which will be used throughout the training period, in both hospital posts and primary care. It is accessed and updated through the internet. It is a record of learning with particular emphasis on clinical encounters.  It can also capture details of achievement in the AKT and CSA and must be used in all stages of training to document evidence of WPBA.

What is the ePortfolio?

Above all else the ePortfolio is where the GPStR records their learning in all its forms and settings. Its prime function is to be an educational tool that will record and facilitate the management of the journey of clinical and personal development through learning. It is the system used to record the evidence collected through the application of the WPBA tools. It might be described as the glue which holds the curriculum learning and assessment together.
 
All the facilities for recording applications of the WPBA tools are tagged to the competence areas so that an overall picture of competence is easily accessed. The trainer or educational supervisor will also have the opportunity to file items under a content heading.
 
The ePortfolio should also be used to record and validate naturally occurring evidence against the competence framework. This is evidence which occurs in the course of practice and which illustrates the GPStR’s competence. For example, the GPStR may do an evidence review on a specific topic and present it to a practice meeting. This might be taken as evidence of data gathering and interpretation, or communication skills. Evidence that a GPStR is late for surgeries on a regular basis might be discussed with the GPStR and recorded under teamwork. Naturally occurring evidence needs to be validated by the GP trainer.
 
The ePortfolio belongs to the GPStR but key parts of it are accessible to the trainer, educational supervisor and deanery administrators through a permissions system. All personal records will be hidden to all except the GPStR until they decide to share them. The ePortfolio includes places to record tutorials, formal educational sessions and a skills log. It has a diary and a mailbox. It will also contain links to learning resources that are being developed by the RCGP and has a personal area where individuals can save files, documents, certificates of learning and other digital materials.
 
Through the ePortfolio the GPStR can book places on the AKT and CSA and the results will come back into the portfolio. The Certification Unit of the RCGP will also be linked into the membership data and will receive the indication from the GPStR that they are ready for certification.
 
It is planned that the portfolio will eventually become the record for life-long learning.

Why do we need an ePortfolio?

By making use of the full capability of electronic systems, the ePortfolio can deliver all that is required to record, monitor and manage a GPStR’s learning in one place. A record of personal development and experience is becoming mandatory for all doctors. It provides evidence that training has taken place and allows the doctor to reflect on a range of learning opportunities. By providing a structure for documenting the evidence harvested through WPBA tools, the ePortfolio helps to ensure that judgements about the GPStR’s progress and achievement are based on a clear, systematically recorded picture of competence.

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The KSS Deanery has produced a new guide to help trainees complete their e-portfolio learning log. This guide is intended to inform you of the requirements for your learning log and to assist you in your professional development by stimulating reflective practice. You will already have been sent the learning log guide but this was added to after there had been many requests amongst you as to what reflectve writing really was and if you could have some examples demonstrating this.

It includes areas concerning

1. How much evidence to include?

2 What type of evidence to include?

3 What constitutes a satisfactory log?

4 How to write reflectively with examples

The new guide will we hope answer these questions and can be downloaded from the website gpkss.ac.uk

http://www.kssdeanery.org/system/files/private/A_Guide_to_completing_the_e-portfolio_Aug_2009_0.doc