Work based, lifelong learning through professional portfolios: Challenge or reward?

Abstract

As the world of work changes, UK pharmacists are increasingly required to recognise and articulate lifelong learning. College of Pharmacy Practice (CPP) portfolios were made available to 25 pharmacists in a single Workforce Development Confederation area. The evaluation reported here formed one strand of a larger study exploring CPD activity in the NHS. This strand aimed to describe and consider the ways in which pharmacists used the CPP portfolio as a vehicle to articulate their acquisition and use of practice based knowledge. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with nine pharmacists before and after using the portfolios (n ¼ 18 interviews) and were analysed using "framework technique". Key emergent themes were "socialised learning" and "learning amplification", in particular the findings emphasised the importance of recognising:. the advantages/disadvantages of work based (socialised) learning approaches; and . the environment in which learning takes place and ensuring that learning can be "amplified" for the individual and the organisation.

The impact of portfolios on health professionals' practice: a literature review

“…22,36 This review attempted to include relevant literature. We acknowledge that only one author screened studies for inclusion and these were in English.…”

“…28,35,36,39,40 Of these, two were conducted using the same cohort of pharmacists in Ontario, Canada. 28,35 The Canadian studies identified a variation in the number of reported changes to practice.…”

“…The second UK study involved nine hospital pharmacists, with data collected over a 5-week period. 36 In this study the main impact of the portfolio on practice was to trigger further learning, using various methods. How this learning affected practice was unclear and the sustainability of this effect was limited by the short duration of the study.…”

“…Participants commented that the portfolio was useful for identifying learning gaps. In a UK study, Swallow et al 36 examined the use of a CPD portfolio by nine hospital pharmacists. Interviews were used at the start of portfolio use and repeated 5 weeks later.…”

L’efficacité des portfolios pour l’évaluation et la formation pendant le cursus post gradué. Guide BEME No. 12

“…Swallow et al [41] ont constaté certains points de vue négatifs chez 25 pharmaciens communautaires au Royaume-Uni, dont certains estimaient que le portfolio pourrait réellement inhiber la réflexivité s'ils manquaient de confiance quant à la manière dont l'information pourrait être utilisée « contre eux », point de vue partagé par Pearson et Heywood [14] . Austin et al [24] , ont souligné que certains utilisateurs, se décrivant eux-mêmes comme étant réflexifs, pensaient que l'obligation d'utiliser un outil dédié à cet effet allait interférer avec leur propre approche de leur développement professionnel.…”