The portfolio

1. • The successful portfolio is a developmental tool that builds a collection of evidence of experience, assessments of competence, self-reflection and personal development planning over time.

2. • Trainees should ‘own’ the portfolio by managing their own learning, using the portfolio as an iterative tool.

3. • Portfolio evidence of competence must demonstrate trainees’ performance in reality rather than their factual knowledge or abilities in controlled examinations.

4. • Evidence of achievement of competencies occurs by combining different forms of evidence and assessments in various contexts and with multiple assessors.

5. • The more often the portfolio is used, the better, using formal points of appraisal as landmarks.

6. • True evidence in the portfolio is clear, transparent and demonstrable proof of competence.

7. • The evidence should not be overstretched.

8. • Attending a training course is not in itself evidence of competence.

9. • The portfolio supports the General Medical Council (GMC) revalidation process (General Medical Council, 2013).

Organising the portfolio

1. • Organisation and reference to clearly indexed, triangulated evidence at the start of the portfolio sets the tone.

2. • Make it user-friendly; summarise evidence and clearly state the competency, giving clear and specific locations of evidence.

3. • How much is enough evidence? Two sources at least and three where possible.

4. • Plan your educational objectives early with reference to competencies.

5. • Remember that ‘if it is not documented, it did not happen’.

6. • Do not breach confidentiality within the portfolio. Never use patient-identifiable material. If letters about patients are included, remove all identifiers.

7. • Do not leave portions of the curriculum uncovered, especially if they are hard to evidence. Consider mapping the gaps.

Workplace-based assessments (WPBAs)

1. • The need to evidence a particular competence should drive which WPBA is chosen, not the other way round. Workplace-based assessment should occur regularly throughout a period in training. Do an Assessment of Clinical Expertise (ACE) early on as a benchmark.

2. • Present WPBAs in a logical sequence with a clear description of the experience and associated competencies.

3. • Link WPBA to reflective practice and show how this informs your professional development.

4. • Capitalise on opportunities in routine work – if you are discussing a case as a part of daily work, use it as a case-based discussion (CbD) WPBA.

5. • Patient feedback can be a powerful driver for learning.