Documenting Competency in Abortion Care

What is a Professional Portfolio? Why Develop One?

A professional portfolio is a collection of documents showcasing the breadth and depth of your professional credentials and major accomplishments. It is more inclusive than a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). In addition to educational background, credentials, and previous positions, the professional portfolio also contains essential scope-of-expertise, as well as examples of your clinical, professional, scholarship, research, and service accomplishments.

 

All health professionals are responsible for compiling essential documents and credentials that establish them as competent and legally, as well as professionally, authorized to practice. Developing your professional portfolio should be the first step you take as a new graduate–or in advancing your practice as an experienced NP, midwife, or PA.

 

Below is a template for constructing a professional portfolio, which can be specific to a clinical specialty (for example, if you are changing practice focus) or can be general, and encompass the whole of your clinical experience. Generally speaking, abortion care does not require a specific portfolio to justify its inclusion in our practice unless that is part of your state regulations for any new skill. For example, ACNM considers abortion care to be within scope and, as with any skill outside of the Core Competencies, encourages midwives to evaluate and systematically address their learning needs related to that skill, but does not require or recommend a specific modality for doing so. 

 

While professional portfolios can be helpful in challenges to scope, etc., as well as for organizing our own professional continuing education and training, it is important to be cautious about viewing abortion care as somehow different or separate from other skills. There is no data supporting a specific number of abortions prior to independent practice, for example, just as there is no data on the minimum number of IUD insertions one must perform. Instead, in both cases the expectation is that the APC is training to competency in that skill – which will look different for every APC. When advocating for clinical opportunities for training, as well as for regulation changes, be sure to remind those you are working with that abortion care is not different from any other skill, that it is already within your professional if not legal scope, and that in some cases, like medication management, the skills are those we already possess.

Professional Portfolio Template

  1. Education and Training: Role Preparation (RN, APRN, PA)
  2. Institutions, program of study, dates
  3. Type of degree, diplomas, certificates, transcripts
  4. Course information: titles, descriptions, units, outlines
  5. Clinical residencies, units/hours, site, preceptors
    1. Procedural skills and special courses (e.g., ACLS, suturing, adolescent health)
  6. Education and Training: Population Preparation (primary care, women’s health)
  7. Institution, program of study, dates, degree and/or certificate
  8. Continuing education contact hour certificates
  9. Course information: titles, descriptions, units, outlines
  10. Clinical residencies, units/hours, site, preceptors
  11. Procedural skills and special courses (e.g., endometrial biopsy, MVA, infertility care, IUD placement, menopause management)
  12. Education and Training: Specialty Preparation (peri-abortion care)
  13. Training program, course of study, dates
  14. Clinical training hours, site, preceptor
  15. Legal Credential—License
    1. Documentation of state license(s) for RN, APRN, or PA
    2. Record of application documentation
    3. Copy of license with COPY written over it but not in color
  16. Professional Credential—Certification
    1. Professional certification program
      1. Role certification (CNM, NP, PA)
    2. Population certification (patients’ health, family, adult, pediatrics, etc.)
    3. Additional or specialty certifications (e.g., colposcopy, first assist for C-sections, medication abortion)
    4. Record certification as voluntary or mandatory (second license for advanced practice)
    5. Documentation of original certification and recertification
  17. Scope-of-Expertise Documents and History
    1. Philosophy of practice documents
    2. Scope and standards of practice (role, population, specialty)
    3. Core competencies (role, population, specialty)
    4. Code of ethics
    5. Clinical guidelines and standards of care (role, population, specialty)
  18. Professional Experience and Clinical Accomplishments
    1. Employment/practice history
      1. Institution, dates, role, advancement
    2. Other professional credentials
      1. Payer and provider authorization (e.g., federal/private insurances)
      2. Prescriptive and DEA authority
    3. Institution-specific documents
      1. Delegation agreements
      2. Admitting privileges
      3. Clinical guidelines
  19. Special recognition—honors, awards, news clippings
    1. Performance appraisals—employment or preceptor (competency-based)
      1. Role performance as CNM, NP, PA
  20. Population competencies: patients’ health (e.g., contraception, fertility protection, obstetrics/maternity care, gynecologic expertise or competency)
  21. Specialty competencies: abortion care, including provision of abortion procedure
  22. List of clinical skills and procedures by role, population, and specialty (differentiate these skills from those learned in a formal entry-level or postgraduate training program; list skills learned in the practice setting)
    1. Clinical logs; patient summary data by role, population, and specialty
    2. Sample of clinical documentation
    3. Patient education materials by role, population, and specialty
      1. Evidence of clinical teaching and presentations
        1. Lesson plans, evaluations, teaching materials (e.g., handouts)
        2. Learner type: students, residents, peers, colleagues
  23. Scholarship/Research
    1. Publications, posters, exhibits (by organization or institution)
      1. Project/research summary reports
  24. Professional/Community Service
    1. Professional organization membership–list elected office, committee participation
    2. Community activities–volunteer or elected positions
Download a printable PDF version of this list

Summary

NPs, midwives, and PAs should compile a professional portfolio–to document their credentials, competency, scope of expertise, and examples of their work accomplishments. More inclusive than a resume or CV, the portfolio is a valuable tool for spotlighting preparation and experience, and serves as documentation should one’s scope of practice be challenged.