Library

All portfolios have a documents/library section. You can usually edit this to contain the files that you want to keep here. Hopefully this guide will help you work out what to keep here. You can include everything from your job in the NHS but don’t forget all the work you have done in the past, if there is anything that can be included add it in.

Professional Certificates:

• GMC Certificates

• English Language Certificate (if applicable)

• Advanced Life Support Course Certificate

• Mandatory and Statutory Training Certificates

• Other essential certificates:

  • Advanced Trauma Life Support

  • Advanced Paediatric Life Support

  • Neonatal Life Support

  • CREST form

  • Certificate to enter higher surgical training form

  • Any other course certificates

Courses and Seminars:

You may have attended conferences, courses or events that you have evidence from or have reflected on. It is useful to keep these together for future reference. This can also include external and internal teaching that you have attended as well.

Teaching:

You may have delivered teaching to your peers in your local department or hospital or on regional/national courses. You may have helped to facilitate local simulation training. It is useful to ask for feedback whenever you teach and try to reflect on the experiences so you can improve the teaching in the future.

Presentations and Publications:

Have you ever presented at a conference or event? Have you published a case study or a literature review? If you have participated in many of these activities, you may want to separate them into two distinct sections. Otherwise, they can be effectively combined. Add your poster, presentation and/or publication to your library!

Research:

This area closely relates to presentations and publications. However you may have been involved with research on a small scale without going on to publish or present your findings. Additionally, you may have attended teaching on research or completed e-learning on it. Developing knowledge in research is valuable, even if you are not pursuing an academic career. Most specialties require demonstration of critical appraisal of journals/research studies at registrar level.

Management and Leadership:

Throughout your career you may have been involved in leadership and management positions, for example, as a rota coordinator, representative for doctors on your local negotiating committee, as a BMA representative, programme coordinator for simulations etc. All of these count towards positions in leadership and management which should be highlighted in this section. Continuous involvement in local, regional or national leadership positions is highly advisable and key for career progression.

It also includes your ability to complete tasks that are required at consultant level which include responding to complaints, serious incident reporting, rota management, new doctor induction processes and writing new policies/guidelines. It is useful to add these into your portfolio and reflect on the tasks you have completed.