Some Guidelines to help you prepare your Portfolio

Plan and prepare: The purpose of the portfolio will determine what content to include and how to gather and organize it. In this programme you are expected to show evidence of your growth and development as a midwife. The list provided earlier gives ideas of the kind of items you can include. You can also start by identifying headings under which you can slot in the items you collect.
Select the most appropriate items: You can start by collecting as much as possible but before you insert the items in the portfolio it is necessary to discern what is most significant. Remember you are compiling a dossier that reflects your development and competence. Sometimes you may want to include several versions of a report or article to show how you have progressed. Be clear about why you are including an item in your portfolio. Why is it important or necessary? It is not about quantity but quality.
Organise your portfolio and be creative about its presentation: The quality of the portfolio's physical appearance and organisation is as important as that of the content. You cannot have an impressive portfolio in terms of physical appearance while its content is poor but you can equally undermine good content through poor presentation. The quality of the presentation or physical appearance should parallel the quality of the content. You could use the following structure:

1. Cover – include your name and other relevant details. You are marketing yourself so be creative.
2. Table of contents
3. Route map
4. A narrative statement about why you have enrolled for the Midwifery Certificate Programme and what you are expecting to achieve.
5. A system for cross referencing individual pieces of evidence
6. The evidence itself, clearly labelled.
7. A short reflection on each item of evidence. Why have you included it? What does it show?
8. A final reflection on the portfolio as a whole. What does it show? What progress have you made? What are you most proud of? Where do you want to improve?