On this page we provide guidance and information for foundation doctors (FDs) on building a portfolio, including when and where to start building a portfolio, how to select evidence for inclusion and how to map evidence to the curriculum.
Why do I need a portfolio?
FDs are expected to keep an up-to-date portfolio of learning and progress. You will all be working in a range of training environments and therefore no two portfolios will look the same. The prospect of building a portfolio might be daunting.
The portfolio is an electronic record of your progress during your foundation programme training. It stores all the information you need to show progress.
It is also important to use the portfolio to share your successes and achievements in and out of medicine, and in and out of the clinical environment. When you complete the Foundation Programme, you can use your portfolio to show your achievements when applying for posts.
It’s your portfolio and you should be proud of what you achieve.
When should I start my portfolio?
You should start to record evidence from the start of your training year. Open the portfolio as soon as you get access to it and make sure you can navigate around it and understand what is required of you. As you progress through the year think about what you upload. You will record all your curriculum progress, including both formative and summative assessments. You will need to have it complete and up to date for your Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) and you can use it to showcase your achievements.
Feedback
Feedback is how we learn. You are required to show evidence of learning from feedback.
Feedback on your behaviours and performance in the workplace will be gathered in the following ways:
- Supervised learning events (further information is on the “What do I need to put in my portfolio? page)
- Team assessment of behaviour (TAB) – minimum 1 satisfactory TAB required per training year
- Placement supervision group (PSG) – your clinical supervisor (CS) has to receive 1 satisfactory PSG feedback report for you per training year
Further information about TAB and PSG is on the assessments webpage.