Education and Training

Contouring Your Career: A Brief Guide to Highlighting Achievements in an Educator Portfolio

By Jessica L. Nelson MD, David Manthey MD, Muhammad Waseem MD, Suzanne Bentley MD, MPH on behalf of the SAEM Education Committee What is an educator portfolio?

An educator portfolio (EP) is a valuable tool for emergency physicians in “An educator portfolio serves as a summary academic careers, although it can be helpful regardless of practice and personal statement of the strengths and setting. An educator portfolio is used to collate and highlight an individual’s innovations in an individual educator’s work.” educational philosophy, goals, and accomplishments; document scholarly activities and teaching; and cultivate multiple sources of educational curricular examples, and representative scholarship of their educational work expertise and progress. An EP serves learner evaluations and feedback). as they progress along the tenure as a summary and personal statement of the strengths and innovations in an individual educator’s work. In contrast to a curriculum vitae (CV), an EP is designed to be more narrative in format and capture more comprehensive evidence of educational performance; this includes documenting a wide range of teaching and education program details (e.g. teaching methods utilized, How is an educator portfolio used? An EP can serve a multitude of purposes depending on an individual’s position and desired advancement. For example, an applicant for a faculty position at a new site can utilize an EP to document his or her teaching effectiveness. Established faculty can utilize their EPs to demonstrate the track. As a career evolves based on a physician’s opportunities, talents, and mentors, an EP will similarly evolve. Many medical schools and academic institutions require faculty to provide their professional achievements in an EP as part of the promotions process. The EP is often also used during annual performance reviews, grant proposal submissions, and award applications.

Furthermore, an EP can go beyond simply reflecting changes in career trajectory to actually stimulating them. EPs serve as invaluable tools for professional development by fostering self-directed reflection and periodic evaluation of career progress. Utilizing an EP to assess teaching efforts and programs also encourages educators to find opportunities for continued growth. Even for senior faculty, the adaptation of an EP to the current time and educational milieu may allow one to find new areas for development or innovation and create a clear roadmap to continued success. In today’s digital world, sharing an EP online also allows peers to comment on one’s accomplishments and philosophies, offer up opportunities for collaboration, and develop avenues for mentorship.

How should an EP be formatted?

The exact format of an EP will vary for each individual and will transform over time with changes in educational philosophy and experience. EPs can also vary significantly in format and content, depending on their intended purpose. There are two main types of EPs (developmental and promotional), each with different objectives and content inclusion. Developmental EPs offer a broader perspective and more comprehensive collection of educational activities. They allow reflection, strategic planning, and demonstration of career and skills evolution. In contrast, promotional EPs are more commonly used to highlight only key educational achievements and activities. Promotional EPs showcase educational impact and should emphasize a faculty member’s involvement and reputation at institutional, regional, and national levels.

Many institutions have at least a basic outline of sections that should be included in an EP, although some may be stricter in their formatting to encourage uniformity for annual reviews and promotions. Faculty are encouraged to maintain both a developmental EP and a promotional EP. The developmental EP should be updated at least annually and be a comprehensive description of educational activities and products, as well as an outline of goals and future plans. This version can then be edited down to a promotional EP that can be submitted for academic promotion or another high-stakes assessment. A promotional EP can be tailored to emphasize accomplishments that best exemplify the philosophy or description of the position or promotion desired. Depending on the reason for submission, an individual may have multiple versions of his or her promotional EP.

What should be included in an EP?

Typically, an EP should begin with a statement that reflects the creator’s educational philosophy and specific goals as an educator; the subsequent sections will then focus on summarizing the activities, products, and evaluations that have presumably fed into the development of this philosophy. The philosophy statement will normally be followed by a section on teaching and scholarly activities. This may be divided into subsections, including: 1.) education leadership, 2.) rotation/course leadership, 3.) curriculum development, 4.) didactic teaching sessions, and 5.) mentoring and advising. The remainder of the EP will also often include sections on publications specific to education, learner assessment, awards, and training to increase experience as an educator. EPs can also be used to highlight involvement at the regional or national level through presentations, panels, and committee work.

There are multiple sources that can be used for examples of EPs. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and multiple professional societies, including the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), have suggested outlines for formatting and sample educational philosophy statements. Because of institutional variations, asking a more senior faculty member to review an EP is strongly recommended prior to submission for promotion. Review by senior faculty and leadership on a regular basis also allows for mentorship and discussion of ongoing goals, thus fulfilling the potential of the EP to be utilized both for strategic career planning and advancement.

How do I start?

Effective documentation is the key to creating an EP. Physicians are encouraged to start compiling information and supporting documents as early as residency; these data can then be used to create an initial EP to facilitate the search for a junior faculty position. The EP should be updated regularly to reflect career achievements and goals. Digital resources, ranging from online storage platforms to citation managers to simple email folders, can be helpful in the compilation of materials and serve as a reminder of accomplishments when it comes time to update an EP. Supporting documents can include, but are by no means limited to, teaching evaluations, awards, descriptions or photos of innovations, and curriculum outlines. Online faculty-created content such as modules, videos, web sites, or blog posts, should also be archived and included in an EP. Whenever possible, details regarding the number of learners who participated in activities and evidence of effectiveness should be incorporated, including qualitative evaluation comments if available. This attention to detail and timely updating of an EP will ensure its success as a powerful tool for career development.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr. Nelson practices emergency medicine and critical care at Washington University School of Medicine where she is an assistant professor and an associate program director for the Anesthesiology Critical Care Fellowship.

Dr. Manthey is a professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, founding chair of the Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine (CDEM), and medical decision making thread director.

Dr. Waseem is a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York and research director for the department of emergency medicine and vice chair for the Institutional Review Board at Lincoln Medical Center.

Dr. Bentley is an attending emergency medicine physician and the medical director of simulation at NYC Health+Hospitals/Elmhurst, an associate professor of emergency medicine and medical education at the Icahn SOM at Mount Sinai, and an advocate for the use of educator portfolios.