Eportfolios for doctors

Junior doctors are among the unsung heroes of the NHS, undertaking many thankless tasks in the face of mounting pressure, and coping with added bureaucracy and ever-increasing hours.

But is it all getting too much? Over recent years, junior doctors across England have called multiple sessions of industrial action, in an ongoing dispute about pay.  

Still catching their breath after a global pandemic, junior doctors now say they are overworked, underpaid and undervalued, with 'morale at rock bottom', and deep fears for the future of the profession.  

Eportfolios for doctors

It's a complex problem to solve, but NHS Trusts can help by using eportfolios to streamline their work.  Doctors train to be doctors because they love looking after people - not because they love bureaucracy. So help them out by reducing paperwork - freeing up time to spend with their patients. 

Eportfolios also promote lifelong learning by encouraging doctors to reflect on their own experiences, their clinical competencies and the needs of their patients. This makes day-to-day duties easier, and helps trainees progress their career. 

We've chosen our top four benefits:

1. Reflecting on learning

Reflecting on 'lessons learned' after tasks that didn't go to plan is a vital part of training to become an effective physician. The more you put in, the more you get out - so it's a big help to have information accessible all day via an eportfolio.  

2. Proving competencies

Whether a trainee specialises in allergies or urology, they will be able to document their skills in an Eportfolio. Unlike with paper-based systems, candidates can upload videos, patient reports, thank you cards, audio recordings and photographs - anything that demonstrates their commitment to the speciality. 

3. Preparing for an interview

The last thing anyone wants ahead of an interview is to be scrambling around for lost paperwork. With eportfolios, you and your learners can store all important documents in one place - accessible whenever, and wherever you need. 

4. Boosting personal development

Being a trainee doctor involves learning new skills rapidly - and eportfolios help everyone to set objectives, track progress and identify areas to improve. 

We're not naïve enough to suggest that eportfolios are going to solve all the challenges faced by junior doctors - but it may ease some of them.  

We've summarised all the major benefits and time-saving features of the Onefile Eportfolio into this simple guide.