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CSU, Dominguez Hills - School of Nursing
MSN Culminating Activity- Professional Portfolio/Presentation
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Portfolio
Title Page:
Q: Should I create separate title pages for each of the sections in the Portfolio?
A: No, just develop one title page for the entire document
Resume:
Q: Do we list professional goals on a cover letter and add to the resume?
A: No. Just list them at the top of the resume.
Q: If you had another previous profession should it be included on the resume?
A: You may include it, but be mindful of the page limits.
Q: Should we include clinical (role performance) experience on the resume?
A: No. Clinical experience is more appropriate in another section of the portfolio.
Q: I’ m a pre-licensure student. If we have no healthcare experience do we outline clinical experiences in the nursing program?
A: Yes. Any other experience that is relevant would be fine too.
Q. I got lots of awards and scholarships--but that was over 15 years ago when I was in my BSN program. Should that still be listed on a CV or resume?
A. Yes you can.
Reflection Section:
Q: Where are the MSN objectives posted?
A: On the SON website
Q: Can you use a project to meet more than one objective?
A: Absolutely. There will be overlap.
Q: What should we do with items/experiences that overlap into more than one category?
A: Choose the most relevant area to explain it in detail. In the other areas simply refer to it.
Q: Is there a penalty for going over 5 page maximum in the reflection statement portion?
A: Yes you lose points. Please see rubric
Q: Are you required to have one example for each objective?
A: You must have at least one. Be sure to focus on your MSN role and on the application of knowledge learned in the MSN program for that objective.
Q: Do all of our classes need to be used to demonstrate the objectives?
A: No. Use whatever examples best meet the objectives.
Q: If we feel that we have missed an objective and have a clear plan how to meet it in the future, Can I address it and how I plan to fix it?
A: Maybe, contact your role advisor and the graduate program coordinator to discuss.
Q: Can we list achievements through our professional careers as well as school?
A: Yes, absolutely.Keep in mind that the bulk of the presentation should focus on how you met the objectives with academic/experiential learning while in the MSN program. If you have an unusual or “stellar” example from your workplace or you have implemented a project or practice change in the workplace that you designed while in the MSN program, those are the kinds of examples to present.
Q: This question is regarding the style of the narrative for this section. There are eight objectives to fit into five pages. How do we fit everything? Do we put headers spelling out the objectives?
A: Yes, you should place headers to spell out the objectives and then try to limit each objective to one paragraph. Please do not single space.
Q: Is this written in the first person?
A: Yes, that is exactly what we want.
Q: I've read where there are pages or content limits yet I never found what they were.
I have already put together my portfolio presentation and have 20 pages plus the references. The examples have about 20 pages so I'm thinking this is acceptable
A: There is a page limit for each area. Refer to the Professional Portfolio and Presentation (PPP) Handbook.
Q: I know that it's considered plagiarism to use previous academic papers or portions of previous papers in new academic papers we submit during coursework. Is it acceptable and not considered plagiarism if we use certain snippets of wording from papers we have written that we are using as examples in our documentation demonstrating course objectives or in the narrative portion of the paper that discusses our teaching, continuing education, evidence-based practice project, or leadership/management experience? In other words, do we have to paraphrase our work, or may we use the wording exactly as we originally wrote and submitted it?
A: According to APA you can cite your previous work in the same way you cite work from other authors. It is not considered plagiarism to use your own work with proper citation.
Q: Would it be appropriate to have an appendices to show statistical information in regards to a project and the outcomes?
A: Appendices are not acceptable or appropriate in the portfolio. State how you have applied the knowledge from the MSN program to be able to lead or participate in the project and you can share the impact of the project.
Teaching Experiences Section:
Q: Should I list teaching I’ve done?
A: No, discuss your teaching experiences in a narrative format.
Q: Should we include teaching experiences from our time in the clinical (role performance) setting?
A: Yes.This is ideal.
Q: If the teaching experience was presented with power point, should I include the power point in the portfolio?
A: There is no need to submit the actual power point. Instead, explain the teaching experience through a narrative account.
Q: What if I don’t have evidence of a teaching experience?
A: You do not need to provide evidence. We are going to believe you.
Q: Can we make a table to summarize experiences?
A: Yes, but you need an introductory paragraph to explain what the evaluators are looking at.
Q: I am in the FNP role. Should I focus on the clinical aspect?
A: Include both. Patient teaching and staff education would be appropriate along with clinical experiences. All nurses have an aspect of education in their roles.
Q: Does this only cover what has been done in an actual class? Can we use professional education?
A: Either will work for this section. Do provide at least one example of teaching you have done in your MSN role.
Q: Is community college level teaching acceptable in this section?
A: Yes.
Professional Continuing Education Section:
Q: I have started my PhD. Is this the appropriate section to include that information?
A: Wow, congratulations. Include it in your resume and in this section.
Q: Should I include continuing education certificates?
A: No, do not include your certificates.
Q: Can the format include a list of activities?
A: Yes, it can include bullet points, but also needs to include a narrative.
Q: What kind of continuing education are you looking for?
A: Any courses taken to renew your license, participation in in-services on clinical units, conferences attended, etc.
Research Utilization Section:
Q: How will this section look? Should it be a power point or narrative?
A: Provide a narrative summary of how a particular assignment demonstrates research utilization or explain an evidenced based project you designed or led.
Q: Would the paper we wrote in 514 on vulnerable populations be appropriate?
A: Yes, if it is evidence based. Don’t include the entire paper. Provide an abstract and include a paragraph or two on how it illustrates evidence-based nursing.
Q: Can we use research done at our job? What about research data collection at work?
A: Yes but give examples. Provide a description of the project and your role in it. You do not need to include tools, surveys, data, etc.Also understand that data collection alone does not demonstrate your ability to utilize research in your MSN role.
Q: Can you use a policy and procedure or standard of care that you’ve written?
A: Yes, this is acceptable
Q: Should this be presented in narrative form or bullet points?
A: We want narrative but bullet points may be used within the narrative (per APA).
Q: What if you worked on something with another colleague? Is this acceptable?
A: Yes – but be clear on your role
Q: Is there a minimum or maximum length?
A: Don’t exceed 2 pages.
Leadership/Management Section:
Q: What kind of leadership/management experiences should I discuss?
A: Ideally, you should explain leadership experiences that you engaged in within your MSN role.
Q: What about being Study Group Leader (SGL) in classes? Does that count?
A: Absolutely. But you need to demonstrate achievement of the objectives. This should be genuine, legitimate experience. Be specific, clear, and objective.
Q: Can we use Honor Society, student organization, or other professional organization?
A: Yes, as long as you participate in the organizationin a leadership role and are not just a member.
Q: What about past military service?
A: We prefer current examples.
Q: How many years back should we go?
A: Cover the time period you have been in the MSN program.
Community Service Section:
Q: What kind of community service is acceptable to list?
A: Volunteer work that is current e.g. nursing expertise provided to a church, health talks, health services donated to homeless shelters, food bank, medical missions, health promotion fairs, etc.
Q: Why would community service not be in the resume?
A: You can list it on the resume as long as you do not exceed the maximum page limits. We want you to discuss it separately, because community service offers bonus points. It is not a requirement so we want it to stand alone.
Q: I worked for AIDS Healthcare Foundation as an employee, does that work for this section?
A: No it does not, because you were paid. This should be volunteer work.
Q: My work supported a community parade and I took blood pressures on a volunteer basis. It was through my work, but I was not paid. Is this ok?
A: Yes, it’s fine.
Q: So this should be strictly volunteer work?
A: Yes
Q: I work with a therapy dog, does this count?
A: Yes, we like you to be creative in this section.
Q: Should this section be limited to 2-3 pages and doubled-spaced?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I include out of the country work?
A: Yes, as long as it occurred within the past 3-5 years.
Q: How should we list the community service?
A: Identify your healthcare related community service first and then other types of community service.
Q: What kind of “evidence” for these do you need?
A: None – we will take your word
Q: I have been so busy with school and work I haven’t had time for community service. Will I be penalized?
A: No, this section is for bonus points.
Publications Section:
Q: What type are publications are acceptable?
A: Journal articles or textbook chapters that have been published; articles submitted for agency newsletters or other professional publications.
Q: Will I be penalized for not publishing?
A: No, this section is for bonus points.
PowerPoint Oral Presentation
Oral Presentation:
Q: Does the oral presentation and PowerPoint reflect our whole portfolio or just the objectives?
A: You are presenting the 8 MSN program objectives only.
Q: Will the panel have a copy of the portfolio for reference during our presentation?
A: Yes.
Q: Should the presentation reflect what we’ve put in Portfolio?
A: Yes – but you have the opportunity to elaborate and provide more examples.
Q: In the oral presentation how do we let the faculty know when to go to the next slide? Do we just say, "next slide" or "slide 6" for example? Any ideas?
A: Just give the faculty a cue – either of the above will work.
Q: How do I schedule my oral presentation?
A: Students will be provided the schedule of when oral presentations will take place (window of opportunity will be 2-4 weeks depending on the number of students graduating) and will be asked to sign up online for a date/time.
Q: Will the oral be done in person?
A: No, we use phone conferencing technology to connect the student with faculty.
Q: Is it ok to schedule my oral on a work day?
A: This is not advisable; you should schedule for a day off or request the day off. If you miss your scheduled appointment time (late more than 5 minutes) you will need to be re-scheduled, which may not be possible until the following semester.
Q: How many faculty will be on the panel for the oral presentation?
A: 2-3
Q: Will the faculty evaluating us be from our role option?
A: Not necessarily. They will be full and/or part time faculty members that teach across all programs in the School of Nursing.
Q: Can I request certain faculty to be on or off the panel for my presentation?
A: No, the process of assignment is random and blinded.
Q: Are we given points off if we finish sooner than the 30 minutes?
A: No, as long as you cover the required content you can finish sooner.
Q. When will I knowwhich faculty I will be presenting to?
A. On the day of the PPP when you call in.
PowerPoint Slides:
Q: Do we include the power point presentation with the portfolio?
A: You are to submit each one individually following the instructions posted in the Blackboard Organization site called “MSN Culminating Activity.” You will be enrolled in that organization, which appears the same as a classroom, after your Culminating Activity Eligibility forms are received.
Q: Will you give power point guidelines regarding format etc?
A: The grading rubric outlines some guidelines. Format should follow good practice for creating slide presentations. There are plenty of resources on the Internet.
Q: How many slides should we create? Is there a minimum or maximum?
A: That depends on the number of examples you include. You should include a title slide and at least one slide for each objective. 20 slides is a rough estimate.The key is to keep within the 30 minute timeframe.
Q: Can I use other presentation programs instead of PowerPoint?
A: No. Microsoft Office is software standard for the School of Nursing.
Q: Will all evaluating faculty members have the ability to open my documents?
A: Office Word and PPT files should be able to be opened by faculty. Occasionally formatting issues do arise when sharing files created on an Apple computer to a PC. Refer to instructions in the Blackboard Organization “MSN Culminating Activity” for specific instructions regarding file naming, file formats, and file submission.
Q: Should we include citations/references?
A: Yes. They are appropriate where warranted. If you use a quote, present factual information, or cite a theory, you need to reference.See rubric
Q: Should we use APA format?
A: Yes for citation and references.
Q: Should we number the slides?
A: Sure, that would be helpful.
Q: Do we include speaker notes?
A: Your discretion.
Q: Are there additional objectives?
A: No. Eight are enough.
Q: Can we submit an e-portfolio?
A: No, not at this time.
Q: I noticed some of the PPTs had pictures. Can we include pictures? For example, I attended RN Lobby Days and wanted to include a picture of this, is that allowed?
A: Yes you can use pictures to make your point. A nice photo of yourself for the beginning of the presentation is a great way for faculty to put a face with the voice they are hearing.
Q: Where can we see examples of Power Points?
A: On the SON web site. We received permission from successful MSN graduates to post the slides.
Q. Are we able to discuss things in our PPTs that are not mentioned in our reflection statement? Because of page limits, I was limited in examples for each objective in the paper. Can we expand to other examples for the PPT, provided we remain within the 30 min. time limit?
A. Yes, no problem. You have had at least 288 hours of clinical - certainly you must have more than one example. Variety is good.
Q.Do we need to cite where we got pictures from that we use in our PPT? I have had differing opinions from faculty over the use of them and the citation of them.
A. Yes, it is appropriate to cite everything you use
Procedural and Grading Questions
Q: Can previous class’ Discussion Board in Blackboard be resurrected?
A: No
Q. I am almost finished with my MSN Culminating Portfolio. I double-spaced for every topic and page, except for the portion of Achievement of the MSN Objectives, because I want to include all the important information and to keep within the five page limit. Would this be okay?
A. No - double space the entire portfolio, except for the resume portion.
Q. Do we need to attach the rubric to our Professional portfolio paper?
A. No, The faculty readers will have a rubric.
Q: Do we need to supply more than one copy of the portfolio?
A: No, you will submit the file of your portfolio via Blackboard which will be downloaded by the faculty.
Q: Can our portfolio be set up like someone else’s?
A: Yes, due to the prescribed components and page limits, many of the student portfolios look similar in format.
Q: What are the due dates for the Portfolio and PowerPoint?
A: Deadlines will be posted in the Blackboardorganization “MSN Culminating Activity” and communicated by campus email to those who submitted the Culminating Activity Eligibility forms and have met eligibility criteria.
Q: How will we know that you received the portfolio?
A: You can view your submission in Blackboard.
Q: Can we hand deliver the Portfolio?
A: No.
Q: What are the maximum points available?
A: Refer to the rubric. You need to achieve 80% in each section-the Portfolio and Oral/PowerPoint in order to pass.
Q: What is the estimated time frame to find out if we passed or re-submit is needed?
A: You will receive a call back within approximately one-hour. You need to be available at the phone number provided.
Q: What happens if we don’t achieve 80%?
A: Refer to the PPP Handbook
Q: Do we get a copy of our grading rubric?
A: No, you will be informed within one hour of completing your oral your pass/incomplete status. If you are incomplete, the lead faculty member on the panel will summarize the problem areas.Your role advisor will be given the rubric with comments in order to de-brief you and discuss plans for improvement and repeat.
Other
Q: If we have questions while getting everything together, who can we contact?
A: If your questions are not answered in these FAQs and the PPP Handbook, you can attend one of the scheduled PPP Q&A teleconferences and you may contact your role advisor. Additionally, there will be a Q&A section located in the Blackboard Organization “MSN Culminating Activity” where you can dialog with your peers and the Graduate Program Coordinator about the PPP.
6/15/14: ta