Towards excellence in clinical education

Background: The healthcare system has a growing need for knowledgeable and skilled health care personnel to meet the demands to support student learning in clinical training. One way to assess teachers' competence is to use a teacher portfolio; however, this has not been done with the mission of clinical health care personnel in focus. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a portfolio to assess clinical health care personnel´s pedagogical competence. Methods: Pedagogical active nurses and physicians from the anesthesia department, operating room and intensive care, and an educational expert with extensive experience of developmental work of pedagogical portfolios in the academic setting developed a qualifications portfolio for pedagogical competence in the clinical setting. Result: The assessment standards define five levels of teaching competence and include both experience and quality of the educational mission in the clinical setting. The pedagogical portfolio is congruent with the assessment tool and structured with headings to promote clinical teachers to document both quantitative and qualitative aspects of teaching. Conclusion: The portfolio enables clinicians and managers in academic hospitals to highlight the need for high-quality professional and the ability to identify needs for pedagogical skills among health care personnel.