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THE BIG PICTURE: Electronically Documenting Life-Long
Learning
The topic of professional portfolios has been present in literature and discussed in professional circles for many
years. Recent events, such as our national nursing shortage and hospital’s pursuit of Magnet Recognition, have driven an
increasing interest in professional portfolios. Advances in technology have decreased the burden of creating and maintaining
professional portfolios while increasing the usability of the information contained in them. There are benefits to be gained by
individuals, health care organizations and academic institutions by adopting a practice which includes the professional portfolio as an element of
practice. These benefits can be further maximized through the utilization of a web-based portfolio system. Here
at Decision Critical, we have witnessed an increased interest and need in the market for automated professional portfolios and for that reason we have
made them the focus of our inaugural edition of Critical
Communication.
With numerous events, announcements and personnel additions it has been, and will continue to be, a very busy time at Decision
Critical. We look forward to sharing those exciting happenings with you here. We welcome your thoughts and comments as we continue to
develop this newsletter. Best wishes for a beautiful Spring and we’ll be back in the next quarter with our next
edition of Critical Communication.
Yours in Nursing,
Kenneth W. Dion, RN, MSN, MBA
CEO, Decision Critical, Inc.
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CRITICAL PRODUCT: Critical Portfolio™
What is a Critical Portfolio™?
Early advocates, in the days of paper portfolios, recommended placing all important documents related to professional development in a shoe box
so that they would be handy when needed. Recent catastrophic weather events like tornadoes in the mid-west and hurricanes in the southern U.S.
clearly demonstrate that a shoe box is not the way to protect a lifetime of professional development documentation. Critical Portfolio™, the first of its kind web-based portfolio management solution, acts as an automated safety deposit box for all professional documentation.
Who Needs a Critical Portfolio™?
This fully
customizable, automated portfolio solution provides healthcare organizations, nursing professionals
and academia alike the ability to develop, organize, manage and maintain
portfolios – replacing the cumbersome and vulnerable hard copy processes of yesterday. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE
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CRITICAL PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
This month, Critical
Communication highlights Decision Critical's two Critical Portfolio strategic business partners, American Nurses Credentialing Center and
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): ANCC certifies nurses in specialty practice areas, recognizes healthcare organizations for nursing
excellence through the Magnet Recognition Program®, and accredits providers and approvers of continuing nursing education. In addition, ANCC
offers an array of informational and educational services and products to support its core credentialing programs.
ANCC is passionate about helping nurses on their journey to nursing excellence and as such has lent its valuable brand to Critical Portfolio. Today, ANCC utilizes the Critical
Portfolio as their platform for online portfolio services.
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau
International (The Honor Society):
The Honor Society has lent its valuable brand to Critical
Portfolio in an effort to bring its benefits to the over 2.9 million professional nurses in the United States. This partnership has afforded the
tremendous opportunity to advance the mission of The Honor Society of creating a community of nurses leaders using scholarship, knowledge and
technology to improve the health of the world's people. The Honor Society currently utilizes the Critical Portfolio as its platfom for
online portfolio services.
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TECH TALK: Frequently Asked
Questions
QUESTION: What kind of information should I put in the narrative, or cover text,
part of my personal portfolio?
Answer: Decision Critical's Critical Portfolio
solution is very flexible and allows you to create portfolios for many uses. Just as you would adapt your resume and cover letter based on
the specific job you are pursuing, you can tailor your portfolio for specific goals and needs. In other words, the intended use of a specific
portfolio will determine the narrative's content. For example, if you want to use the portfolio as documentation for an advanced certification,
the text needs to follow the requirements defined by the certifying organization. Likewise, if the portfolio will be used to obtain a promotion,
or career advancement, then the narrative text will be similar to what goes in a cover letter or introductory abstract.
Tech Talk will cover our user's frequently asked questions in
each edition. We welcome your thoughts, questions and ideas on areas we should cover in future editions of Critical
Communication.
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NEWS &
EVENTS
IN THE NEWS: Decision Critical CEO Featured in
Reflections on Nursing Leadership: "Ken Dion: Touching Lives at the Point of Care"; Written by James Matteson
READ ENTIRE
ARTICLE
NEW TEAM MEMBER ADDITION: Decision Critical welcomed new team
member, Daron Weehunt as Director of Business Development in February 2007. For more on Daron, read
his bio or send him an email just to say
hello!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
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Decision Critical to Feature Critical
Portfolio™ at AONE Annual Meeting and Exposition: April 13 - 15, 2007, The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington,
D.C., Booth 816.
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National Nurses' Week:
Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as
National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. This year’s theme
is “Nursing: A Profession and a Passion”.
CORPORATE STEWARDSHIP:
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Decision Critical Announces 2007 Nursing Student
Excellence Scholarship Recipients - Two Future Nurses Receive $2,000
Scholarship: Decision Critical announced that Jason Zeller, nursing student at Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN, and Celeste
Lessard, nursing student at Rivier College, Nashau, NH, have been named this year's recipients of the Decision Critical Nursing Student Excellence
Scholarship.
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Decision Critical is a Corporate Sponsor for 2007
Caribbean National Student Nurses Association President's Recognition Award.
DCI GOOD CITIZENS:
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Decision Critical team members will be on
hand to support the annual MS150 riders in LaGrange, Texas on May 5, 2007.
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Decision Critical team member recently participated in the Susan G.
Komen Race for the Cure in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in
March.
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Decision
Critical team member completed the AT&T Austin Marathon ("Marathon For The Cure") in a personal best time of 4 hours, 6 minutes.
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Decision Critical team member will participate in the
CapTexTri (Capitol of Texas Triathlon). Over 2,600
triathletes compete providing more than
10,000 meals to the local Meals on Wheels
program.
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