In addition to elements required by the clerkship director, the medical student should be encouraged to add materials that provide additional evidence to the preceptor and clerkship director of what has been learned. Selection places some control for learning with the student. The portfolio should provide evidence that reflects the peaks and valleys of the clerkship experience. Experienced faculty note subtle changes to students as they progress. Reflection allows the teacher and the learner the opportunity for telling and re-telling experiences and stories to enhance the student's understanding of achieving the clerkship competencies.
Reflection supports the concept of self-directed learning.
It is recommended that the portfolio be used in both formative and summative evaluation. It is a maxim in education that what is tested is what the student should learn. If an element is important to the curriculum, it must be reflected in the student's evaluation. A multidimensional approach to assessment is thus required. Each clerkship director will weigh the evidence and provide the overall evaluative summary, according to the priorities of the faculty.