Mentoring Nursing and Healthcare Students Essay

You are a nurse who works in a busy A&E department in a city hospital. Because you are experienced and highly regarded your manager has asked you to mentor some new nurses who have just qualified.

As Finkelman (2006) stated, “Mentoring, and important career development to that can be used by nurses any type of set or specialty, can be used to develop the critical leadership skills needed by nurses. All successful leaders have had mentors are our mentors” (Finkelman,2006, p. 390).

"This example shaped me as a leader," she says, and her work with a professional career coach convinced her of the strength of her newfound career.

According to Hayward (2001), Learning Mentors have had an incredible impact on individual pupils’ lives, in some cases transforming low achieving and unfocused students with minimal self-esteem and a lack of commitment into more confident pupils with higher grades, improved motivation and a sense of direction. What all Learning Mentors have in common is their aim to break down barriers to learning , unlocking education opportunities for school students and releasing hitherto untapped potential (Hayward,

A number of emotions were felt during this experience, in regards to transitioning from a student nurse to the registered nurse role. Primarily, the transition in role from student nurse to registered nurse was similar to any clinical experience I have had at Midlands Technical College. I was placed in a medical-surgical rotation. I felt slighted that not only were we required to complete a data tool but we also participated in the teamwork model demonstrated in prior semesters. Personally, I did not feel a transition during this particular clinical experience.

The leadership development goal is to assist and direct personal efforts towards professional development in healthcare. To achieve this, this goal requires the use of mentorship programs and mentors to guide in increasing morale to work, achieving maximum career development, and realizing growth in the nursing profession by the end of the academic year. The goals overall aim entails developing competencies and skills that will increase the quality of care in my career.

A Nursing Times survey identified that, while mentors are aware of the value of mentoring students (Gainsbury, 2010), they are challenged as to how to commit fully to the role within the constant demands of their core job. They identified that work demands had a significant impact on their ability to engage in mentor activities, such as mentoring students and attending updates and relevant courses. Mentors have also expressed concerns about accountability and supporting failing students (Duffy and Hardicre, 2007). Mentorship preparation and the ongoing development of nurse mentors www.nursingtimes.net / Vol 107 No 21 / Nursing Times 31.05.11 15 Nursing Practice Review 5 key points 1 Nurses and midwives have a responsibility to continually develop themselves for professional growth Mentors play a pivotal role in protecting the public by ensuring students are fit for purpose and practice 2 3

Throughout this clinical semester, I have worked with several different registered nurses (RNs) and have been able to develop mentoring relationships with many of the staff on the unit. During our time together, I interviewed several of my nurse mentors and elicited information regarding their nursing experiences and the culture of the environment in which they work. The following conversations provide a summarization of my nurse mentors’ responses to the selected interview questions.

Mentoring for the mentor is about challenging himself to perform to greater capabilities while nurturing a mentee and stretching them to realise their full potential. Mentors counsel, tutor and guide their mentees in developing themselves.

Teaching and learning in the clinical setting is not a new concept and the teaching of clinical skill to nursing student ranks high on the current agenda of nurse education (Pfeil, 2003). Therefore, has be the duty of teachers to continue to provide ongoing guidance during teaching and learning taking place. According to While (2004), the mentor is required to feel personally and professionally confident when assessing the student’s performance. This allows the development of the students will become better and more effective.

Professional support may be in the form of mentoring. Mentoring allows for a novice ARNP to develop professional support through a structuralized framework, which positively promotes and influences a novice ARNP in their development and understanding of care practices. It provides a professional support system that guides and allows the ARNP to build their understanding of how to handle real-life situations (Doerksen, 2010). Mentorship is critical for growth and promotes career advancement by enhancing competence, self-confidence, and self-esteem (Adeniran et al,

Issues such as staff shortage, increased workload, staff feeling threatened by the student nurses, and poor teaching skills can contribute to students not feeling supported (Burns and Paterson, 2005). Nursing students had identified that anxiety as their main concern in the research done by Masoumi and Sharif (2005). The unfamiliarity of tending for patients and worrying of making mistakes during the clinical attachment are the factors that students feel anxious. Mentor can diminish anxiety by utilizing simulation, where genuine case studies and scenarios are being simulated and roles and responsibilities of student nurse are being discussed (Burns and Paterson, 2005).Gradual encouragement in helping student nurse to gain control over their own learning may aid to construct their confidence which will reduce their

The qualities of the mentor are an important element of the learning environment. This includes professional and personal qualities such as professionalism, a friendly nature, understanding and patience (Beskine 2009). Added to this the learner must be made to feel welcome through staff attitudes, this will help the learner to become integrated into the clinical environment (Hutchinson, 2003). Throughout the learning experience I felt that I had a strong professional relationship and that being ‘A’ ’s mentor being approachable and friendly enabled us to maintain a trusting relationship conducive to learning. This relationship, according to ‘A‘, reduced stress and anxiety. Locken and Norberg (2005) state that anxiety in students becomes reduced when mentors are able to build a good working relationship with their student and are able to work with them for almost all of their placement. One potential barrier in creating an effective

As a Registered Nurse I have had the opportunity to be a preceptor to a number of nursing students. I take this role very seriously as I am aware of the impact that my mentoring has on the students’ learning experience, competence and satisfaction

With the development of the more organic and less formal organisational structures the role of mentors has shifted with these changes. Unlike previously where mentors where seen as formal trainers who taught newcomers the processes and got them acquainted with the cultures and the systems within the organisation. Which required good interpersonal skills and a good knowledge of the activity or tasks the mentee would have to undertake, and be able to effectively relay or demonstrate the tasks or activities to the mentee. As opposed to more recently where a mentor would have to be more of an emotional counselor and demonstrate more skills than were traditionally required from