Student Nurse Mentors

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).

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.

"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.

In many workplaces, mentorship is when most nurses experience horizontal bullying (Granstra, 2015). Preceptors may be nurses with years of experience and love to “eat their own”. Typically, preceptors may show bullying behaviors by being impatient, putting nurses down, and vanishing when the nurse needs help. To prevent horizontal bullying, managers should know their employees well enough to choose mentors who will provide new nurses with positive experiences (Granstra, 2015). Leaders who demonstrate trusting and welcoming behaviors allow staff to feel welcomed and supported (Granstra,

The article by Bally Jill (2007) identifies that nursing leadership can use mentoring culture to achieve professional and career development in nursing, and increase the quality of care given, especially for acute care nurses. This is because the article finds that nurses often have low morale, heavy workloads, high patient acuity, apathy towards professional collegial support, and reduced resources. The article identifies that mentoring in

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.

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

Mentors now have to be aware of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, NHS leadership Qualities Framework, which gives mentors clear instructions about their responsibilities (Kinnell and Hughes 2010). However, meeting these requirements alone will not make a nurse a successful mentor. Mentors have to plan and provide appropriate opportunities for teaching and learning activities, with clinical experience to achieve learning outcomes and develop professional competencies (Choun and Suen 2001). This will enable them to assess students performance,

Preceptor plays the role of not only a mentor or a teacher, but a person who provides the new nurse with the proper experience to face any challenges in the job, and adapt to the culture of the unit (Link, 2012). A good preceptor sets goals and clear expectations for the new nurses, and provide a guideline regarding the expected responsibilities. A prudent mentor shares some of her own experiences with the new nurse to assure her that she was once in her shoes (Link, 2012). This type of connection will allow the preceptor to assess the orientee clinical competencies, and challenge her/him to develop own judgment skills (ANA, 2012). Another qualification of excellent preceptor is the ability to provide a structured orientation with a thorough

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

The nursing workforce and nursing education demographic trends reinforce the urgency to promote future nursing leaders, educators, and mentors. Peer mentoring has been used successfully in nursing education to enhance student engagement and the quality of the student learning experience. Although various terms like peer mentor have been used to describe the role of senior students facilitating junior student learning, the literature is silent about how peer mentoring fosters the development of future nursing education leaders (Rosenau, P. A., Lisella, R. F., Clancy, T. L., & Nowell, L. S. (2015). Growth in the demand for nurses is fueling current and projected nursing shortages, as patient populations grow older, sicker and more complex at the same time that the age of currently employed nurses continues to increase.

The emotional stress and the needs to develop competence are commonly challenging newly graduated nurses (Oermann & Garvin 2002). Mentoring or coaching young professionals can support them in career development and resilience (Davidson, Elliott & Daly 2006). Mentors play various roles in clinical settings, such as advisers and counsellors (Ali & Panther 2008). Their support does not limit to

According to physical growth and development theories, grade 5 students should have an annual gain of 2-3 kg in weight and 5 cm. They have well developed gross motor skills and increasing accuracy in fine motor skills as they lost all of their baby teeth, and they also need more privacy as they start to pay attention to their personal hygiene (NBC News Education Nation, 2016). I noticed that girls were taller than boys, and students played sports and cleaned after themselves. Based on the theories and observations, my intervention as a nursing student would be helping them to develop an interest in sports, and teach them different cleaning techniques (NBC News Education Nation, 2016; Hockenberry, 2014a). According to Erikson’s psychosocial

There is issue about the difficulty of hiring people to care. Recognition and strengthening of the public what they nurse nursing a more attractive career option, as well as making sense to ensure good wages and employment security. Especially during the recession, people are thinking about how to make good choices and prepare the nurse to kindly pay a relatively safe operation. When the economy deteriorates, the nursing work atmosphere is usually more than the threat of them. (Mason, 2011)Numerous efforts are proceeding to recruit more students to the current nursing. It can be seen that the competition for a number of different career opportunities job. The ultimate adventure, junior and senior high school students to: National Student Nurses Association video, and produces

There is an age old legend in nursing that this writer believes has not been dispelled. The loathsome phrase states “Nurses eat their young”, this correlation with nursing is both disappointing and bothersome, as a fundamental principle that underlies all nursing practice is respect for the inherent dignity, worth, unique attributes and human rights of all individuals (ANA, 2015, p. 1). Learning does not stop in the classroom; the quality of education nurses receive is undoubtedly influenced by their interactions with supervisors, nurses, peers, and other health care providers. These individuals can be a source of mentorship and encouragement and have a significant impact on a nurses’ career. However, sometimes these same individuals can also be a source of discomfort, stress, abuse, harassment, or discrimination (Fnais, Soobiah, Chen, Lillie, Perrier, Tashkhandi, Straus, Mamdani, Al-Omran, Tricco, 2014, p. 817).