Mentoring and enabling learning in the practice setting
A reflective account of my experience of facilitating learning, assessing and teaching a student or co-worker, and how this experience will inform my future development within the mentor or practice teacher role.
Student Number: 2930211
Word Count: 3150
Part 1: Introducing the Mentorship role
I am a band five registered paediatric nurse based on an orthopaedic and spinal surgical ward in a tertiary paediatric hospital. I am currently engaging in completing my training to become a qualified mentor. This reflective account details my experiences assessing, teaching and facilitating the learning of a student during their practice based learning, and how this experience may affect my future practice.
Throughout the account, in order to protect the identities of people, trust and clinical setting involved confidentiality will be maintained via the use of pseudonyms or omission of names (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2008a).
The function of practice based learning is to provide experience, serving an important role in developing the skills of the student in interacting with patients and their families assisting in technical, psychomotor, interpersonal and communication skills (Ali and Panther, 2008). Practice based learning provides an opportunity to link theory and practice, and promotes professional identity development (Fishel and Johnson, 1981). Practice based learning is also crucial in the profession of nursing due to the vocational nature of the work, and necessity of assessing clinical competency and safeguarding the public (Rutowski, 2007). By ensuring specific standards are met with assessment in practice, it effectively ensures that students are fit for practice at point of registration (NMC, 2004).
My demonstration of demonstrating my eligibility to supervise and assess students in a