The History Of The Post Anaesthetic Care Essay

The History Of The Post Anaesthetic Care Essay

Recently I have started to support student nurses and ODPs in their practice placements and this has made me look at my own practice to ensure I provide a good learning experience and evidence based practice. This in turn has prompted me to commence the Mentorship Preparation course in order to facilitate learning for future students.

The aim of this assignment is to provide evidence and analysis of my developing skills as a mentor by exploring the role dimensions of the mentor within the Standards, recommendations and guidance for mentors and practice placements (College of Operating Department Practitioners (CODP) 2009)) and Standards of Proficiency (Healthcare Professions Council (HCPC) 2008)).

The concept of mentoring and mentors (Neary, 2000) are not new, however, Hagerty (1986) informs us of the confusion over a precise definition caused by the lack of agreement concerning the role and function of mentors. Literally the term mentor means a wise and trusted friend (Barlow, 1991), Lane (2004) agrees as he reflects on the relationship that develops between master and apprentice.

These literal terms prove too broad and complex to be used in the traditional professions that mentors are associated with such as business, finance and healthcare.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the English National Board (ENB), 2001)) refer to the term mentor as someone who holds the correct professional qualifications to enable them to facilitate learning and to supervise and assess students in the clinical environment.

It is therefore essential I am fully aware and understand what the current expectations are of me as a mentor as outlined in CODP Standards, recommendations and guidance for mentors and practice placements (2009) and HCPC Standards of Proficiency (2008) and that I am………………..

All healthcare governing bodies set standards and requirements for their student programmes of education throughout the United Kingdom. As a mentor I must be prepared appropriately to facilitate the diversity of students in order for them to achieve their goals (Warren, 2010) and they must maintain their supernumerary status to focus on learning.

Warren (2010) continues and makes it apparent that this preparation should be done on a bespoke basis as students will have their own individual learning style and needs depending on personality and stage of learning. Learning is more likely to be achieved if learning needs and outcomes are recognised by mentor and student at the earliest stage providing the student with a valid purpose and providing the mentor with an invaluable assessment on their own learning needs .

Students should maintain a record of ongoing achievement (NMC, 2008) which should be readily available for mentors at the beginning of new placements to assess strengths and areas for improvement. I have found in practice it is useful to complete a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely), (Doran, 1981) learning objective for each student to maximise their time in placement.

This SMART document should be constantly reviewed by mentor and student offering them both the opportunity to reflect on practice (Gibbs, 1988). A peer review through critical analysis will identify any learning needs for the mentor

Honey (2006) informs us of four learning styles, activists who tend to enjoy the experience and are open minded and try anything, reflectors are cautious and consider the situation, theorists will think things through in a logical manner and pragmatists will tend to be impatient problem solvers.

Honey (2006) continues to emphasise the importance of determining a preferred style to support and encourage a student orientated approach to mentoring………………………………