Mentor Online Update 2016
Introduction Welcome to the e-learning update for mentors of healthcare students. By completing the following tasks you will have completed your annual mentor update. This means that you will have completed part of the criteria required for you to remain live on the mentor register. At the end of this document you will find a mentor update certificate please fill this in and send a copy of the completed certificate to your Practice Facilitator/Practice Educator for your trust or Julie Hibberd at Julie.hibberd@coventry.ac.uk if you are employed in the Non NHS Sector.This will provide the proof that you have undertaken your mentor update. The aim of this online mentor update is to keep you appraised of any important developments, changes etc. that you should know about which will affect your role as a mentor. The mentor update has been divided into 4 sections Pre-registration curriculum Mentor Role and responsibilities Assessment of practice Struggling Students Each section will have a preamble of relevant information followed by a series of questions which you need to answer. After you have attempted the questions you will be able to access the answers at the back of the document. As part of your update please ensure you have a face to face discussion with another mentor in your area regarding any mentoring achievements or issues during the previous year. Remember to complete the triennial review which is the other criterion required to remain live on the mentor register. This needs to be completed every three years. Please check your triennial review is in date. When you have undertaken your triennial review please complete the triennial
review document which you will find on the link on your Trust Intranet. When completed please send it back to the same place as the mentor certificate. Section 1 Pre-registration Curricula Pre-registration Nursing Curriculum The nursing pre-registration curriculum has been developed to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council s (NMC) pre-registration nurse education standards (NMC 2010). The standards comprise of both field specific (adult, child, mental health and learning disabilities) and generic competencies. They are organised into four domains which are Professional values Communication and Interpersonal skills Nursing practice and decision making Leadership, management and team working At the end of the pre-registration nursing course students will be expected to be autonomous practitioners who can lead, delegate, supervise and challenge other nurses and health care professionals. They must be able to demonstrate compassionate practice as well as promote and sustain change to ensure high quality care. This involves them being able to think analytically, use problem solving approaches, and be able to make informed clinical decisions and judgements which they can defend.
The course is three years in length and consists of 50% theory and 50% practice. The practice element of the course is divided into 6 placements, two in each year of the course spanning a total of 20 weeks. The course is incremental in its development. In year one, students should understand the foundations of basic care needs, under direct supervision participate in the delivery of service user care, develop an understanding of the role of the nurse and initiate care under the supervision of their mentor. In Year two, students should be able to initiate care to the service user/ family/ carer and manage their own case load. Students at this stage should be able to perform these care activities with some guidance and supervision but can be trusted to practice safely in similar situations and evaluate care being given. In year three, students can lead, manage and delegate care within care teams working collaboratively within health and social care. They can take the initiative to manage their own case load as well as supervising and supporting others in practice. At this stage students should be able to practice safely and effectively without the need for direct supervision.
Students are assessed in each practice placement. The assessment of practice consists of The student completing their preparation for practice. This consists of student checklist/learning activity/reflective study which is assessed within the interpersonal profile ( IPP)
Interpersonal profile Learning outcomes
Essential skills (each year s essential skills have to be complete in placement 2,4,6 respectively)
All these mentioned above are contained in the student s assessment of practice documentation. This is one document and contains all the documentation for the 6 practice placements. The only additional documentation which the students will bring to each placement is their attendance record which is required to be completed in order to record the number of hours they have spent in practice. This is an NMC requirement as students are required to do 2,300 hours in practice. During the student s practice experience you (the mentor) will assess, review, plan and evaluate their learning needs and requirements for progression to the next stage of the programme or registration. This includes the assessment of the student s learning outcomes, interpersonal profile, essential skills and the attendance record. The student will be expected to gather supporting evidence from a variety of sources to help you the mentor make your judgement as to whether the student has achieved their assessment of practice.
Examples of evidence include Learning logs (supports the learning outcomes) Health and social care practitioner feedback
Summary of learning from spoke visits Service user feedback ( the mentor is required to ask for this )
Please note: You the mentor should obtain the service user feedback prior to the student s midway interview so that the information obtained can be used to inform your discussion with the student Summary of learning sheets from simulation
Signatures in the essential skills The documentation for the above examples is also to be found in the student s assessment of practice document The students will be formatively assessed at midway interview (which is half way through the placement) and summatively assessed at the end of the placement experience on all the elements described above including the learning outcomes, the IPP, essential skills and attendance record. The purpose of the formative assessment is to identify the student s strengths, areas of developments and any areas of concern. If the student is not progressing as expected towards achieving in any aspect of the assessment such as learning outcomes or interpersonal profile then you (the mentor) and the student, together will develop an action plan.
Example Action Plan concern Expected outcome Action required Poor punctuality Satisfactory punctuality and attendance. Communicates effectively and professionally if unable to attend or if absent Arrive on time Report any sickness or absence according to University policy. E.g. inform placement and ring University 24 hour sickness and absence answer machine Date achieved 12/12/2014 To achieve a pass in the assessment of practice the student must at the end of the placement Demonstrate achievement of all identified learning outcomes Demonstrate achievement of all aspects of the interpersonal profile to the level of satisfactory or very good Successful completion of the essential skills at the relevant progression points Complete their attendance record Submit completed assessment of practice documentation and attendance record as instructed
You as the mentor will be required to complete the ongoing record of achievement summary sheet at the end of the practice placement. The summary contains: The outcome of the student s assessment of practice A summary of the student s attendance Relevant comments re progress to inform subsequent mentors
Questions 1 What are the pieces of work the students have to do in preparation for their practice experience? a) b) c) 2. What is the name of the document that every student has to complete that is separate from the practice assessment documentation? a) 3. Name two pieces of evidence within the student s assessment of practice documentation could support the achievement of the learning outcomes? a) b) 4. Who should be asking for feedback from the service user regarding the student s performance- the mentor or the student? a) 5. At what points within the assessment of the student s practice should the interpersonal profile (IPP) be completed? a) b) 6. If your student does not achieve a satisfactory or very good in one or more of the elements in the interpersonal profile (IPP) what action should you as the mentor take? a) 7. What is the purpose of the on-going record of achievement?
Section 2 Mentor Role and Responsibilities Background The student s practice experience has been designed to expose them to learning experiences to enable the development of the competencies necessary to become a registered nurse. The NMC require all placements to be quality assured. The tool used by Coventry University for this purpose is called the Learning Profile Education Audit (LEP). The LEP identifies the quality standards required by the placement area. Each standard is RAG rated. Actions are planned and identified for any standard that is not achieved in full (i.e. any standard rated red or amber). The NMC stipulate that every student is required to be allocated a mentor or sign off mentor as appropriate. A mentor is a nurse or midwife who has successfully completed the NMC approved mentor preparation course and has an in date annual mentor update and triennial review. The mentor role is about providing support and creating an environment where the student can develop professionally and personally as a nurse. To achieve this mentors require to display a number of qualities such as being approachable, being supportive, being credible and being a good communicator. It has been recognised that all healthcare students benefit from effective mentorship. This enables the student to become safe and competent practitioners (NMC Standards to support learning and assessment in practice 2008). The standards for mentorship are set by the NMC (2008) and identify the role and responsibilities of the mentor. As a mentor you are responsible for: Being knowledgeable regarding the student s programme of study and the requirements in relation to the assessment of practice Ensuring the quality of the student s learning experience including preparing the learning environment for the student s arrival and inducting and orientating them to the placement. Acting as a role model demonstrating the professional standards required of nurses
Establishing effective working relationships between yourself, the mentor,the student and the nursing and multi-disciplinary teams Facilitating the student s learning needs including identifying specific learning opportunities that are available within your practice area Teaching the student in the practice setting Continually assessing the student s practice competence Ensuring the student(s) have constructive feedback as well as suggestions as to how they can further improve Completing the assessment of practice documentation in full and on time Being accountable for your actions and decisions Protecting the public by protecting professional standards Part of your responsibility as a mentor is to ensure that you undertake the requirements to maintain your live status as a mentor. This includes having an annual update and a triennial review every three years. These need to be in date for you to be able to mentor students. To enable effective mentoring to be realised the NMC (2008) requires certain requirements to be met. These include: Every student has a named mentor Mentors should not normally support more than three students, from any discipline, at any one time Whilst giving direct care in the practice setting at least 40% of the student s time must be spent being supervised (directly or indirectly) by a mentor. When in final placement this 40% of the student s time is in addition to the protected time (one hour per week) to be spent with the sign off mentor
Questions 9) What is the Learning Profile Education audit (LEP)? 11) What are the requirements to remain live on the mentor register? 10) What is the percentage of time that a mentor is required to directly or indirectly supervise their student nurse in practice 11) Name four qualities that an effective mentor should display a. b. c. d. 12) As a named mentor to the student what are your responsibilities prior to a student starting placement. Give three examples a. b. c. 13) Think about your area of practice, in the boxes below identify four opportunities that are available to the student and insert into the boxes below
Hub 14) What group of pre-registration nursing students need to be directly supervised? 15) Whist mentoring a student how you can enhance the learning experience 16) Prior to delegating nursing duties to a student nurse what must you as a mentor ensure?
Section 3: Assessment of practice As the student s mentor you are responsible for the assessment process. You need to be confident in your judgement and be able to justify the decisions you make. It is therefore important that you gather information from a variety of sources upon which to base your judgements and use a combination of assessment methods such as direct observation, question and answer and/ or work products. During the student s experience you (the mentor) will assess, review, plan and evaluate the student s learning needs and requirements that are necessary and appropriate for achieving the criteria for a pass. This includes assessment of the student s learning outcomes, interpersonal profile, essential skills and attendance record. Although you (the mentor ) will be informally discussing with your student their learning needs and progress throughout the placement there are three formal interviews scheduled as part of the assessment process for each placement, preliminary, midway, and final interviews. During these times you will be making decisions about your student s progress which will be documented in their assessment of practice documentation. The midway is a
formative assessment which is to identify the student s strengths, areas of development and any areas of concern. If the student is not progressing as expected towards achieving the requirements for a pass then you (the mentor) and the student should together develop an action plan. The objectives / learning goals within the action plan should be SMART i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Regular meetings, normally weekly should be planned before the student s final interview to discuss the student s progress on the achievement of their action plan(s). These should be planned and organised by you the mentor. You (the mentor) should also inform the practice educator/facilitator and academic in practice so that appropriate support can be given to you. Your assessment needs to be fair, valid and reliable. As a mentor you will be able to gather information from a variety of sources to help you formulate your judgements of the student s performance such as: The variety of health and social care practitioners with whom the student has worked with and who have been directly observing their practice The service user feedback form The health and social care practitioner feedback form (spoke experience) Student s learning logs Some of the questions you (the mentor) may want to ask yourself when making your assessment of the student are: Can the student demonstrate the practice and discuss the knowledge underpinning that practice Does the student s self- assessment accurately reflect their performance Has the student met the criteria for achieving a pass
The mentor at the end of each placement experience will complete an ongoing record of achievement summary sheet. This contains a review of the student s learning from the placement and should be used to inform the discussion with the mentor on subsequent placements to address and plan the student s development needs. These summary sheets along with the assessment of practice documentation make up the ongoing record of achievement and provide the sign off mentor with evidence of the student s record of learning and achievement to enable them to make an informed judgement as to whether the student is competent for entry to the professional register for nurses. Questions 17) To ensure your assessment is reliable and valid what actions can you take to support your decision 18) When putting an action plan together it must be SMART. What does SMART stand for S M A R T 19) If your student is on an action plan how often should this be reviewed and discussed
Section 4 The Struggling student As the mentor you are responsible for upholding professional standards and safeguarding the public. If you are concerned that the student may not be achieving the required standard then it is important that you identify this as soon as possible. Students who are struggling will normally benefit from clear guidance and support on how to develop those aspects of practice that need improving. Where you have identified concerns about the progress of your student during the placement experience it is imperative that you meet with the student and discuss these concerns and complete an action plan. The action plan(s) are to provide the student with guidance in order to support their learning needs. Questions 20) You are mentoring a second year student nurse on placement, you notice that she is struggling to get to work on time for her shifts and is constantly late. What would you do?
21) You are preparing to do your student s midway interview, comments have been made by other staff about the students attitude to work. How would you deal with this at the midway interview? 22) If you are having difficulties with a student nurse in practice who should you contact for advice / support?
Answers 1a) Student checklist 1b) Learning activity 1c) Reflective study 2) Attendance record 3) Learning logs Health and social care practitioner feedback Service user feedback Signatures from essential skills Summary of learning sheets from simulation Summary of learning from spoke visits 4) Mentor 5) Midway and end of placement experience 6) Action Plan 7) To confirm the assessment outcome and attendance and to provide a summary of the student s learning (strengths and weaknesses) to inform subsequent mentors and sign off mentor
8) The LEP is an educational quality tool which measures whether placement has met the required educational standards 9) Annual update and Triennial Review 10)40% 11) List is extensive examples include Communicator credible professional constructive approachable fair supportive 12) Ensuring off duty available for the student, student induction pack available for the student, assessed the learning environment and you have no concerns 13) The answer will reflect the learning opportunities within your placement area 14) First year 15) Your answer can be broad however can involve Identifying the learning opportunities helping students to belong in placement by making them feel involved
helping them to fit into the team and respecting and valuing the student 16) Assess their competence in the nursing duty that you want to delegate to them 17) Gather evidence of the student s performance and progress by asking members of the nursing and multi-disciplinary Use evidence from the assessment of practice documentation such as learning logs teams Discuss with colleagues from nursing and multi-disciplinary team what level of performance constitutes a pass 18) S- Specific M- Measurable A- Achievable R- Realistic T-Timely 19) Weekly 20) Feedback and discuss with the student the issue of not arriving in time for her shifts. Identify a timeframe for her to improve such as one week. Document this in the assessment of practice document. If no improvement then an action plan has to be put in place. 21) Have the midway interview as planned. Feedback and discuss the issue identified. Action plan 22) Practice Educator/Facilitator and or the Academic in Practice
You have now completed your online Mentor Update. To ensure the mentor Database is updated please send a copy of your certificate which you will find on the next page and Triennial Review form if required to your Practice Facilitator /Educator at the following address: Warwick Hospital Bernadette Clarke/Michelle Band Practice Facilitators Flat 19 Lakin House Community North Hannah O Shea Practice Educator Camphill Family & Community Centre Ramsden Avenue Camphill Nuneaton CV10 9EB Community South Sue Todd / Ellie Hucklesby Practice Educator / Practice Facilitator RLSRH Heathcote Lane Warwick CV34 6SR Author: Practice Learning Group V1 Jan 17 Review Jan 18
Or gani za tion On-Line Mentor Update This certificate is awarded to Name of Recipient In recognition of valuable contributions to Mentorship including: Mentor Responsibilities Learning Environment Assessment Documentation Supporting Struggling Sources of support Discussion with other mentors Date: Signed: Practice Facilitators/Practice Educators Practice Education Team