Nursing Mentorship Case Study

Nursing is considered to be a busy and stressful profession all the nursing students and newly qualified nurses require strong support and proper guidance in order to cope with integration into the profession (Gopee, 2008). According to The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008a), a mentor is someone who facilitates learning, supervises and assesses learners within a clinical practise setting. A new registrant should have at least a year experience before commencing the mentorship course (NMC, 2008).It is during a clinical placement where a student applies their knowledge to practice and develop new skills which help them in achieving the required competencies to get their registration. The role of a mentor is to facilitate and assess the student in achieving the required learning outcome and competencies.

They also have the overall responsibility of ensuring students have acquired the required competency levels on their specific roles to be registered nurse. At work mentor should always show a positive role modelling behaviour to student as it can have a direct impact on the development of the student to a registered nurse, Morton &Palmer (2000). Royal College of Nursing 2007 also supports Morton &Palmer (2000) by stating that whilst on mentoring nurses plays a vital role in the development of student’s attitude towards nursing. And hence the support and supervision given to students on practice placement is considered as a vital part of the work of mentors/ registered nurses. “An NMC mentor is a NMC registrant who, following successful completion of an NMC approved mentor preparation programme, or comparable preparation that has been accredited an by an approved education institute as meeting the NMC mentor requirements, has achieved the knowledge, skills and competence required to meet the defined outcomes.” (NMC, 2008a.