Progress Concerning the Eight Domains of Mentorship - Essay Example

? A Summary of Progress concerning the Eight Domains of Mentorship a. A mentor in the purest sense acts as a trusted ally and adviser typically older and with greater professional advancement. The mentor demonstrates responsibility for the development of a younger professional; instrumental in the process of education as in the context of the truest root of the word 'educere', to bring out from within. The foremost, and perhaps chief benefit of work under my supervisor mentor has been the mutual understanding that leads to trust. Familiarity with each others' expectations, personalities, and capabilities that leads to an effective working relationship. Precision was used in the documentation of the details of the assignments given by the instructor; to gain an appreciation of my mentor's own experiences to build a better working relationship through a more in-depth understanding of the professional capabilities of my mentor. b. An understanding of work preferences is integral to developing a bond of understanding between the student, the mentor and the demands of the nursing profession itself. In addition to the outgrowth of trusting working relationships among professionals, the mentorship development program provides a 'safety net' to blunt the consequences of learners' errors. This supervision allows me to learn from my mistakes safely, while at the same time advancing to greater positions of responsibility to achieve integration. c. During internship, the practicalities of classroom fundamentals come into play as a physical reality. While it has long been said that hands-on training is the only means to achieve true comprehension of a functional task; having the intellectual background provides a stronger basis for 'jumping in' to new learning environments. It gives my supervisor-mentor an easier point of reference to begin the induction to new departments, and new learning environments as needed. The mentor is also essential through advice they can provide of their initial challenges starting in the new area. 2.) a. Mindful of the errors made by beginners; an effective mentor can plan ahead; having worked in a particular department, it is possible to proactively anticipate mistakes and give forewarning, as well as training exercises that 'shore up' performance weaknesses of this student in particular, as well as the likely issues encountered by students in general. If the student has already completed a portion of a structured training program, and as the student progresses, the mentor will gain an appreciation for learning style, and be able to tailor instruction accordingly. b. Learning strategies are integral to academic success; but largely come from within the self, from the student's self-determination to advance themselves towards the purpose of becoming a true nursing professional. Having the added experience of having once been a beginner at the task at hand, the professional mentor has the ability to advise, and assist in the deployment of these strategies in a way that meshes most effectively with the particular demands of the position. c. A good mentor will be experienced with the inner workings of the learning process as it pertains to the nursing position at hand, and will be able to reflect on their own needs, questions, and uncertainties when the mentor was new at the position. This lets an effective supervisor-mentor to devise impromptu tests, questions, and brief quizzes, with no fore-knowledge of what was challenging for them personally. A strategy personally useful in learning is when the mentor/instructor gives a lesson, or hands-on demonstration followed by an immediate quiz. c. 3.) a. Professional growth is intertwined with personal growth within a modern nursing environment, as the student grows into a more complete person on an individual level, who becomes therefore also a competent nursing professional. Mentorship/supervision is essential in that it allows a safer means for the student to perform real medical procedures and care to gain an appreciation for the consequences of medical errors, thus learning accountability while at the same time reducing the probability of harm to the patients. b. Personally, I have learned to demonstrate a breadth of understanding of various verbal, written, and hands-on assessment strategies, as they pertain to the learning of nursing/medical techniques. All towards and the overall purpose of contributing to the total assessment process. The Mentor, student, and other staff-members within the appropriate department are not simply employees; but also integral components of an actual teaching team. The Student him/herself must participate in their own learning, and is not excluded from this team. c. The Mentorship has also proven valuable in that it aids in the identification of future learning needs as a professional and the appropriate actions for the learning student. The Mentor understands how to manage failing students in order to enhance their performance and capabilities that will lead to safe and effective nursing practice. In addition, students need the training and willingness to understand their failure and the medical implications of this for their professional future. d. The Mentor also understands the need to manage failing students so that they may grow in ways that will enhance their professional performance and personal capabilities to achieve the safe and effective practice of nursing. In addition, when students are on the verge of failure, they must be able to understand the specifics of the risk-factors entailed by that failure, and the implications of this for their future as nursing professionals. e. I've also learned the importance of professional standards via the program. Accountability for the confirmation of NMC standards for students in general, and whether students have met, or not met, the NMC competencies in nursing practice. As a sign-off it is vital that the mentor can confirm that students are also able to meet NMC standards of proficiency for patient safety, as well as nursing practice. The supervisor mentor, as a professional is acquainted with these needs and standards. 4.) a. Student learning in a nursing internship, or any professional educational endeavor is dependent upon both a mentor with a deep understanding of professional guidelines, medical realities, and the corporate culture of the specific hospital organization, but also on the student's personal educational drive. Familiarity with student evaluation through a variety of verbal, written, and hands-on procedures will allow the mentor a solid strategy for guiding student improvement and change through the medium of educational evaluations. b. A valid and honest strategy for education and professional improvement is the solicitation of accurate self-appraisal of the student, as requested by the mentor. Together, with the mentor's assistance, on a personal level, it's not hard to achieve both a greater comprehension and appreciation of the student's personal performance through the eyes of an experience superior, but also a benchmark for further advancement. By keeping in mind the consequences and realities of my own limitations; it is also easier to evaluate the needs and abilities of others; to the mutual benefit of all students as a cohesive team. 5.) a. As the supervisor-mentor and the student both grow and learn together, it is inevitable that a working relationship naturally builds due to common understanding and mutual respect. This personal link allows the mentor a more thorough comprehension of the particular learning needs of the student; and the best means by which to tailor educations experiences both to the appropriate level of learning, and to the personal needs of the student as a growing, future professional. b. My supervisor-mentor devised a variety of techniques to both evaluate learning, and to enhance professional development towards effectiveness as a competent nurse, involving hands-on experience with patients during a variety of treatment phases to demonstrate symptomology, medical outcomes and consequences of inappropriate or insufficient response from care-givers. Simply by example, the student absorbs a personal understanding of other like-minded professionals on the health-care team, as well as the willingness and capability to mesh with other personnel, and clients as a cohesive team. c. A collaborative effort is essential both to the educational process and the ongoing mission of professional development towards the enhancement of the department in both its performance and training-related processes. Negotiations would be useful to the purpose of enhancing communication and understanding between different departments wherever there is overlap between their functional dimensions. Communication is essential, so that all areas in which lab tests, patient data, and treatment modalities are likely to intersect on a regular basis. d. By following the example of my mentor, I have learned not only the practical business of nursing itself, but by meditating on the pedagogical strategies embodied by a professional, I learn how to learn, as well as learn how to someday, teach in turn. By acting as the consummate professional, as demonstrated by my mentor, a student can then learn to themselves provide both knowledge and assistance, but also an example that will help to inspire other students towards professional development in the attainment of their own necessary goals in their own nursing careers. 6.) a. I have learned through mentor-ship the necessity of an environment where a harmonious balance exists between patients, clients, and staff-employees where effective practice is supported by the communicative structure of the environment itself. While additional improvement in this regard is almost always beneficial, effective education highlights the need for and benefits of a cooperative communication. One way this is achieved is via mandatory ongoing education, not simply for interns under a mentor; but for all technical personnel, and not simply in terms of the day-to-day practice of the profession, but the necessity for teamwork as well. b. Adequate communication within the hierarchy of hospital administration is essential for all departments in order to create a setting in which mandated standards of health and performance are adhered to in accordance with legal guidelines. At the same time, the individual needs of the organization in the delineation of its specified tasks and circumstances does require flexibility. No over-arching legal authority can account for every eventuality that every medical center might have to grapple with. The balance between professional boundaries and flexibility is something that as a student I have gained a greater appreciation for. c. An experienced mentor is essential for attaining an appreciation for the assessment of the practice settings needed for a comprehensive nursing education. Having engaged in similar training themselves, they are in a position to judge how and to what extent the testing environment conveys an adequate simulations of actual hospital realities in terms of adequate patient care towards the assurance of beneficial patient outcomes as often as it possible based on the material made available. 7.) a. The ongoing pursuit of professional development is vital not only in the ways in which it sharpens the skills of the nursing professional in active practice; but in addition a continuous learning process acclimates nurses or anyone engaged in dynamic, technical fields with the need to maintain a constant familiarity with active research in the field. With my mentor, instruction was provided that crated a familiarity with not only new research, but the parlance of scientists in the business of discovery to permit future utilization of the cutting edge of medical science. b. Long-standing organizations can easily grow entrenched in both their behavior and overall thinking; in some instances due to the necessity to maintain perfectly valid, experienced-based methodologies that positively influence patient outcomes. The question is, how often is this the case? Utilization of the above-mentioned research will help to develop overall hospital policies that make use of the most current findings to identify which practices make sense, and which are simply a result of the calcification of bureaucratic inertia. c. Through the aid of my mentor, and personal desire to achieve, it is necessary to not only seek out the most current research towards the purpose of an evidence-based methodology, but to encourage other students to do so. This is important in terms of active problem solving. A common pedagogical strategy is to task groups of students with complex questions, or administrative dilemmas in a hypothetical sense as a means of evaluating the application of learned principles, as well as creative problem solving. An evidence-based mindset is needed to succeed in this kind of setting, which is what my own education has been able to provide. 8.) a. Together with my mentor, we were able to plan a series of rotational experiences through a variety of essential departments to gain an understanding not only of the the intersect between academic instruction and practical training, but also as a means of developing a basic familiarity with the essentials of management-administration with an eye towards the possibility of future leadership. In this manner, the fundamentals of education (classroom versus practical) can both serve to strengthen the other. b. Through mentor-ship, I was able to learn during the course of a variety of opportunities pertaining to the business, challenges, and practices of nursing. By serving not only as a learner, but also as an example for other students for the purposes of evidence-based practices in terms of problem-solving, as well as the needs for communication and interaction with patients, clients, and other professionals. The ability to support the learning needs of students as those needs unfold into the potential for professional success is a characteristic of my educational experience. c. With an effective mentor, together with the student benefiting from this tutelage; it becomes natural to cultivate a culture that supports the needs of other students with whom I become acquainted. In our practice roles, it is necessary and desirable to create a courtesy for one another in terms of the care of equipment, and the sharing of useful information that will support our professional ambitions while addressing the need for adherence to professional standards. d. The mentor-ship was essentially all I could reasonably expect it to be. The support of the staff and other educators made learning effective, and pleasant as a growth experience towards both personal and professional objectives in nursing. While additional understanding and communication between different departments is always desirable, one of the advantages of this program is that it helped me to realize the benefits of this professional inter-connectedness, while renewing my commitment to evidence-based practices. Read More