How Assessment and Learning are Facilitated in Work Community Setting - Essay Example

?Mentorship-Critically examine how assessment and learning is facilitated in your work community setting. Introduction Nursing or more generally as in any other field, requires leaders or mentors to inspire and be inspired to provide services to the best of one’s abilities. A novice in the field if supported and guided through the course of his or her initial phases has the prospects of becoming a leader in the field and also be able to mentor other novices in future. Donning the role of a mentor in healthcare profession is seen as privilege as it is seen to provide one with the opportunity to guide and steer the future of service provided in the field (Hawkins and Fontenot, 2010). This paper attempts to explore the role of mentorship in a clinical setting wherein learning and assessment is facilitated through a deeper understanding of the learning environment, the needs of the environment and the learner’s and the mentor’s qualifications, requirements in terms of planning the learning, tools and techniques, assessments, relationship between the mentor and mentee, lifecycle of the relationship and the challenges in the learning and development process for both the learner or mentee and the mentor. Definitions of what mentoring is all about, the learning setting, process, facilitation, assessment, outcomes, roles, etc. will help in understanding the above. What is mentoring? McKimm et al (2007) observe that defining the term ‘mentoring’ is a difficult task as it is a complex process and depends mostly on the learning environment and the interpretation of the environment’s needs by the various different individuals or groups. Quoting Megginson and Clutterbuck (1995, p13) they note that “mentoring is ‘off line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking’” and that the role of a mentor is to help and guide the learner through a transition phase of the learner in a particular aspect like learning and other professional or personal circumstances. Also, mentoring is just one form of support (p1). “Mentoring is a transformational process that seeks to help individuals develop and use knowledge to improve themselves on an ongoing basis. It is a professional dialogue that encourages reflection and development, signposting mentees to other sources of help as required” (What is mentoring, 2012). General medical practice describes it as “‘a way of helping another understand more fully, and learn comprehensively from, their day to day experience” and a commissioned department of health describes it as a “process whereby an experienced, highly regarded, empathic person (the mentor), guides another individual (the mentee) in the development and re-examination of their own ideas, learning, and personal and professional development” (What is mentoring, 2012). Palermo and McCall (2008, p801) note that mentoring is a form of providing experiential learning where the learning is actual and practical, and it is seen that the learning will be ineffective and unsafe if there is no mentoring offered during the course of the experiential learning. Mentoring and teaching There is a need to understand the difference between teaching and mentoring as it is essential to get the desired outcomes. McKimm and Jollie (2007) have differentiated between teaching and mentoring: while teaching is said to be a ‘teacher centred’ approach, mentoring is understood to be a ‘student centred’ approach where the learning needs of the learner are taken into consideration along with regular assessments of the same. Teaching itself is continually evolving to reflect on experience and critically explore the potential transformation of the learner. The basis for this evolution is the action research teaching need that recognizes that experiential learning leads to both the mentor and mentee contributing to the sustainability of the learning in the particular setting. To achieve sustainability through developing significant insights into the learning environment, mentors and future mentors tend to understand the ecological attitudes for fostering better understanding through exploration and a shift in the frame of reference of teaching. Figure 1 shows the frame of reference for understanding ecological attitude. (Gedzune and Gedzune, 2009). Figure 1: Frame of reference for ecological attitude. Source: (Gedzune and Gedzune, 2009). The learning environment- Mentoring in community setting Finnerty and Pope (2004, p13) note that the learning environment is a complex social setting with multi-dimensions. In keeping with the requirements to sustain learning, National Health Services (NHS) plan has identified that there is a need to change fundamental thinking of how teaching and professional development within healthcare is approached, and suggested that there be an emphasis on lifelong learning and development for healthcare providers through the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program (What is mentoring, 2012). It can be seen that newly qualified practitioners need to be continually supported on entering their profession as this formative and transition period determines the level and quality of their applied practice through the knowledge, skills and attitudes that they acquire (McKimm et al, 2007). Daloz’s model of mentor/mentee interaction through transitions proposes that the relationship balances three key elements: support, challenge and learner’s vision to create a learning environment for the change and growth that the learner aspires to achieve (Provident, 2005). In a clinical setting, a creative, challenging and supportive culture needs to be encouraged to develop contributing workforce in the complex setting (What is mentoring, 2012). Registered nurses are required to support learning of the mentees by assessing and guiding in an inter-professional environment and the mentor’s own experience is of vital importance when considering the quality and effectiveness of the relationship (Ali and Panther, 2008, p 36). Gray and Smith (2000, p 1545) observe that learners initially do not approach the relationship as professionals but during the course of time, depending on the mentor’s approach, learn to draw from the learning opportunities that the mentor creates to aid in learning. They also develop realistic expectations from the relationship, learning and the mentor. The learning process/ Professional development and importance of mentoring Learners can be thought of as having an option of choosing their style of learning: dependent or independent and verbal or non-verbal as shown in Figure 2 (Smith and Blake, 2012, p4). Figure 2: 2D representation of learner’s preferences. Source: (Smith and Blake, 2012, p4). Ali and Panther (2007, p37) note that the three phases of mentoring: initiation phase, working phase and termination phase. McKimm et al (2007) note four stages of mentoring life-cycle: 1: Initiation, orientation or courtship stage, 2: Getting established, adolescence, dependency, nurturing or honeymoon stage, 3: Maturing, developing independence or autonomy stage and 4: Ending, termination or divorce. During the initiation phase, issues in the learning environment can be explored using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) method as the learner’s expectations from the relationship are crucial to gauge the success of the mentorship. This method can be used to examine the methodological decisions of the relationship and also help in suggesting guidelines and the application and reporting of the procedures (Gremler, 2004; Koch et al, 2009). Also, the relationship between the mentor and mentee develops as they get to know each other. In the working phase, the mentee gets to draw on the experience of the mentor while both build trust and a sense of closeness. The mentee also starts taking responsibility to become less dependent. Further, the mentee becomes self-reliant to move to the termination phase (Ali and Panther, 2007, p37). In the third phase called the termination phase, the relationship ends by virtue of the mentorship coming to an end as the mentee no longer seems to require any regular support to perform duties. Usually, there are certain strategies for instruction as well as enabling the establishment of mentor-mentee successful relationship: introductory meeting, orientation, etc. (Ali and Panther, 2007, p37). Facilitating learning and outcomes/ mentoring scheme Initiatives like CALMAN (Curriculum, Appraisal, Length of training, Management of training, Assessment and National standards) are aimed at facilitating learning through use of Maastrict seven jumps model, etc. of Problem Based Learning (PBL) and case study learning. Four stages of facilitation process: storming, norming, performing and forming are carried out by the mentor through a series of methods like crossovers, Delphi technique, demonstrations/ practicals, fishbowls, ice-breaking activities, line-ups, role play, simulation of games, snowballing and pyramids, seminars and tutorials, etc. (McKimm and Jollie, 2007). Role of a mentor While the role of the mentor can be broadly classified as in Figure 3, the particular role that a mentor plays are usually that of an adviser, role model, coach, problem solver, teacher, supporter, organiser and planner, counsellor and guide (Ali and Panther, 2008, p37; Dr. Brown et al, 2005; Watts et al, 1999). Appendix 1 lists the different roles a mentor dons in the process of the relationship of mentoring. RCN Toolkit pins the role of a mentor in nursing as enabling the mentee to learn through: The application of theory, Assessing, evaluating and giving constructive feedback and Facilitating reflection on practice, performance and experiences (Guidance for mentors, 2007, p5). “The mentor helps mentees to develop skills and confidence, promotes professional relationship with the mentees by providing appropriate level of supervision, assisting with planned learning experiences and offering honest and constructive feedback” (Guidance for mentors, 2007, p5). Figure 3: Role of a mentor in the different contexts. Source: (McKimm and Jollie, 2007). Qualifications of a mentor Mentors in nursing are required to register and be approved as mentors as per Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) at least one year prior to taking the role of a mentor and attend annual mentor updates (McKimm and Jollie, 2007; Smith, 2010). Apart from these procedures, certain attributes like friendliness, a good sense of humour, patience, effective interpersonal skills, approachability and professional development abilities are essential for a mentor (Ali and Panther, 2008, p37; Smith, 2010). Some of the skills required of a mentor are as in Figure 4 (McKimm et al, 2007, p4): Figure 4: Mentoring skills. Source: (McKimm et al, 2007, p4). Managing of learning/ assessment/ facilitating Senior management is responsible for facilitating the mentoring scheme as the mentor-mentee duo try to seek answers to some of the questions as in Figure 5 below (McKimm et al, 2007, p4): Figure 5: Questions to be answered for the mentoring scheme. Source: (McKimm et al, 2007, p6). Challenges of mentoring It is seen that the role of mentorship is not without its share of complexities and challenges as the relationship is expected to yield success at the final stage of the relationship and much of it depends on the mentor while the responsibility of the mentee too cannot be ignored. The mentor needs to balance his patient care and mentoring in the limited time, has to fully understand the learner’s level of commitment, skills and capabilities and chart a collaborative scheme for mentoring, assess that the learning objectives have been met by the learner through a series of assessments, and also give constructive feedback to enable the learner to successfully achieve the set goals (Ali and Panther, 2008, p37). Conclusion Mentoring in nursing is like in any other field where the quality of the relationship between the mentor and the mentee is crucial to its success. There a set of qualifications that the mentor has to satisfy to become a mentor in the profession while the mentee too has to possess certain skills and characteristic traits to make the mentoring fruitful. The task of mentoring is a complex one with the same taking place in 3 stages: initiation, working and termination phase. While there are several vague definitions of the concept of mentoring, it can be seen that it is an extension of basic style of teaching and includes various dimensions of instructional strategies and styles in different contexts of learning. However, the aspirations of the mentee are of primary importance in the mentoring exercise as are the professional development goals. Methods for mentoring include CALMAN, etc. that help the mentor facilitate learning through the implementation of a series of models like the PBL or case studies. Further, techniques like Delphi, crossover, etc. can be employed to achieve the target objectives set in the initiation stage of the mentoring life-cycle. References 1. Ali, PA and Panther, W. 2008. Professional development and the role of mentorship. Nursing Standard-Art and Science. Vol 22, No. 42. p 36 2. Dr. Brown, J et al. 2005. The Mentoring Chameleon - a Critical Analysis of Mentors' and Mentees' Perceptions of the Mentoring Role in Professional Education and Training Programmes for Teachers, Nurses, Midwives and Doctors. British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Glamorgan. 3. Finnerty, G and Pope, R. 2004. Development of a good practice tool for mentors. European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences Centre for Research in Nursing and Midwifery Education. p13. 4. Gedzune, I and Gedzune,G. 2009. Educational Action Research For Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Understanding Of Ecological Attitude. Daugavpils University. 5. Gray, A.M and Smith, N.L. 2000. The qualities of an effective mentor from the student nurse's perspective: finndings from a longitudinal qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 32(6). p 1545. 6. Gremler, D.D. 2004. The Critical Incident Technique in Service Research. Journal of Service Research, Volume 7, No. 1. Sage Publications. DOI: 10.1177/1094670504266138. 7. Guidance for mentors. 2007. Guidance for mentors of nursing students and midwifes- An RCN toolkit. Royal College of Nursing. 8. Hawkins, W.J and Fontenot, B.H. 2010. Mentorship: the heart and soul of health care leadership. Journal of Healthcare Leadership. Vol. 2. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S7863 9. Koch, A et al. 2009. Quality of the Critical Incident Technique in practice: Interrater reliability and users' acceptance under real conditions. Psychology Science Quarterly, Volume 51, No. 1. 10. McKim, Jm and Jollie, C. 2007. Facilitating learning: Teaching and learning methods. University of Bedfordshire and Imperial College London. 11. McKimm, J, Jollie, C and Hatter, M. 2007. Mentoring: Theory and Practice. NHSE/Imperial College School of Medicine. 12. Palermo, C and McCall, L. 2008. The role of mentoring in public health nutrition workforce development. Perspectives of advanced-level practitioners. Public Health Nutrition: 11(8). p801. doi:10.1017/S1368980008002279 13. Provident, M.I. 2005. Mentoring: A role to facilitate academic change. IJAHSP. Vol 3, No. 2. 14. Smith, B. 2010. Information for Mentors of Nursing Students- A Toolkit for Mentors. Coventry University. 15. Smith, P and Blake, D. 2005. Facilitating learning through effective teaching. NCVER. Australian Government. 16. Watts, R et al. 1999. At the Coalface: Mentoring the Health Promotion Role. 5th National Rural Health Conference. 17. What is mentoring? 2012. Available online: http://radcliffepublishing.com/books/samplechapter/6495/01_RMPBayley-14545aa0rdz.pdf. Accessed on: 10th February, 2012. Appendices Appendix 1 Read More