Attributes and Qualities to Enhance Mentor Effectiveness - Essay Example

?Attributes and Qualities that can Enhance Mentor's Effectiveness Introduction Mentorship is an important psychological relationship that cannot effectively deliver its objectives without the appropriate environment, which depends on the qualities of the mentor. The mentor should possess many traits that facilitate the effective settling of the novice into the trade. In the definition of the relationship between the mentor and the learner, quality of professional and learning outcomes depend heavily on the awareness of the various skills needed. Awareness and implementation of appropriate mentor attributes establishes the correct environment for the nursing learner to benefit from the outcomes (Aston and Hallam 2011, p64). In this discourse, the attributes required for a mentor to deliver improved learner outcomes in the nursing profession are highlighted and elaborated. Despite the fact that psychological and learning relationships are factors of a myriad principles and elements, a few stand out exceptionally well as discussed in this discourse. A mentor takes the form of a special teacher mainly due to the basic learning experience that the student obtains from a successful mentorship program where the learning nurse develops (Clark, Jasper & West, (2007, p15). The difference between the mentor and the ordinary teacher surrounds the discharge of professional nurturing for a longer time than the actual course period. The continuation of the relationship until the learner completely settles in nursing is important, which makes the relationship different from teacher-student relationship. A mentor should exhibit certain desirable traits that are important in the establishment of the expected outcomes in the mentorship relationship. In order for the students to obtain the quality learning outcomes preparing them for a good professional nursing experience, the mentor needs to demonstrate certain level of dedication and understanding of issues at the psychological level (Hinchcliff 2004, p65). Among the most important qualities of a mentor, confidence, assertiveness, and empathy facilitate successful mentorship process. Confidence In nearly every nurturing relationship, the senior party needs to demonstrate confidence to the junior party in order to develop the desired outcomes with time progression. In order for the learner to understand every aspect of nursing profession with the appropriate confidence, the figure looked to for the training and experience must be the sole sources of confidence. Despite the role of the teacher in terms of academic and professional attitude cannot be underestimated in the building of confidence, the significance of confidence building outside the lecture hall in nursing is specifically important. To illustrate the significance of a secondary trainer with better confidence training opportunity, the mentor’s professional relationship with the student captures a longer and direct participation than the teacher’s position. Professional confidence demonstrated by the mentor therefore captures important professional practice that may not be imparted in the classroom (Hughes and Kinnell 2010, p78). The novice nurses are required to demonstrate impeccable leadership and professional concentration that depends on the quality of faith they have in their discharge of duties. To demonstrate the highest quality of professional prowess, the trainers’ quality must not bear a blemish. In view of the mentor’s role ion instilling confidence and professional belief in the novice nurse, it is imperative that confidence levels remain at top-notch level at every mentorship episode. Confidence entails demonstration of masterly and willingness to provide leadership in every task that the nurse will undertake. Within the correct frame of mind influenced by confidence, the nurse gets extra skills to tackle challenges that a learner without confidence would not solve. If the mentor is confident, the novice nurse gains better professional ideas and therefore less likely to make mistakes. An explorative novice nurse with an able attitude is likely to be nurtured by a confident mentor (Hughes and Quinn 2007, p53). The importance of confidence and flawlessness cannot be overemphasized in nursing practice and the mentor must always demonstrate a high level of confidence in nurturing nursing talent. Assertiveness Nursing students need a strong personality guiding them through their learning and professional orientation. Despite the fact that the mentor should possess soft skills to assist novice nurses in gaining their ground in nursing, taking a strict position in ensuring that the appropriate standards are held is important. Being a communicator of both reward and reprimand elevates the mentor’s status from a mere supervisor to someone who intends to implement and follow up changes in the progress of the novice nurse. As such, the desired quality of a mentor in terms of being assertive describes the role of ensuring that appropriate development appraisal is communicated to the learner as it is without bias (Elcock and Sharples 2011, p105). Assertive mentors are cautious not to set too low standards that would bring an outcome of a low scoring nursing candidate. Equally, the mentor does not set too high standards that the novice nurses would find difficult to achieve when at their best form. It therefore implies that an assertive mentor understands the strengths of the learning nurse, facilitates the establishment of specific goals to exploit the strengths without unnecessary pressure. Giving clearly set instructions within the reach of the novice and ensuring that their achievement is a fundamental determinant of growth are some of the ways in which assertiveness is manifested. The mentor embracing assertiveness possesses the appropriate skills to set remain strict on the student’s progression without making the measures to realize success appear punitive. Whereas authoritative nurturing that almost always fails captures stringent compliance with decided development path, its lack of balance with reality of strengths of the student distinguishes it from the assertive approach. It therefore implies that the strictness on the discipline employed in achieving success in nursing mentorship must always be set and followed up with a close reference to personal strengths and abilities (Gopee 2011, p62). The sensitivity with which nursing profession has on their discharge of duties in patient service makes the mentor’s assertiveness irreplaceable. Training the novice nurses to always set their standards in terms of quality service delivery can only be realized if the mentor is assertive enough. It is important for the mentor to express satisfaction and dissatisfaction in an equal measure of emphasis in order to avoid the generation of mixed feelings on the novice’s judgment. Empathetic A mentor should perhaps be among the closest individual in terms of understanding the plight of the student in view of the demands and difficulties encountered in the professional journey. Having a broader prior glimpse of the professional journey ahead of the novice nurse presents the mentor with a rare vantage view of the challenges likely to stand in the way of a successful experience in the profession. In light of the experience gained, the mentor is aware of the predicaments of the novice and takes the best position of a guide to aspiring learners. Having an understanding of the professional terrain presents the mentor with all tools needed to raise the preparedness of the novice nurse for the profession. Empathy as a trait entails taking a deeper role of understanding and associating with the challenge of the studies ahead of the young learner. In offering support to the novice nurse, the perspective taken by the mentor by associating and relating well with the challenge assists in raising the morale and focus of the student. An empathetic mentor owns up the scene and feels to be in a similar position with the learner despite being ahead in the profession. Successful mentoring requires that the student feels appreciated in interpretation of the psychological demand of the challenges, and the supporter comes to terms with the level of understanding experienced by the student (Morton-Cooper and Palmer 1999). Whereas many guidance providers may offer sympathy and leave certain aspects of support unattended based on loose familiarization with the challenges, the mentor is expected to be empathetic and offer closer understanding. By descending to the level of the student’s view with a perfect familiarity with the challenge, the empathetic mentor reinstates self-belief in the novice nurse (Bachkirova and Jackson 2011, p135). Empathy brings back faith to the learner since the learning process is directly related to personal perceptions about their abilities and how appreciated the environment makes them feel. In an enabling environment, the nursing learner obtains the appropriate facilitation by feeling that the challenges ahead of them in their learning process are acknowledged and psychological support given. The exact psychological needs of the student may be elusive to many support givers due to the missing link for a successful acknowledgment of the magnitude of burden borne by the novice (Clark, Jasper & West, 2007). However, in the case of a student with a professional mentor, novice nurses obtain the appropriate appreciation and assurance regarding the profession. Being empathetic captures the best ambition oriented motivation and belongingness for the student and it raises the stakes for the student to be a successful professional. In conclusion, it is important for the mentor to embrace various student sharpening qualities that consist largely of psychological boosters as well as other forms of teaching theory support. Among the most pivotal contributions and qualities needed by a mentor for appropriate nurturing outcomes, confidence, assertiveness, and empathy are highly important (Clarke, Corkin and Liggett 2012, p87). Mentors qualities provide the needed balance between student and professional lives that characterize the novice nurse. Balancing professional mentorship in the nursing industry may call for a higher standard of support in various demands that it has, which dictates that the mentor must embrace a professional approach in offering mentorship. Poor performance by the mentor may fail the student by lack of appropriate nurturing and support towards a professional experience with the desired features. The mentor must at all times sustain a professional relationship with the student for the desired results to be obtained (Wilkes 2006, p43). References Aston, L. & Hallam, P. (2011) Successful Mentoring in Nursing, Exeter, UK: Learning Matters. Bachkirova, T., & Jackson, P. (2011) Coaching and Mentoring Supervision: Theory and Practice supervision in Context, New York, NY: Open University Press. Burnard, P. & Newell, R. (2006) Vital notes for nurses: research for evidence-based practice, Oxford, UK: Blackwell. Clark, T., Jasper, M. & West, S. (2007) Enabling Learning in Nursing and Midwifery Practice: A Guide for Mentors, Oxford, UK: Wiley Blackwell Nursing and Midwifery Council 201. Clarke, S., Corkin, D., & Liggett, L. (2012) Care Planning in Children and Young People’s Nursing, West Sussex, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Elcock, K. & Sharples, K. (2011) Mentoring Challenges. In Elcock, K. & Sharples, K. (Eds), A Nurse's Survival Guide to Mentoring, New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone. Gopee, N. (2011) Mentoring and Supervision in Healthcare (2nd Edition), Coventry, UK: Sage Publications Ltd. Hinchcliff, S. (ed) (2004) Learning and Teaching In Practice. In Hinchcliff, S. (Ed) The Practitioner as Teacher, (4th Edition), London, UK: Churchill Livingstone. 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