Professional development and the role of mentorship - Essay Example

Introduction The major objective of education is to empower with knowledge that facilitates effective decision making for optimal outcome. It also equips them with personal and professional competencies so that they are able to deliver the expected outcome with higher efficiency. But most importantly, the moral and ethical considerations become hugely vital factors while applying the accrued knowledge within and across one’s personal and professional life. The teachers and mentors, as such, emerge as major facilitators for learning processes within the academia for students of all levels extending from children to the students of higher learning (Megginson et al., 2006). The paper would therefore, be discussing the key enabling factors that contribute to the effectiveness of the mentors. 2. Description of mentors Walsh (2010) asserts that successful mentors are those that foster growth and development in others. Indeed, within the broader precinct of education, mentors can be defined as guides and advisors in the learning process. Various scholars are of the view that mentors provide enabling environment to students in practice setting (Carnwell et al., 2007). Mentoring is core aspect of healthcare profession that serves as critical linkage in forging constructive relationships and developing skills and competencies of individuals to improve and improvise their performance. Department of Health (2001:6) describes it as ‘nurse, midwife or health visitor who facilitates learning, supervises and assesses students in the clinical setting’. As such, mentors identify and evaluate core competencies of students and help exploit them for improved performance. It is especially true for pre-registration of healthcare workers and RNs so that they are better equipped to face the challenges of the times. Hence, effective mentoring guides young nursing professionals to identify and develop their competencies for higher healthcare delivery. Role of mentor is critical aspect in the transition of students into the registered healthcare professional due to huge shift to responsibility and accountability of the changing position. Gopee (2011: 9) claims that role of mentor in nursing education is to ‘direct focus on enabling students to gain safe and effective clinical practice skills during practice placement’. He has broadened the framework of mentorship by not only expanding on the definition of DH and including the mandatory qualification and experience of registered nurses as defined by NMC but also by elaborating on the expected roles of mentors within clinical setting with context specific experience and qualifications. NMC (2008) describes eight major roles of mentors: preceptor; assessor; clinical educator; clinical supervision; clinical supervisor; Practice teacher; registrant, supervisor. Preceptor has basic minimum qualification of twelve months’ experience who facilitates students’ transition to registrant (DH, 2010). These have therefore becomes vital aspects of mentors. The assessor is equipped with essential skills and knowledge to assess students’ competencies. The Clinical educators, clinical supervision and clinical supervisor help the nursing students to enhance their skills in clinical setting through effective feedback. 3. Importance of mentoring Carlisle et al., (2009) emphasize that mentors’ role as practice education facilitator (PEF in short) and personal or link tutor is vital in nursing paradigm. They have described them as teacher in nursing and midwifery who encourage students learning experiences in practice setting by assessing their skills through feedback, guidance and reflective practices. Personal tutor and link tutor are often allocated to individual students to monitor their progress and coordinate with mentors on a regular basis. In healthcare education, link tutors have evolved as essential components of practice sessions. They pace their teaching as per the students’ competencies in terms of their learning experience and achievable goals so that their transition is smooth to professional nurse registrant. In nursing perspective, nurse-client relationship is vital aspect of effective healthcare delivery (Chitty, 2007). Passmore (2006) further affirms that mentoring facilitates high standard of legal, ethical and moral consideration within the framework of nursing paradigms. Consequently, it helps sharpen mentee’s professional expertise and encourages decision making based on informed choices. Thus, it directly influences the growth and development of pre-registered health workers and nurses and helps them evolve into empathetic and empowered professionals. From the wider perspective of Gopee’s description of mentors, they serve as exemplary example and help inculcate strong ethical and moral considerations within the healthcare profession. By observing and sharing experiences in dealing with practical difficulties, mentees or students evolve as better professionals. Indeed, successful mentors motivate students towards higher professional achievement and personal growth. Barnett (2008) says that concept of peer mentorship is hugely beneficial as it provides the students with more leeway due to their relationship. As peer group they are less formal and more approachable as mentors whereas the traditional mentors with huge experience and authority are intimidating to young learners who are unable to share their doubts or ask questions. Thus, peer mentorship is encouraged in early stages so that students can actively seek support. One of most pertinent aspect of successful mentoring is that it evaluates and monitors nurse students’ responses in clinical setting. The contextual feedback helps them to gain practical knowledge and acquire skills that that not only improve their clinical competencies but also their communication with patients and their families and carer. They promote skills for critical thinking to assess their perceived diagnosis and care related responses. Effective mentors also help students cultivate better socio-psychological skills for the given clinical scenario. They motivate young professionals to cultivate cross cultural understanding for improved patient care (Dogra & Wass, 2006). Furthermore, Ryles (1999) believes that strong mentoring empowers nursing students and helps them to integrate a holistic approach by promoting physical, mental and social well-being of the patients and ethically delivered care to medically sick people. Hence, effective mentoring becomes vital ingredient of nursing education. Hawkins and Shohet (2006) assert that supervisors as mentors are hugely pertinent as they help mentees to become more understanding, compassionate and capable so as to improve the quality of healthcare services delivery. Thus, students require support and supervision in learning practice to become confident, efficient and empowered so that they can deal with myriad issues within the fast transforming medical and social environment. 4. Traits and attributes of successful mentors Bayley and Bayliss-Pratt (2010) assert that UK government recognizes the importance of mentors and therefore provides preceptors to all new nurses to help them in their transition to become dedicated registrants. The various traits and attributes of successful mentors therefore, become key linkages in the learning processes of the newly registrant nurse. Indeed, mentors with leadership initiatives not only help exploit individual competencies of the mentee within the broader scope of practice setting, they also help them to develop into conscientious professional with integrity, ethics and responsible behaviour. Sullivan & Decker (2009) assert that good mentorship is critical aspect of developmental learning for health professionals as it upholds the welfare of the patients, carer and the medical fraternity at large. Some of the major characteristics of successful mentors can be described as under. 4.1 Effective communication Communication skills of successful mentors go beyond the precinct of mentor-mentee relationship and encompass socio-psychological analysis that includes authoritative and facilitative intervention (Freshwater & Stickley, 2004). It is one of the most important skills of a good mentor because it can help resolve personal, educational and work related problems of the student nurses and facilitate better bonding with them. Effective communication promotes cross cultural understanding so that one can appropriately interact with clients/ patients of diverse cultures and encourages mutual confidence and trust building. As good communicators, they disseminate knowledge effectively across new registrants who may differ in their intellect and grasping power (Hurley, 2008; Hand, 2006). Most importantly, it helps them to increase the comfort level of learners in practice session and helps them to gain skills with more understanding and zeal. 4.2 Role model Bandura’s social learning theory emphasizes that students’ horizon of knowledge considerably expands through the observation of one’s role model (Bandura, 1997). Mentors as role model teach through self-example. Students tend to emulate their role model who inspire them and instils self confidence in them. It is especially relevant in the context of multi-cultural society where it has become imperative to learn to interact with each other without racial prejudice. They learn to develop attitude and behaviour which is conducive for a mutually benefiting and especially true in nursing paradigm where patients come from diverse society. Furthermore, mentors need to set high standard of ethics and value that mentees can adopt. 4.3 Non judgmental Mentors need to be non-judgmental mainly as they are dealing with students in transition who require their support in developing into effective health workers (Girvin, 1998). It would help inspire mentee to be innovative in his/her inputs and allow him/her to reflect and improve. Mentor’s non-judgmental attitude greatly promotes feedback that help the students to identify their strength and weaknesses so that they can work on them to excel in their area of expertise. 4.4 Resource facilitator Mentors are major resource facilitators of expert knowledge in defined area (Cassidy, 2009). Hence, their support and input into clinical setting is immensely helpful in the growth and development of nurse students into highly efficient professional in the area of healthcare. As resource facilitator, he is better able to challenge the competencies of mentees for higher achievement and help evolve new visions of greater competency and success. 4.5 Honest and trustworthy These are the characteristics which inculcate trust and relationship building. The personal and professional bonding between mentor and mentee is fundamentally based on honesty and trust that reveals true intentions of the mentors towards mentee (Caldwell & Wilkes, 2008). It provides mentee with positive feedback that discusses both his strength and weakness so that mentee can grow overall. 4.6 Promotes relationship building This is vital perspective of mentors who encourage relationship building (Dowie, 2008). Within the healthcare sector, the nurse-patient relationship is of utmost importance. Mentors encourage relationship building in practice setting so that it can have wider ramifications on positive nurse-client relations at later stage. 4.7 Flexible and approachable Duffy (2007) believes that mentors must be approachable with flexible approach so that students can discuss their problems and issues. An open approach is motivating and invites students to seek advice without the fear of recriminations. It therefore promotes higher learning and acquisition of skills that are designed to overcome the conflicts of the situation with ease. 4.8 Patience with Strong listening skills Mentors should also have patience and listening skills that encourage students to confide (Beskine, 2009). This helps to generate new ideas and promotes leadership initiatives in nurse students. Most importantly, strong listening skills hugely facilitate students to recognize their core competencies and explore new areas of interests. Mentors should make himself/herself available to mentee when they need him/her so that mentees are constantly motivated to learn new things. 4.9 Needs to have strong knowledge base and good teaching skills Mentors with strong knowledge base and good teaching skills have higher success rates as they are better equipped to offer advice and guidance on areas of expertise (Ali & Panther 2008). It also allows students to learn through experience, giving them opportunity to experiment with new ideas. 4.10 Promotes critical thinking Successful mentors promote critical thinking because paradoxes are intrinsic part of all situations (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 1995). In healthcare industry, the changing dynamics of advancing knowledge, transforming culture and changing values constantly require people to be open to new ideas. Bandman and Bandman (1988: 5) assert that critical thinking encourages ‘rational examination of ideas, inferences, assumptions, principles, arguments, conclusions, issues, statements, beliefs and actions’. As such, it helps analyse paradoxes of modern medicine and looks for new perspectives and help evolve new options. Good mentors encourage critical thinking in young registrants to generate new options and test new ideas for higher achievement. Thus, it can emerge as major strategy for effective mentorship to empower mentee with knowledge and help them make decisions based on informed choices. 5. Conclusion The effectiveness of mentors is hugely supported by the characteristics and attributes as exhibited by them. The successful mentors not only help the nurse students to assess their clinical abilities and improve their nursing competencies but also serve as drivers for their creativity and visionary outlook. Welfare of the patients is central to the nursing profession and mentors help to fulfil this core principle of nursing. Trust and confidence building with the patients is developed when mentees apply professional skills and use informed choice and understanding in the healthcare delivery. One can therefore say that successful mentors foster growth and development in mentees. (words: 2077) Reference Ali PA, Panther W. (2008). Professional development and the role of mentorship, Nursing Standard, 35-39. Bandman, E.L. and Bandman, B. (1988) Critical thinking in nursing, Norwalk (CT): Appleton & Lange. Bandura, A. (1997) Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W H Freeman and Company. Barnett, J. E. (2008) Mentoring, boundaries, and multiple relationships: Opportunities and challenges. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 16, 2008: 3–16. Bayley, Maggie and Bayliss-Pratt, Lisa. 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