Nurse Mentor Role among Underachieving Students - Essay Example

NURSE MENTOR ROLE AMONG UNDERACHIEVING Nurse Mentor Role among Underachieving Introduction Underachievement among students has witnessed notable attention in research, especially among talented and gifted students. Here, it is the role of nurse mentors to explore the different reasons that contributing to underachievement and the best ways in which this issue can be addressed. It is vital to try determining whether the underachievement witnessed in a student results from serious cognitive, physical, or emotional issues (Duffy 2009). It is also essential to determine whether the gap that prevails between a school environment and students as well as personal traits including low self-efficacy, self-regulation, or low self-motivation contribute to underperformance. Here, nurse mentors are supposed to come up with appropriate strategies for intervening to address the areas where a student portrays weaknesses (Cottrell 2013). By differentiating the treatments to facilitate in addressing the needs of underachievers, it would be possible to start addressing the problem attributed with underachievement in both the society and schools (Duffy 2007). For instance, there are diverse forces that lead to underachievement among students. This creates a need to adopt interventions for reversing the effects of underachievement. Instructional interventions and counselling are among the key strategies that nurse mentors can adopt to deal with the issue (Cooper and Gosnell 2014). Various counselling interventions lay emphasis on altering the family or personal dynamics, which lead to underachievement by a student. These interventions may target family, group, or individual mentoring. In diverse mentoring instances, a nurse mentor should refrain from forcing a student to become a successful. Rather, the mentor should focus on helping the student to determine whether success is a valuable goal, creating room for changing counterproductive behaviour (Brown, et al. 2012). Furthermore, a major instructional intervention that has been noted to play a major role in assisting underachieving students is placing them part-time to special classrooms. In these designated environments, mentors aim at providing the students with an appealing environment by altering the customary classroom environment. Usually, small ration between the student and the mentor prevails where the mentors can offer mentoring services and choice for exercising control and freedom in their environment. Here, the students are encouraged to utilize diverse learning strategies as well as adopt self-directed behaviour (Cooper and Gosnell 2014). Thus, this paper will depict the role that a nurse mentor should play in supporting and managing underachieving students. Nurses’ Role in Mentoring According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), a mentor refers to a registrant who after completing an NMC programme for an approved mentor or any other similar programme receives the accreditation from AIE (Approved Educational Institute) as meeting the requirements of a mentor. Here, he is considered as having attained the appropriate knowledge, competence and skills needed to meet the anticipated outcomes (NHS 2015). A mentor needs to have the required willingness to agree with the mentee’s learning objectives. He should also be in a position to address their educational requirements, explore options, identify weaknesses and strengths, encourage reflection, offer a challenging relationship, and serve as a challenger (Miltenberger 2015). The role of the mentor is to ensure that they understand the assessment process regarding incompetence or competence as well as defend the decisions made concerning the students in question. Furthermore, it is vital for mentors to note that assessment plays a vital role in the learning process of a student (Macmillan Journals 2004). They are required to offer support to students by availing an interpersonal relationship as well as assess and judge their level of proficiency. In line with The Code (2008), mentors are required to support their students to allow them meet professional needs. He serves as a role model willing to assist in developing clinical competence through the provision of honesty, support, reflective communication, appraisal, and serve as a key friend (Cottrell 2013). A mentor denotes the roles that a registered nurse plays in supervising, supervising learning, and assessing the performance of students. A mentor is supposed to portray competence while in practice. He can achieve this by completing and implementing eight fields and outcomes. These are considered compulsory competencies that dictate the duties of a mentor. Competencies are key elements while practicing mentorship and availing evidence that a mentor possesses the essential skills for assessing and teaching students (Jernigan 2010). A mentor also needs to understand the diverse requirements to emerge successful while serving as a mentor after reaching the standard essential for registration. Mentors are supposed to ensure that their students understand what is expected of them during the learning process. They also participate in the respective activities the students engage in, offering a supportive environment for learning. Helping learners identify as well as accomplish their learning needs as well as objectives (Cooper and Gosnell 2014). They do this by ensuring that students successfully complete the number of mentor hours required. In addition, mentors should ensure they take part in summative and formative assessments as well as evaluation of learning by students in clinical practice, this ensures that they accomplish diverse clinical capabilities (Duffy 2007). While aiming to address their demanding duties, mentors encounter diverse challenges. These range from time limitations, student teaching and patient care dual duties, mentor’s personality, high workload, level of learning of students, mentor student number, and degree of commitment needed. Other limitations that mentors encounter include knowledge concerning the theoretical learning aspect, methods of assessment, and means of offering appropriate feedback. Hence, mentorship serves as a key part in the role in of an experienced nurse (Vlok 2011). Basic education that nurses go through should furnish the nurses starting their careers with knowledge, skills, as well as judgment to exercise effective, safe, and ethical nursing care. Since mentorship is a self-regulatory occupation, it arranges the standards that should be followed to facilitate in educational training and attainment of credentials, which dictate that the profession is vital in assisting underachieving students (Silkworth, et al. 2005). Experienced nurses who operate as mentors play a key role in assisting the well and less experienced nursing practitioners to adapt to unusual conditions and the associated duties. Mentoring revolves around the establishment of lasting relationships, which plays a key role in helping pass insight, knowledge, and competencies. Mentoring is unlike preceptoring, which emphasizes on the development of short-term relationships to facilitate in teaching mere skills that enhance clinical supervision. Successful mentoring process demands notable personal commitment and time. In various cases, prevailing hospital staffs are the ones that adopt the nursing role (Melrose 2006). These are required to have sufficient skills and experience for operating in a hospital setting. Thus, the ultimate goal of mentoring underachieving students is to provide them with sufficient skills for coping with the major duties in their career efficiently. For the immersion process to succeed, it is vital to encompass hand-on and practical activities, which are expected of the students when they grate from school to pursue their professions (Natl 2009). For this to be successful, it is vital for the mentor and the learner to implement a meaningful relationship. When the relationship developed is based on partnership sense and respect, it becomes possible to enhance the learning of students and boost their performance (Neil 2011). Identifying Underachieving Students Signs of underachievement among students may be apparent at an early point in time. Here, mentors may at times develop instinctive feelings concerning underachieving students. This may pose challenges with regard to identifying their concerns clearly. Research reveals that it is a difficult task to identify an underachieving student, especially if he has attitude problems. A large number of attitude problems have been revealed by mentors in different aspects of their mentoring process. Thus, by discussing any form of instinctive feeling with an educator or mentor, it becomes possible to identify the incidents of underachievement to support the process (McIntosh, et al. 2010). Identifying and documenting concerns regarding underachieving students is vital in terms of getting early opportunities to facilitate in the mentoring process. The problems that prevail should not be ignored at any time. For instance, in case a student portrays lack of interest, it is vital for the mentor to take time and explore the diverse reasons leading to this state of affairs (Elliott, et al. 2013). Awareness is often affiliated with bringing change. Hence, early discussion may facilitate in prompting students to consider the practices they engage in, to facilitate satisfactory progress. When students made about their potential weak areas, they tend to appreciate the initiative (Reiss and Greene 2015). When a mentor is faced with an underachieving student, he may need to evaluate himself. Students are supposed to be clear concerning the expectations, although mentors may be forced to consider if the expectations they portray are realistic. This is because mentors portray different criteria for undertaking their assessment (Emmer, et al. 2013). Furthermore, reviewing assessment documentation is ideal in terms of confirming the different learning outcomes an underachieving student should attain. In this case, engaging in early discussions with educators and mentor colleagues facilitates in clarifying whether the anticipations of the clients are realistic or not. Additionally, whenever mentors identify that students are underachieving, it is their goal to review the institutions procedures for performing assessments (Rook, 2013). The underachieving students who fail to meet the clinical results need to be offered information concerning their performance without delay. They should also be offered way of making improvements, provided with a timeframe regarding when they are expected to improve their performance, as well as the potential consequences needed in case they fail to improve (Cooper and Gosnell 2014). Feedback Provision Ongoing feedback is vital with regard to assessing underachieving students. It is ideal even for those students who do not require mentoring. It serves as an avenue for monitoring performance as well as discussing the process. The prevailing assessment regulations provide students with opportunities for receiving timely feedback concerning their performance as well as attain the support and opportunity for correcting any behaviour regarded as inappropriate. They should also be notified concerning their performance if it fails to meet the criteria set for enhancing satisfactory performance (Price and Harrington, 2010). It is thus ideal to offer feedback to underachieving students on a regular basis to ensure that they realize the best chances for improving their performance during their interaction with mentors. In addition, it is ideal to embark on regular meetings, since they offer students a chance for reflecting concerning their performance. During such interactions, students and mentors may be in a position to identify weak areas to reflect improvement (Rigolosi 2013). While interacting with underachieving students, it is ideal for mentors to consider certain issues. For instance, the meetings they hold with students should be carried out in private areas, while ensuring that students are notified concerning the meeting. Interruptions should also be avoided, such as phone calls and ensuring that there is sufficient time for carrying out the meeting (Gopee 2011). Furthermore, when interacting with students, it is ideal to invite them to undertake either a written or verbal self-assessment. Formulating an action plan, identification of clear success evidence, formulation of learning objectives, identification of the needed skills and knowledge are also ideal in terms of ensuring that the interaction with underachieving students emerges successful (Kathleen 2003). A variety of investigative questions prevail with regard to addressing the diverse concerns with underachieving students. For instance, mentors may reconsider inviting their learners to analyse their performance or discuss a given issue. It is also ideal ton encourage students to assess themselves against the needed clinical outcomes (Mallik 2011). Here, you are supposed to ensure that you listen to the concerns of your students and acknowledge the opinions they make. You also need to address the feelings that students portray regarding failure or anger and then offer them a detailed response with certain examples. They should also provide the underachieving students with certain examples as well as document them (McIntosh, et al. 2010). Clinical assessment is a practice that has been subject to criticisms for its subjectivity. In case a student is underperforming, it is the role of a mentor to compare their performance with that of other students. Any form of feedback should be based on obvious anticipations pertaining to clinical performance as given in the case of clinical assessment rather than following hidden criteria (Cottrell 2013). Additionally, it is ideal to suggest a performance grade because this would offer sufficient information concerning the situations seriousness. It is also ideal to highlight the achievement of the students to facilitate in enhancing their self-esteem (Potts 2012). This makes it easy to focus on the negative aspects associated with underperformance. Students also tend to develop given the time they are in placement even if this does not adhere to the final standards needed for passing. Here, mentors should ensure they sustain positivity and remain supportive (Reiss and Greene 2015). Documenting Underachieving Students A number of researchers laid emphasis on the need to collect as well as document evidence in the event of an underachievement situation. A well-evidenced and clear report supports the decisions made by the assessor while allowing students’ protection degree against an underachievement. When evidence has been documented, it is vital to create a pattern for underachieving performance. In this case, it is essential to apply the principles affiliated with keeping of good records (Brown, et al. 2012). Mentors should ensure that documentation has facts, non-judgemental, identifies weaknesses and strengths, and incorporate examples when needed. Every feedback needs to be recorded offering details regarding supportive measures, which should be followed as well as the opportunities for learning to ensure that learners reach the practice level needed (Emmer, et al. 2013). The evidence regarding underachievement, which the mentor prepares should be based on observations concerning the practice by students. Mentors should ensure that they supervise learners about 40 percent of the time. The mentors should ensure that they support the students who are underperforming by devoting extra hours with them. Here, mentors would realize that it is ideal for them to have other members of the team in facilitating clinical observation (Rigolosi 2013). This may foster objectivity as well as reveal to the students the need for a fair evaluation. In case the mentees are given feedback by relatives or other patients and staff, they should inform their mentors regarding the opinion made (Price and Harrington 2010). Discussing the personal reflections regarding practice as well as facilitating for the examination of portfolio may facilitate in the process of making decisions. When introducing a specific decision, it is vital to ensure that the mistakes made serve as part of development and learning (Neil 2011). Need for Supporting Underachievers During the process of evaluating underachievement by students, mentors encounter doubts regarding whether they are performing the ideal thing. When managing underachieved assessments, it is ideal to acknowledge the feels and seek support when appropriate. When students are told they are underachieving, their mentors may feel angry and frustrated. Poor students frequently overestimate the performance they realize or encounter challenges when seeking insight concerning their weaknesses (Macmillan Journals 2004). This means that the supportive measures offered are difficult to recognise. The prevailing personal tutor, lecturer, or facilitator of the placement should be given sufficient information early to offer support to learners and mentors. Thus, by ensuring that they are present when the students are being offered their feedback, all the parties involved would realize the benefits (Elliott, et al. 2013). Mentors also need support during the documentation process pertaining to an underachievement situation. Seeking support provides mentors with an opportunity to provide clear, accurate, and well-evidenced report. Although managing underachieving learners may be a timing process, therefore, mentors should take their time in case they feel that interacting with line managers can offer them an opportunity to offer ideal support to students. This is because the students would feel inadequate and isolated; creating a need for more time to accord the students ideal support (Mallik 2011). Conclusion In a learning environment, it is appropriate to highlight the major areas of concern early. The students should be provided with opportunities to reveal that they have made some improvement. Written and verbal feedback is appropriate because underachieving students do not require the surprises presented by details of a mentor assessment. For the learners to pass, it is the role of mentors to ensure they are confident that their students are safe. This is especially ideal if they want to excel in their career. 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