The Role of Mentors during Placement Period - Essay Example

Placement exposure may involve normal shifts of 37.5 hours per week on different cases attended to by paramedics. The mentor is supposed to provide guidelines to help students interact well with other paramedics. This includes etiquette and dos and don’ts of the medical facility. There is usually a safety and legal requirement training session at the beginning of the placement period (Waskett, 2010). This includes induction training on relevant risks and safety issues experienced by paramedics.

Students are also supposed to fill a risk assessment form and submit it to the mentor. Continuous educational audits are conducted to provide evidence of clinical governance, which includes storage and handling of hazardous substances (O’Meara, 2006). Feelings The placement period is usually accompanied by high levels of mental and emotional pressure. Mentors help students cope with emotional and mental disturbances experienced in the field (Megginson et al, 2006). Students engage other paramedics during their shifts, which may cause straining.

Students respond to real health emergencies and they might develop fear from these experiences. It is the role of the mentor to help students overcome these feelings of fear and tension for efficiency during the placement period (Garvey, Stokes and Megginson, 2009). . Placement periods provide the student with an opportunity to build their self confidence and get connections with other professionals. Mentors help students interact well with other paramedics and build their confidence when dealing with patients.

A positive experience such as successful resuscitation of patients helps students build their self confidence (Topping and Ehly, 2001). Experiences such as successful rescue of patients make students appreciate their role in the society. In some cases, late arrival by paramedics may make patients lose their lives. Such experiences may have emotional effects such as stress on students (Barker, 2007). These experiences have a major role in the professional development of students. Analysis During the placement period, students undergo intense exposure and training, which makes them improve their skills (Sean and Ballesteros, 2001).

Patients with involved in fire incidents experience multiple burns and require special attention from paramedics. Placement students involved in these rescue operations require mental and physical preparedness through the assistance of their mentors (NAEP, 2009). During rescues, patients suffer from trauma, smoke chocking, and burns of various degrees. Patients may have breathing difficulties, and paramedics have to use first aid procedures such as mouth-to-mouth. Student paramedics require previous training under the supervision of their mentors.

In a fire incident, paramedics may be forced to rush and evacuate patients without following the correct procedures (Landy and Conte, 2010). This causes more injuries to patients and worsens their health conditions. Student paramedics panic due to such incidents and may carry out first aid procedures