Establishing effective relationships.

Rosie arrived in our clinical area on time. Our Team Leader told her that I would be her mentor, supervised by an experienced mentor. I welcomed Rosie, even though I was not informed prior to commencing placement that I would be her mentor. I introduced myself and my colleagues. I gave her the students’ Orientation Pack and showed her the toilets and the kitchen. I explained the plan for the day an antenatal clinic in the morning and some postnatal visits in the afternoon.

I asked Rosie if there was anything she needed to concentrate on or any skills she wanted to ‘revise’ or perfect but she could not think of anything.

I asked her if she was confident to ‘lead’ the antenatal appointments and she said she would shadow me as it was her first day. Feelings I felt disappointed in Rosie. Her communication was so good but her confidence in her clinical skills was not what I would have hoped for in a second-year student.

Evaluation I felt I started mentoring Rosie well by welcoming her and introducing her to the team and work environment. These activities are an important aspect of the initiation phase of the mentor/mentee relationship .

Gopee (2015) stresses the importance of making the student feel part of the team and the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Standards for Learning and Assessment in Practice (2008) begins with establishing effective working relationships. Maslow (1970) and Rogers (1981) emphasize the value of creating a physical and psychological level of ease for the student to progress.

Get quality help now

Sweet V

Verified

Proficient in: Communication

4.9 (984)

“ Ok, let me say I’m extremely satisfy with the result while it was a last minute thing. I really enjoy the effort put in. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

I think that having done that, I will be able to work well with Rosie I now wish that I had found time to read her PAD and see what previous mentors felt about her skills competence.

Rosie appeared to feel at ease in our clinical area after her introductions and orientation. The importance of feeling valued by colleagues is well documented and leads to an effective working relationship. Had I read her PAD first, I would have had a better background knowledge of Rosie’s strengths and weaknesses which would have helped me to help her to progress more quickly. Walsh (2014) emphasizes the importance of getting to know the student’s abilities and needs at the start of a placement.

I welcomed Rosie to the clinical environment and orientated her and provided an induction pack to help her settle into the placement. I will use the student’s PAD’s and become familiar with all documentation to ensure I complete the required documentation at the beginning of a placement. I will discuss with the student what they would like to achieve during the placement and complete a Learning Contract to support this. I will ensure that being aware of the students that are allocated to me before they arrive on the ward, so I am prepared.