Role of the Mentor.
A mentor is a midwife, health visitor or nurse who in the clinical setting, supervises and assesses students. Mentors are practitioners who are current in their field of practice with up to date skills and knowledge in this practice setting. A mentor is not only there to facilitate the students learning but to guide and support them during the clinical placements. This in turn requires the mentor to be a skilled experienced practitioner, possessing good communication skills, teaching ability and the maturity to be responsible for the student’s development.
Becoming a Mentor
To become a mentor the registrant must have completed an NMC approved mentor preparation programme. Long standing Mentors will hold varying qualifications, which have enabled them to act as mentors (previously referred to as assessors). These qualifications may include ENB 998/997, City & Guilds 730, and Higher Education Institutes (University) level 5 and 6 mentorship courses. Nurses must be qualified for a year before they become mentors (NMC 2006).
Mentorship Updates
Southampton University is the main Higher Education establishment that places pre–registration nursing students with Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust. Southampton University in partnership with the Trust offers annual mentorship updates within the Organisation. See dates for Updates on this web site.
QA Hospital Dates
8th May 2013
24th May 2013
27th June 2013
Wednesday 10th July 2013- 14.00 – 15.00 Room 9– Education Centre, E Level, QAH
Thursday 18th July 2013 14.00-15.00 Room 5– Education Centre, E Level, QAH
Thursday 5th September 2013– 14.00-15.00 Room 5– Education Centre, E Level, QAH
Thursday 19th September 2013 - 14.00-15.00 Room 9- Education Centre, E Level, QAH
Friday 18th October 2013 - 14.00-15.00 Room 9 - Education Centre, E Level, QAH
Monday 11th November 2013 - 13.00-14.00 Room 4 - Education Centre, E Level, QAH
Thursday 28th November 2013 - 14.00-15.00 Room 10 - Education Centre, E Level, QAH
A place on the annual update can be booked via ESR
Who needs to attend the Southampton University Mentor Updates?
The updates are targeted at health professionals who mentor pre-registration nursing students. The sessions cover wider issues of mentoring and guidance from the University. Mentors must attend an annual face to face update to discuss managing students in challenging situations and to be updated on any curriculum changes. Managers are expected to release staff to attend the updates and attendance is entered on to ESR. Mentors also need to ensure as part of the updating process required by the NMC that a triennial review form is completed every 3 years at APDR by their manager. Link to Triennial Review Form.
Why do mentors need updates?
The updates will keep mentors aware of any up and coming changes in student assessment and NMC guidelines on mentorship. More importantly the NMC expect mentors to have updates to reflect about experiences of mentoring, and to explore as a group the validity and reliability of judgments made when assessing practice in challenging circumstances. Mentors that have not attended an update or mentored a student for a long period should try to attend an update as soon as possible as updates are invaluable sessions for you, the mentors, to gain advice and information .
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