Innovation
“Build your own Mentor”. A student led teaching seminar during the Mentorship Conference at Edinburgh Napier University.
Students were encouraged to participate in the preparation and education of clinical mentors. This gave students the opportunity to actively influence how mentors are prepared to support students in practice. It also allowed students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in learning and teaching.
What prompted innovation?
- Feedback from student evaluation and reflection highlighted a range of experiences students were having with mentors in clinical practice. Following in depth discussion in a variety of forums the students and personal tutor explored some of the key points discussed and it was decided to develop a short presentation for the Mentorship Conference.
- Four senior student midwives volunteered to prepare the material and present at the conference. This was a positive and empowering experience for the students who had volunteered. Between May and August 2012 the students held meetings and sought the views and experiences of other cohorts of midwifery students. Support and guidance was given by the personal tutor during this initiative and the students were asked to design their own mentor using an interactive framework.
- The students not only produced an excellent presentation discussing what they expect from a mentor, but took it a step forward and came up with the idea to produce two short films showcasing examples of good and bad mentor qualities and the impact this has on the student experience in practice (the students acted the parts themselves and were worthy of an Oscar).
What makes innovation different?
- This was a very influential innovation that had a huge impact on mentors attending the conference as it gave the students the opportunity to have a ‘voice’ in a supported environment, which was demonstrated through role play on the film clips. The student led presentation was engaging and powerful.
- The visual role play of the experiences that had been encountered by some students resulted in an interactive discussion that enabled mentors to stand back and objectively reflect on their experiences of supporting students in practice. Evaluations collected following the conference supported this.
- Mentors valued the student perspective and highlighted the impact that mentors can have on positive or negative learning experiences and the barriers and difficulties students have moving through different placement areas.
- Subsequently these short films and the student stories have been utilised in mentor training sessions and mentorship preparation programmes to raise awareness of positive and negative mentoring experiences within the university and in clinical practice areas.
Changes in practice
- It has raised mentor awareness of student perspectives and has enabled Link Lecturers to explore mentoring values and attitudes in various clinical areas.
- Utilising the short film and student presentation has been a new and exciting method of interacting with mentors in practice and has increased the understanding of the challenges students are faced with when engaging with different mentors in a variety of practice areas. This supports a development of understanding in the clinical learning environment of the impact that positive or negative mentoring can have in engaging and supporting students in placement.
- It has enabled mentors and students to share their thoughts and feelings, and work towards an environment where students and mentors can share their opinions, building professional relationships and mutual respect.
Impact
- Mentor feedback from the conference highlighted the impact that the student voices had on them personally and raised their awareness of many issues that they had not considered.
- This will now be evaluated following mentor study days over the next 12 months.
- Student evaluation will be undertaken to determine if this has made any difference to the student experience.
Dissemination
- The films and presentations have been utilised during mentor study days and mentorship support within the clinical areas by university link lecturers within midwifery clinical areas.
- The films have been showcased on the Edinburgh Napier University, Mentor Centre and can be accessed by all fields of nursing, mentors in practice across NHS Lothian, NHS Borders, NHS Fife and NHS Forth Valley