Mentorship Management and Ward free essay sample

Due to confidentiality i will name my clinical environment James ward. It is a 1-beded mixed ward that benefits from an adequate level of qualified staff that are approachable and values student’s personal initiation and involvement in educationally valuable activities. The Gibbs (1988) reflective framework will be used. There are journals and access to a computer, linked to the internet, which can be accessed by students for research on assigned topics, as part of their learning contract. The ward manager provides a secure and effective leadership, enabling student’s supernumerary status to be honoured. Furthermore, the placement facilities are validated through an annual audit to evaluate and improve the learning environment for students. According to Schon (2005), In line with good practice, students posted to the ward are immediately allocated with a mentor, who orientates them to their new environment to help them be familiarised with the physical surroundings during the initial meeting. We will write a custom essay sample on Mentorship: Management and Ward or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The ward has a student pack containing details about the client group, philosophy of card and relevant policy documents and procedures including dressing code, attitude to work, punctuality and confidentiality issues which is always provided to help student settle on the ward. Also, staff have a good timekeeping attitude, good communication and interpersonal skills, which will enables me to interact effectively with students during their time on the ward. The team of professionals are keen to learn research and share new knowledge that will help to disseminate evidenced-based information to learner and colleagues. Constructive criticism is taken in good fate at all times which will enable students to address areas of concern and improve my personal and professional knowledge therefore there is an opportunity of having experienced nurses, managerial support as well as professional guidelines from both the government and NMC which students can fall upon for assistance in order to stay focused on their programme. Students are assessed on medication management particularly administration of IM Depot Injections, admission and Nursing Assessment of Clients. Inter-professional Working (will attend a ward round and CPA meeting to observe individual professionals at work and their contribution in various client care management), leadership and management Skills ( to have a clear understanding of how material and human resources are managed on the ward for a successful outcome . This creates an atmosphere of learning for the student in order to meet his/her learning outcomes. Students are also supervised by all members of the MDT whose roles are highlighted to help create a broader awareness of holistic client care. A learning contract is always formulated with students to specify expected outcomes, timeline, and means of support among others, Watson (2004). The contract helps students to take responsibility for their own learning. Students are also scheduled to work regular shift with their mentors. Regular feedback from mentors as well as the MDT is also give to help address of concern before end of student placements. Both formative and summative assessment and evaluations are also done to determine the student’s learning achievement and progress during placement. I facilitated and supported the learning of a student under the supervision of a placement mentor. This experience was in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the preparation for mentorship training and provided evidence for learning achieved in practice. Considering that learning environment can only be effective if staff were competent with up-to date practice, I will continued to take part in learning activities and keep up to date with my knowledge and skills to maintain my competency and performance (NMC 2004). I also facilitated learning opportunities by ensuring that the ward environment meets the national standard outlined by the high education institutes and placement providers. If the situation arose again, I will familiarised myself with the policies of the unit, implement comprehensive teaching plans to meet individual learners needs and adopt a team approach to mentoring and monitoring the learners progress, Stuart (2003). I will also continued to seek protected time and clinical supervision and took a lead in ensuring that the annual audit of the learning environment is conducted to improve the learning opportunities for students. Despite the above strengths however, mentoring on the ward is sometimes hampered by workload, particularly clinical documentation and client care. This creates insufficient time with students. Frequent authorised and unauthorised absenteeism coupled with lack of committed associated mentors also impedes the mentoring on the ward. It is important that students are encouraged to develop new ideas, understanding and skills to enhance my ability to facilitate future nursing practice through better understanding of factors that influences the integration of new practitioners into practice settings. There is also lack of managerial support for mentors such as allocation of time to prepare for students. When these are solved, mentorship on the ward will be moved forward and make it a richer experience for learners. Also, the excessive nursing documentation on the ward coupled with course work, means that there will be a lot of paperwork to handle and less time for privacy and personal issues.