I was tasked to do a reflection on the different obstacles that I have experienced as a co-mentor in my department. I am going to use the Gibb’s reflective cycle which includes different stages of reflection. In this manner, a thorough examination of the experience will determine ways of improving areas with shortcomings (Oxford Brookes University, 2013). DESCRIPTION Thave been regarded as a senior staff, thus being allocated to co-mentor new starters. I was briefed by the PDT that my mentee will be working with me in the general surgery cluster after her five-week orientation program.
I had a discussion with the mentee along with the main mentor to assess her level of insight in theatre nursing, explore her expectations of the orientation program, set rules and objectives, implement learning strategies and undertake a practice-based assessment at the end of the module. She was given tasks to observe different surgeries, have hands-on training as a scrub nurse, rationalise techniques and to feedback what has transpired at the end of the shift.
Winter (1998) believed that mentors are ought to share to the learners whatever knowledge and skills they have acquired from previous learning. He also added that experience is not something we should store and retrieve like data, but rather, it should be shared like a story. I also let them perform different roles inside the theatre with guided supervision. The environment plays a vital role for effective mentoring since it assists learning through involvement (Emanuel, 2013). At first I was skeptical if I will be able to fulfill my role as a comentor.
I felt overwhelmed because as a staff in the department, I also have roles to fulfill and this became an obstacle to address. According to an article by Veeramah (2012), it was found out that less time and conflict between the roles of healthcare practitioner and a mentor are the most common reasons for mentoring to fail. Eventually, I became more confident in guiding my mentees throughout the experience. Although, there were times in which I had to make time for them after every list and it made me feel stressed.
In the end, it felt rewarding and satisfying that I was able to to meet their objectives and impart my knowledge and skills to my mentees. EVALUATION The mentorship experience was a difficult task but I am glad | was able to meet the needs of both my mentees and my role in the department. I also had support from my colleagues which gave me motivation to push through. Time should be spent to ensure thorough assessment is made as hurried meetings have been suggested to be of less value (Bedford et al 2003).
There were times that I needed to catch up and find time with my mentee due to time constraints especially from my role as a staff member in my department. Phillips et al (2000) believed that the discussion regarding a student assessment should be pre-arranged and prioritised to avoid the student feeling like an added burden. In this context I see to it that at the end of every shift we utilised the Practice-Based Assessment (PBA) portfolio of my mentee so that we l am guided accordingly on what are the areas of learning that needs to be addressed.
The portfolio consisted of the mentee’s own assessment and the mentor’s evaluation during an initial and late phase of the exposure to ensure ongoing progress of learning. A framework of communication among parties encompasses the most important tool in developing an effective mentor to trainee relationship (Straus et. al. , 2013). ANALYSIS The experience made me realised the importance of having the necessary skills to guide and mentor individuals and to be prepared for it especially in overcoming problems along the way.
One significant obstacle of effective mentoring involves the lack of trainings and updates of mentors (Veeramah, 2012). Mentors need constant in-service trainings in order to develop their interpersonal skills and knowledge. In addition to that, according to NMC (2015), it is important to offer a hand to colleagues in developing their professionalism and competence. The NMC (2015) further includes the significance of sharing knowledge and skills among students and newly qualified staff members in order to cultivate their professional development.
Helping one another should include everyone in the department regardless of their status in cultivating their career paths. As a co-mentor with my students, this is a part of my responsibilities as a staff nurse in my department. CONCLUSION Reflecting back on my experience, I should have been more prepared so that the learning experience of my mentees would have been more structured and fluent. I should have allotted more time in planning so that I could be able to see the learning objectives more clearly and precisely.
The Scottish Social Services Council (2014) cited that setting up goals and planning how to attain them at the very beginning is crucial for an effective mentorship program. I found out that I need to improve my interpersonal skills as I interacted with my mentees and to effectively manage my time. There were busy shifts and there was little time allotted for learning. Limited time is one of the main barriers in mentorship since it takes away learning opportunities (Myall, M. , Levett-Jones, T. and Lathlean, J. , 2007).
This will help me ensure that my mentoring will be more effective and they will definitely learn and enjoy the experience. ACTION PLAN In the future, I will read more sources on effective mentorship on journals and current evidenced-based practice. I will pursue more mentorship course in my department. This will help develop my skills and competence as a mentor. I will consider this as my learning experience and consult my senior mentors in order to develop effective strategies that will be beneficial for me in the days to come as a staff nurse in my department.
