Mentorship in Nursing: Developing Learning, Assessment and Instructing Approaches

This article discusses mentorship in nursing and how mentors can develop learning, assessment and instructing approaches to help underachieving students. It also covers the importance of the clinical learning environment and the application of learning theories in nursing education.

Running head: BACHELOR NURSING ASSIGNMENT 1
Bachelor Nursing Assignment
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Introduction
Mentorship is an establishment learning technique which is profitable to the mentee,
mentor along with the recruiting organization as a source of conveying the implicit
comprehension of the establishment. It is typically used and theorized differently in diverse
fields, and by cause of it, starters are unified into current societies of exercise in the organization.
However, mentorship in nursing is a distinct dedication that succeeded in institutional culture
and reinforced mentoring cooperation (Kroll, 2015). It is regarded vital for formulating, holding
along with appealing nursing facility affiliates and to sustain the exceptional education programs
quality (Luna, 2018).
The discussion is about a second year that has gone for a five week placement to a
healthcare facility for mentorship because he has been underachieving in his past placement. The
ambience of discussion will be on mentorship in nursing and the methods in which the mentor
can develop learning, assessment along with instructing approaches which will assist the student
to attain a prosperous result. Furthermore, it reveals the learning expectations along with
resources in the operation area to close the discussion with how the learning acquired can be
used in future practice by the mentor.
Discuss the underachieving student and the role of the mentor, identifying key qualities of
an effective mentor.
The underachieving student

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Student underachievement can be described as the continuous decline to achieve up to
sensible expectations which are built on the intrinsic learner abilities (Hall, 2017). These students
generally do not have the self-confidence to challenge and finish tasks; they work hard towards
an expected objective but lack perseverance, regard themselves as being substandard to their
colleagues and cannot also design and organize activities (Hogan, 2018). Majorly,
underachieving students feel immoderate agitation and are incompetent of managing their
tension. They demonstrate their apprehension to their mentor via going to them regularly and
displaying their concern.
Also, few underachieving students might attempt to point their existence through
becoming the mischief in the group hence fulfilling for the absence of self-reliance. There are
others who may be overlooked in the group by being invisible because they are shy to ask
queries and since they do not create a disturbance the mentor forgets them as they are quietly left
behind their colleagues (James, 2016). Finally, these students get discouraged and entirely give
up. Underachievement students score high in achievement tests together with aptitude but they
ignore class quizzes, and they might be lacking concentration because of several outside interests
other than studies. However, they may have the capability to comprehend concepts orally but
maybe not in a position to execute them overachievement or perfection.
The mentor has to associate his decision making procedure to the professional judgment
by carefully observing the student's character together with speaking to him or her personally
about his or her interests along with problems. Furthermore, there is a need to enhance emotional
intelligence and self-awareness among nursing students since they are essential applied and
speculative concepts which enable learners to persevere and perceive little tension hence
improving education. Emotional intelligence is accountable for problem-focused coping,

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pragmatic effect on well-being together with evident nursing proficiency but has an adverse
impact on the perceived stress. To embrace operational and dynamic approaches for controlling
stress augmented feelings of restraint together with emotional ability are crucial for nursing
students which elevates their comfort.
The role of the mentor and the key qualities of an effective mentor
A mentor is responsible for encouraging, supporting, teaching and explaining together
with supervision (MacLaren, 2018). For a mentor to help students to achieve he or she needs to
believe in their potentials and therefore mentorship is an effective, learner-centered and seriously
indicated operation. The mentors along with mentee share a reciprocal association for the
contentment and career achievements of both (Yun, Baldi & Sorcinelli, 2016). However, for the
mentoring association to be active, the mentee and mentor must share a relation of mutuality,
exact expectations from each other, individual network, shared values and mutual respect
(Ssemata, Gladding, John & Kiguli, 2017). However, the connection amidst the mentor and
mentee fails in an instance where there is no dedication, real competition or mentor’s experience,
communication and difference in interests and values (Barrett, Mazerolle & Nottingham, 2017).
Moreover, the mentor accesses the mentees’ analytical practice for registering.
Consequently, several mentors are inconsistent and reluctant in doing so more so when
evaluating unacceptable performance and time they find the assessments stressful, emotionally
challenging and intimidating in some instances. Mentors may also lack enough evaluation tools
or appropriate training for the same. The evaluation tools are sometimes imperfect in difficult
proofs to discover talents or are unrealistic. Although particular devices could be generated for

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assistance degree evaluation of respect, sensitivity, dignity, and empathy demonstrated in the
analytical setting is challenging to grade using these tools.
Therefore, mentors sometimes are obliged to pass insufficient students or having a
commendation judgment directed by the institution. Mentors decline to fail learners as they are
indecisive about their responsibility and presume that flunking low achievement is not part of
their duty. Therefore, this has averted the assurance of only capable and harmless professionals
gaining admissions to register for practice placing.
Identify learning style/s and their application to learning, teaching, and assessment of your
student.
Learning is not a change in character but an alteration in the thinking procedure, feeling,
and understanding of a student. There are three categories in which students can be classified
which include tactile or kinesthetic learners, visual learners, and auditory learners. An evaluation
has been conducted and found out that the learning style of an average student is 29 percent for
visual, 37 percent for haptic and 34 percent for auditory learners (Yeom, Choi-Lundberg, Fluck
& Sale, 2017). Auditory students are interested in verbal lecture, directives, and gestures; enjoy
debates, pictures, and language. They learn through talking aloud, listening and reading.
Moreover, they grasp and recall sounds, and they are also good with words and language.
Students who are active in auditory education spontaneously consume too much time while
going through a passage and therefore a learner has to give written along with verbal
specifications, use videos that enhance the written text, include complete group discussions, and
allow them record lectures (Muniandy & Shuib, 2016).

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Visual learners mostly study from visual demonstrations and desire in grasping the right
notes, remember information via the manner in which it was placed on a page. These learners
need to utilize presentations, charts, signs, pictures, displays, highlighting, diagrams, video
recordings, images, flowcharts, marking and placards. On the other hand, kinesthetic or tactile
learners learn through action, movement, and demonstration via touching (Khansari-Zadeh &
Khatib, 2017). These students mostly learn via hands-on practice, enjoy acting, chew gum or
snack whenever they are studying, move around when listening or talking and use movement as
memory help. When they are learning something new, they stand instead of sitting and they
don’t grasp a lot of what is taught in a lesson, perform perfectly with acting and have a
distasteful time relaxing and hearkening.
Furthermore, tactile learners experience inflated energy levels, perform well whenever
they are diligently engaged, choose to do instead of listening and need to take regular learn
breaks. They are experimenters at heart and when learning they like to study via active
involvement such as letting them use their hands on studying as much as possible, allowing them
to make models of what they are learning, use hand tools and procedure based along with
teaching them by taking them on a field trip. Presently, there is an intensified prominence on the
use of simulation in nursing training, and various situations are played in distinct simulation
techniques (Shin, Park & Kim, 2015). Nursing students are highly content with the
implementation of the situations according to their response irrespective of the education level of
the students or the simulation methods being utilized.
Application of learning theories for example: andragogy/pedagogy, cognitive and
behavioral.

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The comprehension of learning theories assists the mentor to acknowledge people and
respond to learning depended on learning history, present circumstances and distinctive
attributes. In that case, they study differently and have distinct timing of readiness. However, this
comprehension makes the mentor conscious to the feeling and needs of the trainee and avoids the
use of same training technique for everybody. Thus, the mentor utilizes distinct methods for
teaching, coordinates the teaching plan correctly and recommends the assertion of emotions
(Wallace & Brooks, 2015). Diverse theories have been suggested to educate students which
entail cognitive learning theory, pedagogy and andragogy learning theory, social behavior
learning theory along with behavior learning theory.
Learning in cognitive learning theory is progressive (Taylor, 2017). Cognitive
developments and undertakings like psychological demonstrations, expectations, forecasts, and
handling of information are critical for the cognitive understanding of knowledge. On the other
hand, in social behavior learning theory, the behavior is cultured by recognizing others and
modeling (Abd Wahid, Zulkifli & Suhairom, 2017). Learning happens through closely seeing the
conduct of other individuals and its repercussions for them. The student need not have direct
encounter but be alert and perceive the role model with high ability, to maintain and store
whatever was perceived and accurately emulate the behavior that the model has displayed.
Furthermore, inspiration is essential so that the students can show what they have studied (Abd
Wahid, Zulkifli & Suhairom, 2017). Corrective feedback regarding penance and strengthening is
required to add value and meaning to the behavior studied.
Whenever a process is studied it is hard to disremember and hence one must attempt to
undertake and master to execute things appropriately initially and correct a mistake once it
occurs before it turns to a dangerous job operation. Modeling retaliations along with

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anticipations have to be executed as collective work and in retaining the quality of occupation to
be high opportunities to perceive knowledgeable in operation have to be given to the student.
Learning in behavior learning theory entails support of a reaction via punishment or reward
which was a simple feedback system. In analytical practice, reiteration and practice facilitate
learning; support helps learning, activity aids learning and breaking down the entire procedure
into smaller steps also helps to learn.
The pedagogy learning theory upholds the customary technique of training toddlers and
reckoning the whole liability on trainers (Woods-McConney, 2015). This learning theory adheres
to the content focus, teacher-centered learning and the concepts of rote learning. Here, the
mentor describes what to be studied that is content, how it will be discovered that is a strategy
when it will be studied that is timing and if it has been discovered that is an assessment. On the
other hand, Andragogy learning theory recommends self-direct learning in adults. It is a learner's
focused, problem-oriented, experienced-based and collective technique (Conradie, 2014).
The Andragogy theory depend on Knowles’ presumptions of grown-up studying that
upholds relevance of the necessity for adult students to recognize the prerequisite to study a thing
before literally studying it and must be liable for their alternatives and to be contemplated expert
for self-direction (Knowles, Holton III & Swanson, 2014). This type of theory is helpful in
instituting a learning environment consisting of autonomy of expression, consideration of
experience, natural ease, and mutual reliance and respect. Students ascertain objectives of
learning to be their aims; they take charge for planning and evaluating their learning and are
active learners who are dedicated.

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In the circumstances of learning, the diverse theories find their application based on their
learning phase of the learner. In that case, a novice is more likely to study by following the rule-
oriented character which is the behavior learning theory (Kruglanski & Gigerenzer, 2018). An
advanced starter is more likely to see others and model that is social behavior learning theory.
On the other hand, a proficient, competent, and adept stage student learn by common sense,
comprehend using an understanding of the situation, recognizing patterns and concentrate on the
real point of the matter without wasting unneeded time in problem-solving that is cognitive
learning theory. Similarly, the andragogy and pedagogy learning theories are relevant by
ascertaining the phase of the student (Todd, Ravi, Akoh & Gray, 2017)
The importance of the clinical learning environment
To be a practice focused specialty the skills along with perception required in nursing are
acquired from training in the clinical area and from formal education in institutions which
contains the clinical learning environment (Dobrowolska et al., 2015). Clinical learning
environment constitutes all things that surround nursing student including the mentor,
equipment, clinical background, patients and instruments (Papastavrou, Dimitriadou, Tsangari &
Andreou, 2016). A positive clinical learning environment enhances a positive learning outcome.
Therefore, a productive learning atmosphere is shaped by encouraging student coordination, the
stability of clinical placement, instructional surroundings, a good relationship between nursing
care and a perceptible impact of affirmative interpersonal interconnections.
A positive clinical learning environment refers to the place where learning and teaching
can take place most efficiently and fruitfully (d'Souza, Karkada, Parahoo & Venkatesaperumal,
2015). Also, it can be defined as a pleasurable and safe learning environment which involves the

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learner and fosters learning. Learners are in a position to learn in a benevolent way, and link
theory to practice and this elevates the proficiency of the learners and facilitates learning hence
assisting the learner in growing and developing. In a positive learning environment, the mentor
has a role in motivating, being a good role model, encouraging and also being approachable
(Vinales, 2015). Furthermore, the mentor should be in a position to generate learning
opportunities to take place by choosing correct points from easy to complicated work.
There must be efficient open communication and therefore during the introduction of
students the mentor should introduce the clinical team and doctors, lay out the anticipations
clearly, plan the objectives and make the student feel welcomed. Also, the mentor must create a
bond with the learner via guidance, good relationships, and support and utilizes the quickly
accessible resources such as training room, procedure manual, workforce and manikins. The
mentor should adequately analyze the knowledge, attitude, and skills (KAS) of the student
(Williamson, Almaskari, Lester & Maguire, 2015). Consequently, the most common causes of
anxiety among nurses include loss of job, looking stupid, fear of failure, loss of face and having
to change. Therefore, to get rid of this agitation teaching technique in the clinical environment
have to utilize structured directive, commence instruction with known topics, and break the
studying period into short and quickly controlled steps. The mentor should give guidance in a
warm and embracing way, offer plenty of opportunity to practice, use positive support by
encouraging and praising every achievement, let the mentee know the part he or she performs
correctly as often as possible, never leave the student alone for an extended period and never
compare the student with another individual (McKinsey, 2016).

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To help the mentor in evaluating the learning environment of the work area, the Strength,
Weakness, Opportunity and Threat analysis can be utilized. This SWOT analysis can be placed
in exemplary like,
Strengths: The learning environment is friendly to the mentee and permits refuge in case the
student is quickly disturbed by auditory or visual cues, cohesive team that works well and
together and mentor has extensive experience in coaching.
Weaknesses: Lack of experience of mentee can lead to loss of time when handling high priority
matters and incumbent emergency cases could lead to the student being left alone as peril
evaluation could not be done on time.
Opportunities: Team is capable of gaining additional knowledge in building up a rapport with
new members if only placement and room for enhancement on working as a staff by
comprehension and observation.
Threats: Mentee might communicate and lead to exchange of lousy details amidst staffs on
medical issues, and the mentee may not be able to manage stress when under pressure.
At the start of the interview, the development in comprehension the student needs to be
conducted well where the mentee and the mentor come into contact. An interview allows a
mentee to perceive the goal of the placement and therefore a SMART conversation can be
utilized to help the mentor for the original meeting. A SMART evaluation is done and organized
with Specifics, Measurements, Assignment, Realism and Time (David & CluttErBuCk, 2016).
The mentor has to comprehend the issue of the underachieving student in the last placement and
identify the parts that are needed for advancement and the mentor will also propose a measure of
improvement. During the deployment, the mentor will allocate the duties along with the

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responsibilities of the student and attain the optimum outcomes the objectives set by the mentor
has to be genuine, and a timeline for the said accomplishments can be communicated to the
student as a guided reference. Lying of goals and concentrating on the parts required for
enhancement should be determined in the original steps since it would be the foundation for the
mentor as to how they would design the development of students (David & CluttErBuCk, 2016)
Assessment to promote learning in practice
Evaluation will be required to acquire information on which educational decisions will be based.
The appraisal will incorporate the collection, measurement, and interpretation of data associated
with the response of students to the instruction process. Also, it is a measure of the progress and
competence of mentee (Johnson & Gandhi, 2015). The mentor needs to maintain proper records
to keep track of the mentee's growth. Furthermore, frequent meetings between the mentor and
mentee are vital for evaluating the improvement. Self-assessments by the student must also be
endorsed because it is an efficient and effective tool needed to determine weaknesses along with
strengths and the student should initiate an awareness of his weaknesses, strengths together with
the standard of practice (Machado, 2018).
Both the formative and summative evaluations need to be regarded, and the assessments
must be valid, logical and reliable (Broadbent, Panadero & Boud, 2018). Consequently, feedback
is an integral area of training and education programs and requires being two ways that are by
the mentee for the mentor and by the mentor for the mentee (Brody et al., 2016). Moreover, the
feedbacks must be taken from caregivers, inter-professional staff, peers, relatives, and service

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users or patients. The feedback procedure must be written and verbal, and there should be correct
and rigorous notation of evaluation.
Conclusion
The lesson gained is that it is essential to evaluate the learning style of the student
before planning on how to deal with the underachievement. Also, understanding of learning
theories is highly helpful in the procedure, and the clinical working environment and staff
support play a substantial role. However, the mentee needs to be made completely aware and
conscious of their incompetence, and in case the skill awareness and deficiency are non-existent
or low they will not see the need for learning that is, unconscious incompetence. Therefore, it is
vital to institute weakness attention before imparting mentorship to move to the preceding stage
that is, conscious incompetence or learning.
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