Update for Nursing Mentors
2011
Supporting Undergraduate Preregistration nursing students in practice
Current Practice documentation (for
programmes from 2006)
One Year CFP and two year Branch programme
 Based on the NMC Outcomes for Branch Entry
(4 domains & 20 outcomes) and Proficiencies for
Entry to the Register (4 domains & 62
outcomes)
Four Domains (for both CFP and Branch)
 Professional and ethical practice
 Care delivery
 Care management
 Personal and professional development
 All outcomes to be achieved on placement of
over 4 weeks
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Key principles of Assessment
documentation
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Development plans
Use of NMC standards of proficiency
Emphasis on intermediate review /
action plans
Monitoring of clinical hours
Documenting of evidence
Opportunity for feedback
Skills workbooks
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Student evidence records for
existing programmes
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Students have to provide written evidence to
support one element of the NMC outcomes
or proficiency per placement
Evidence for the remaining elements must
be provided on subsequent placements
Evidence should be evidence based, hand
written and legible (unless documented by
university that student may type - as a
reasonable adjustment for dyslexia)
Encourage professional language /rationale
All elements must be completed by the end
of each stage of practice
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Skills workbooks for existing
programmes
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Students must be signed as taught prior to
being deemed competent. Teaching may be
provided within university and/or the practice
setting.
Students have to demonstrate competency of
key skills within a certain timeframe
Students should aim for a breadth of skill
attainment across the programme , practice
settings and clients.
Some students also have an OSCE – objective
structured clinical examination to test key skills.
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Student hours in practice
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Norm for daytime placement = 7.5 hours
(plus 0.5 hour meal break)
Norm for night shift = same number of
hours as mentor (plus two x 0.5 hour meal
breaks) Must do night shift with mentor or
associate mentor
Dependent on stage of programme /
university students may work long shifts to
ensure adequate contact time with mentor.
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Please report absences
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for Leeds Met students call course
administrator on 0113 2832600 ext. 1912
who will inform the appropriate lecturer.
For University of Leeds students ring
the absence line and leave a recorded
message on 0113 3431357 or send an email to absence@healthcare.leeds.ac.uk.
If you would like to speak to someone
directly call the Practice Placement Unit
on 0113 3431375.
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The assessment process for
existing programmes
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Orientation in first shift and preliminary interview during
first week. Set development plan and consider how you
and your student will manage the completion of the
document. Set date for intermediate interview.
At intermediate interview evaluate progress to date and
set development goals for remainder of programme. If any
goals address an area of concern the relevant university
lecturer from the student’s programme must be informed.
Final interview in the last week of experience which should
identify achievements of student and future development
needs. A Pass/Fail decision must be reached (Fail =
lecturer attendance required)
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Standards to support learning and
assessment in practice (NMC 2007)
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New guidelines from September 2007
40% of time to be spent with mentor
Most assessment should be through direct observation of
practice
Evidence from various sources when making judgement
(use of ALPS tools available at http://www.alpscetl.ac.uk/maps.html )
Sufficient records kept to support assessment decisions,
including student held Ongoing Achievement Record
to support Sign off Mentor decisions.
Sign Off Mentor for final placement
All mentors and practice teachers have an annual update
and triennial review
Locally held registers of mentors and practice teachers
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Standards to support learning and
assessment in practice (NMC 2007) Sign Off Mentor
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Decisions about whether a student has achieved the
required standards of proficiency for safe and effective
practice for entry to the register must be made by a signoff mentor.
‘..a nurse or midwife designated to sign off proficiency for
a particular student at the end of the programme must
have been supervised on at least three occasions for
signing off proficiency by an existing sign-off mentor or
practice teacher (NMC 2.1.3, 2007)
First and second supervisions may be achieved through
simulation / OSCE and final supervision in practice. (NMC
2010)
Sign off mentors should have one hour per week allocated
to reflect, give feedback and keep records of students
achievement during final placement in addition to the
40% already identified
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A sign-off mentor should:
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Be a registered nurse from the same branch of nursing as
the student
Have a recognised mentor qualification
Be able to make effective decisions regarding student
progress and achievement
Have attended an annual mentor update
Have a triennial review
Have clinical currency and capability
Have knowledge of student practice assessment
requirements
Understand NMC registration requirements (i.e.
proficiencies and skills)
Be accountable for their decisions
Be identified by the placement provider on the mentor
register as sign-off mentor
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Scenario
A student does not appear to be
using any iniative in finding learning
opportunities and is constantly
hanging about the nurses’ station
complaining that there is nothing to
do. She reports to her module
manager that there is nothing to
learn from the placement. How do
you proceed?
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Scenario
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A very likeable student entering
his/her third year is very capable of
helping patients with hygiene needs
and communicating with patients
and relatives but has little insight
and capability into the wider
knowledge and skills required as a
senior student. How do you
proceed?
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Reasons for giving students the benefit
of the doubt (Duffy 2004) ‘Failing to fail’
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Mentors had not failed students who were early on
in their training programme as they felt they needed
time to learn and should “be given the benefit of the
doubt”. Mentors felt that students would pick up the
necessary skills in future placements.
Some mentors felt that it wasn’t their responsibility
to fail students and that it was sufficient for them to
raise concerns about a student’s clinical performance
to lecturing staff.
Some mentors felt uncomfortable “putting pen to
paper” either because they found the clinical
assessment document full of jargon that they could
not translate into practice, or that they were worried
about repercussions from the University for failing a
student.
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‘Failing to fail’ Reasons continued
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Other mentors saw failing a student as an
uncaring practice.
Giving failing students who are close to
qualifying the “benefit of the doubt” so as
not to jeopardise their future.
Allowing a student’s personal problems and
circumstances to influence their judgement
Some mentors felt that they had no choice
but to pass a student, either through lack
of support from educational staff or where
they had not followed the correct
procedures to be able to fail them.
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Consequences of giving students the
benefit of the doubt
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Some students reached 3rd year before
being failed and were devastated at being
failed at this late stage
Mentors were angry that colleagues in
earlier placements had “passed the buck”.
Passing students who should have failed
does not protect the interests of the public
and puts the patients who will be under the
care at risk.
Duffy (2004)
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Mentor resources
On-line updating available at
www.mentorupdate.co.uk
 Range of mentor information and student
assessment documentation available at
www.healthcareplacements.co.uk and
www.practiceplacements.leeds.ac.uk
 Contains resources for mentors and
students
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Copies of documentation
Contact details for the Universities
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Quality Assurance of Practice Learning
www.healthcareplacements.co.uk
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Placement Profiles and on-line
educational audit
Student evaluations accessible to
placement areas
Mentor evaluations of students
allocated (6 monthly)
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Standards for Pre-registration
nursing education (NMC 2010)
Available at: http://standards.nmcuk.org/Pages/Welcome.aspx
 Apply to programmes validated from September
2010.
 Required minimum outcome award for a preregistration nursing education programme is a
degree in nursing.
 Four fields: adult, mental health, learning
disabilities and children’s nursing.
 Removal of CFP / Branch structure. Instead
progression points at end of Stage 1, Stage 2
and Entry to the professional register.
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Standards for Pre-registration
nursing education (NMC 2010)
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The standards for competence identify the
knowledge, skills and attitudes the student must
acquire by the end of the programme, as set out
in the degree-level competency framework. This
framework comprises four sets of competencies,
one for each field of practice: adult, mental
health, learning disabilities and children’s
nursing. Each set comprises both generic
competencies and field-specific competencies.
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Standards of Competence (NMC
2010)
The competencies are organised in four domains:
 • professional values
 • communication and interpersonal skills
 • nursing practice and decision making
 • leadership, management and team working.
The context in which the competencies are acquired in
relation to the field of nursing defines the scope of
professional practice at the point of registration.
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Standards for Pre-registration
nursing education (NMC 2010)
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New assessment documentation will be
introduced for pre-registration nursing
programmes in Leeds commencing from
September 2011.
Practice Assessment Document
Ongoing Achievement Record and
Skills Log.
Mentor Handbook will be available from
websites to support student assessment in
practice.
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Some useful references
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Duffy, K (2004) ‘Failing Students’ London, NMC
English National Board and Department of Health (2001). Placements
in Focus: Guidance for Education in Practice for Health Care
Professionals. London: ENB/DOH.
Hinchliff, S. ed (2001) The Practitioner as Teacher 2nd ed. London,
Balliere Tindall.
Howard, S. and Eaton, A. eds (2003) The Practitioner as Assessor.
London, Bailliere Tindall
Morag G. (2000) The qualities of an effective mentor from the student
nurse’s perspective: findings from a longitudinal study. Journal of
Advanced Nursing. 32(6), 1542-9
Neary, M (2000) Teaching, assessing and evaluation for clinical
competence: a practical guide for practitioners and teachers. Nelson
Thornes, Cheltenham
NMC. (2006). Standards to support learning and assessment in
practice. London: NMC
Royal College of Nursing 2002. Helping Students Get The Best from
their Practice Placements: A RCN Toolkit. London: RCN
Royal College of Nursing (2005). Guidance for mentors of student
nurses and midwives: An RCN Toolkit. London: RCN
Stuart, Ci Ci. (2007) 2nd ed Assessment, supervision and support in
clinical practice: a guide for nurses, midwives and other health
professionals. London, Churchill Livingstone.
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