Disability/Equality Information for Mentors
Prepared for the mentor website by J. Frankish Jan 2007
Adapted from Nursing Standard (2007) Vol21, no19, 35-42
The NMC advises as part of the new standards to support learning and assessing that all
mentors and practice teachers should receive disability/equality training.
NMC approved programmes are open to all applicants who have met a defined criteria. This
includes literacy, numeracy, good health and good character and any educational
requirements the placement providers set.
The NMC recognises the importance of supporting students to achieve their full potential in
both practice and academic learning environments.
Programme providers will have made decisions related to any declared disabled students or
health conditions when selecting potential students. They will also have determined the
nature of any reasonable adjustments to support achievement of programme requirements in
accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act (1995 & 2005)
Programme providers should work in partnership to prepare placements for supporting
students who are disabled and also prepare students for the demands the placements will
make on them. The learning environments in practice should enable students to be confident
that disclosure of their specific needs will not lead to discrimination.
This is an example of some of the problems /solutions encountered by nursing students with
dyslexia.
In a recent study untaken by Jean White a nursing officer in Wales (Supporting nursing
students with dyslexia in clinical practice, Nursing Standard. Jan 17th, Vol 21 no 19, 2007)
she tries to determine whether pre-registration students with dyslexia experience specific
problems in developing clinical competence, identifying what strategies they use and how
they are supported in practice.
Dyslexia is classed as a disability under the DDA (1995), it also requires organisations to
make reasonable adjustments to support the needs of the students. Adults are not often
diagnosed with dyslexia until later in life and may have been classed as ‘lazy or stupid’ in
school.
Problems in practice Moody (1999):
 Literacy/numeracy skills - reading & writing reports, care plans & charts, drug
calculations
 Memory – remembering information, handovers or instructions too fast e.g. Drs
rounds, case conferences
 Sequencing ability- a procedure involving many steps
 Visual orientation – confusing left and right or up & down
 Hand/eye co-ordination – poor presentation of written work, difficulty with some clinical
skills e.g. catheterisation
 Speech – talking in disorganised way e.g. at meetings or on telephone
 Organisational skills – poor time management, prioritising workload disorganised work
environment
 Emotional factors – may display anger, embarrassment & anxieties
Date Last Reviewed: 16/02/2016
AR/RF
The study found that certain factors exacerbated the problems the students experienced in
practice: unfamiliar names/term, having limited vocabulary, speed in completing, distracted
by other things going on around them, negative and unsupported attitudes/behaviours.
Disclosing the disability: because dyslexia is ‘unseen’ in order for the student to gain
support they need to disclose the diagnosis and identify specific needs. Factors that
influenced these decisions related to previous experiences and the context in which they
were disclosing.
E.g. Student nurse ”I’ve got this problem”
The response “what are you doing in nursing then if you’ve got problems doing this?”
Some students feared that disclosing would lead to discrimination. The 11 students who took
part in the study generally agreed that individuals should tell others about their specific
learning needs, but also advised caution, they were careful what and to whom they gave
information. Some students found practice emotionally challenging and avoided certain tasks.
Support in practice : All the students in this study found computers useful but in practice
this was limited because of resistance from qualified staff to their use. Personal relationships
with staff often determined whether students sought help or not. This suggests that staff
training should incorporate how to support students with specific needs.
Mentors :
 Students valued mentors who were approachable, friendly, relaxed and who had ‘time’
and patience. Students didn’t want to feel pitied but to receive help and
encouragement in a positive way
 Students need challenging e.g. one mentor pushed a 2nd year to look after a bay of
patients to organise and report the care, give handover and report each time they
worked together. The student found this hard work but had a sense of achievement at
the end as long as the support is there. If the area is too controlling students don’t
learn how to cope
 Giving constructive feedback on performance and written work was welcomed
 Dealing with difficulties e.g. terminology, drug names
 Planning- helping the student to plan their learning, looking at their needs.
Student coping strategies :
 Carry a nursing dictionary/spell checker
 Use of coloured paper
 Ask others for help e.g. checking information, drug calculations
 Look up terms in patients records
 Use a form of shorthand for taking notes
 Learn & practise new names e.g. name of drug, look up in BNF then write it down and
repeat
 At handover concentrate on the important aspects of care
 Rehearse what to say at handovers
 Write things down
 Sit in quiet environment when documenting, give yourself time to complete tasks
 Don’t always rely on others, be cautious especially when reading drug charts
Placement strategies
 Working in small teams, students get to know the staff and remember their names
 Open, friendly relaxed placements enabling students to ask questions and disclose to
their mentors that they have dyslexia. Stressful areas have the opposite effect
Date Last Reviewed: 16/02/2016
AR/RF
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Working with small numbers of patients with clear protocols and set routines also
working in areas where patients stay longer so the students can get to know them e.g.
stroke units
Less writing or using forms/pathways
The use of printed handover sheets, pictures of patients on their drug charts (mostly
Nursing Homes)
It was also found that students preferred longer placements, and liked receiving information
about the placement before they started. They benefited from taking personal study time in a
block if they had an assignment to do.
Placements which had pressured work, a lot of paperwork to complete, unpredictable
situations, unfamiliar equipment etc. were very challenging for the students e.g. ITU, theatres
The student’s relationship with their mentor is key to their progression throughout the
placement. It is important that both mentor and student communicate in an open friendly
atmosphere and discuss how the needs can be met. It is therefore important that mentors
receive preparation and continued support from the HEI, placement providers and the PLF’s
The study interviewed the students after six placements in the final 2 years of the course and
this showed in which areas they found it easier or difficult to cope. This means it may be
possible to place the students in areas where they could get the chance of developing and
becoming competent.
The responsibility must still lie with the individual to recognise their learning needs and if they
have a problem to seek the relevant support in order for them to practise safely.
If you have a disability/equality issue with a student you should contact the personal
supervisor in the first instance.
Date Last Reviewed: 16/02/2016
AR/RF