Reassessing the concept of emotional labour in student nurse education: role of link lecturers and mentors in a time of change

This article describes part of a follow-up study to Smith’s (1992) original work on emotional labour, at a time when questions of the role, scope and crisis in nursing are a matter of local and national debate (Bradshaw 1999, Gillan 1999, Fabricius 1999, Feldman et al. 1999). The article addresses recent changes in nursing and nurse education (UKCC 1986, UKCC 1999a, DoH 1999, UKCC 1999b) as a means of exploring new patterns of learning to care in nursing. Less than a decade ago, emotional labour and helping students learn to care was part of the role of the sister/charge nurse (Ogier 1982, Fretwell 1982, Smith 1992). In this study, the role of the link lecturer, and mentor who currently shape the student nurse’s learning experience, is the focus for evaluation.