Are Mentors Ready to make a Difference? A survey of mentorsʹ attitudes towards nurse education

This paper reports on a survey of practitioners who act as mentors to student nurses from a Higher Education Institution in Northern England. The aims of the survey were to gain a profile of mentors, and to seek their views regarding their degree of support in undertaking the mentoring role, and their experience of mentorsʹ update sessions. Respondents were experienced as mentors. As a group, they felt supported by their work colleagues, but fewer felt that they had adequate support from the HEI or their managers. Respondents wanted more time for mentoring activities, closer links with the HEI before, during and after practice placements, and more user friendly assessment documentation. Respondents did not report difficulty in spending enough time working with students, although this is a frequent complaint of students. Mentors update sessions were often not attended, either through staff shortages, or through lack of information.