Abstract: Using student stories to develop novice mentors' skills in supporting nursing and midwifery students with specific learning differences in practice

Aim:

To develop novice mentors’ understanding of nursing and midwifery students’ experiences of entering practice placements with specific learning differences and developing their skills in supporting such students in practice 

Objectives

• Develop nursing and midwifery students’ stories of entering practice placements with specific learning differences
• Produce, implement and evaluate a learning resource pack for novice mentors
• Develop novice mentors’ understanding of the experiences of students entering practice placements with specific learning differences
• Facilitate novice mentors’ skills development in supporting students with specific learning differences and dealing with assessment issues

Background

This project focuses on the specific learning differences (SpLD) of dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Students with dyslexia have reported that they encounter difficulties in clinical practice and that their mentors lack knowledge of dyslexia (Price & Gale 2004). Recently Cowen (2010) recommended that students with SpLDs should be appropriately supported on placements and that mentors need effective training and support so they can make appropriate fitness for practice decisions. Courses to prepare novice mentors of student nurses and midwives should therefore facilitate understanding of SpLDs and guide mentors in supporting and assessing such students. This project will use an innovative and collaborative approach to produce a learning resource pack for use with novice mentors.

Methodology & Methods

This project will use an action research approach (Somekh 2006) to develop a learning resource pack. There will be a project reference group comprising the research team, 8-10 students with SpLDs and 4 mentors. There will be representation across adult, mental health, children’s nursing and midwifery. Interviews will be conducted with each student individually. Students will be facilitated to tell their story of entering practice placements with a SpLD. The interviews will be digitally recorded and transcribed. The student stories will be professionally acted to produce a series of short films. The project reference group will develop a facilitator’s guide to use with the films. The learning resource pack will be used on novice mentor courses and evaluated with questionnaires, to measure its impact on the mentors’ attitudes and understanding.

Value for money/impact

The learning resource pack will impact on mentors’ understanding of student experiences in practice and how they support students with SpLDs, impacting positively on these students’ learning in practice. Students are more likely to be fit for practice at registration if they are effectively supported throughout their pre-registration course. The project is value for money as it uses university resources, for example, the clinical simulation unit with videoing facilities will be used for filming. The learning resource pack can be reproduced and used repeatedly on different sites with mentor courses.