Creating Supportive Environments for Students

Appropriate clinical placements are an
essential part of pre-registration nurse
education. They provide students with the
opportunity to learn practical skills and
gain knowledge, so students’ learning is
heavily dependent on the quality of
support mentors provide.
At the end of each clinical placement,
student nurses are asked to evaluate the
experience. One recurring theme to
emerge from these evaluations is that
students often perceive mentors to be too
busy to provide the required level of
support. This can lead to increased levels
of anxiety for students as they may feel
unsupported. Mentors are one of the
critical factors affecting students’ ability to
learn and cope on their placements.
This article examines the current
situation and highlights how mentors can
enhance the clinical experience for students.