STRENGTHS
STRENGTHS:
My strengths generally involve my ability to teach and active listening, as well as being patient. These three measures empower me to be lots more competent and helpful in my ways when measured up to some of my colleagues as well as others in my multidisciplinary team on my ward. An effective listening skills influence not only the skilled area, but also the emotional and personal health and generally the well-being of an individual. Gopee (2011) supported some of the empowering qualities of mentor as a devotee; they devotes time to assist learners’ learning, inspires as well as wanting to listen to learners and making themselves available when being needed. Teaching involves lot of skills: for instance, communication and helpful skills. Right from young age I have always wanted to become a teacher, coaching my juniors’ ones and also always wanting to help by sharing my knowledge with colleagues and friends. Hence during my initial meeting with my student, I considered how it might be difficult, if I have not got a passion for facilitating learning, then I would not be able to build an effective helpful relationship with my student.
WEAKNESS:
My weakness is about my disposition to involve student nurses in activities with every given opportunity on my ward when working alongside with student nurses. Also base on feedbacks from various student nurses since qualifies as a registered nurse, that I would be good a mentor as am very patient, considering the demands of the ward. Although it is expected of a good mentor to plan and give structure and meaningful learning experience to their students in practice in order for them to make the best of it (Davies et al 1994).
OPPURTUNITIES:
I simply need to adapt my strengths idea and make use of them in line with standard guidelines and evidence base practice, when mentoring student nurse after qualifying as a mentor.
THREAT:
Demands of the ward and staff shortage contribute to working less time and assessing the student nurse in practice. Sometime working with different agency staffs and as the only registered nurse on the ward and I had to give an induction to the other agency registered nurse, my time as a mentor to meet with my student to reflect or feedback will be reschedule due to the demand on the ward. In addition, Petrini (2014) reports that, such demanding settings need resilient health workers able to assign skill and different ways of working. No questioning regarding the mentor role as multidimensional. But Student nurse can detect the learning experience to be imparted negatively when mentors feel they are not backed up (Hutchings et al, 2005).
