it in the same way. I think I would expect a final placement student to be able to look forward and be able to plan things a bit more than earlier on in the programme. I know it's important but I do feel that, on a final placement I would be expecting them to be thinking about how the shift runs, in terms of getting jobs done and prioritising care. I wouldn't be too fixated on that with students earlier on in the programme, certainly not first year students.’
(Student P, Mentor 17: 482-488)
Both excerpts illustrate clear and different expectations for years 1 and 3 of the programme; identifying expectations against a continuum of practice from skills performance in year 1 to a more global, knowledge-based performance in year 3. As for year 2 where students in the main undertake a range of specialist
placements such as the community nursing and highly specialised service discussed already, decisions appear to be based in this instance on what is reasonable to expect, given the nature of the placement or the desire of the student to work in the area at a later stage.
How these different expectations play out has an effect on the priority accorded to the student and the decision that a mentor may be prepared to take. One mentor states that they ‘wouldn’t really expect too much from first years to be honest’ (Student AI, Mentor 35: 282) with another mentor explaining the purpose of first year practice as:
‘.... I think we are looking in first year at general learning and getting them to... Because I don't know what is happening in college, you know how far they have got in college, but it is about that experience of being on a ward, ward routines, what a nurse does, what a physio does and about the
patient's environment. This is what it is like for a patient as they come through the system ….. You know, just experiencing lots of things.’(Student
Y, Mentor 26: 232-237)
Here mentor expectations are concerned with student engagement and
development rather than achievement of a particular standard of practice. As a result when decisions are taken upon year one students, the following views can be important:
‘The first year you might give them the benefit of the doubt. Whereas with
third years, it is their third year and sometimes if people haven't told them what is expected of them, they get to their third year and all of a sudden it is 'this person is going to be qualified soon and they are just not up to scratch'. But yet in their first year you think all right then, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and see how they develop you know, in their next placement.’ (Student N, Mentor 15: 193-198)
183
‘You are very aware that they are here for however long, and then they are moving on and you may never see them again. So you know you don't, you possibly don't put in as much as you would with the last..., And it's not, and it's not as important as the last one with signing them off to be a qualified nurse.’ (Student Y, Mentor 26: 560-563)
Examining these comments adds further detail regarding expectations that mentors have regarding year 1 students. Not only are these expectations about engagement and developing an understanding of practice, but also encompass ideas about allowing time for development as well as the potential consequences of the decision taken. These are perceived as different when considering a first and third year student as the following comments illustrate:
‘What shall I say to you... The first-year student... Give her the benefit of
the doubt she is still the first-year, so you don't want to be harsh. I think it's too early to know if she's good or bad. You know, she is still trying to
familiarise herself. The way that I'm looking at a first-year student is so different from the way that I look at third-year student. Because the third- year student has passed through all those... So you are looking at somebody who is like almost qualified but the first-year student, I always look at them as somebody who is still laying the foundation for work. And mostly what the mentors are doing is to support them and to encourage them. Because you know, it's not an easy job. Certain things I can imagine prevent learning taking place. You can scare them away. It's a bit difficult for first years. Again you are looking at are they keen to listen? Can they communicate well? Can they do their best? That's what we're looking at. And we are also looking at the way they present themselves. Small things like that. Things that are so different from the third-year. Because the third-year, you are looking at things, you were looking at them as qualified, and so you're looking at them a bit harder. This is the final year and you want a good product at the end of the day. You don't want to be looking at them and there were some loopholes and you don't want to be saying to yourself, ‘Oh my god what did we do here?’ We are looking at things in a more strict way.’
(Student AE, Mentor 31: 527-540)
Changing mentor expectations mean that there is a clear imperative to get the decision right in year 3, where time to develop is now limited and the consequences of the decision in terms of the ‘end product’ is clearly understood. As a result the nature of the decision that a mentor is prepared to take is altered. Decisions at this stage are focused upon the student as a soon to be ‘qualified practitioner’, whilst earlier decisions appear to focus on the developing student, perhaps reflective of changing perceptions of mentors and their role in supporting and assessing students across the programme.