Page 97 - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

INOVACIJE I IZAZOVI U OBRAZOVANJU I SESTRINSKOJ SKRBI - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA

Being a Mentor…

The education of nurses/technicians today is largely based on practical teaching in the hospital
environment, that is, in real and specific situations, where students have the opportunity to
integrate the learned theoretical knowledge through practicing different clinical skills. The
mentor plays an important role in this integration, but also in the adaptation to the role of a
nurse/technician.
Namely, three years ago, for the first time, I had the opportunity to be a mentor to the fifth grade
students of the secondary medical school during exercises in Health Care of Psychiatric
Patients. Without previous experience in this process, I grew together with them in my role, we
adjusted with regard to their expectations and our working conditions, which were sometimes
very demanding, in addition to time constraints, the very capacity and specificity of the
department. We have tried, my team and I, to provide future colleagues with a place where they
will be able to learn according to the model, by directly participating in the entire health care
process, starting with morning care and ending with the performance of medical technical
procedures as well as all other standard procedures that are performed in every other
department. The emphasis in our department was certainly to acquaint them with the specifics
of approaching a psychiatric patient, through the duties of a nurse in treatment, treatment and
care, as well as the recognition of specific signs and symptoms of certain disorders. And
somehow, most of all, we tried to convey to them a feeling for patients, because ultimately the
patient himself, wherever they are, is the main guide in our work. Therefore, the idea of this
work is to bring closer both the role of the mentor and the process of guiding students, as one
important link in the chain on their professional path.

Key words: students, mentor, mentoring, nursing practice

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