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Copyright

Open University Press

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First published in this 3rd edition 2021

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ISBN-10: 0335248616

eISBN: 9780335248629

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Fictitious names of companies, products, people, characters and/or data that may

be used herein (in case studies or in examples) are not intended to represent any

real individual, company, product or event.

Praise page

Out with the old and in with the new! Looking back on my

nurse training I can vividly recall clinical placements where I

was mentored by inspirational, dynamic, enthusiastic, and

nurturing mentors. However, I can equally recall the toxic

mentors that ruined clinical placements and made me

question whether I wanted to be a nurse at all! Supporting

students in clinical practice is a privilege and getting it right

is essential! Danny Walsh’s book demystifies the NMC’s SSSA

document and provides a real insight into the meaning of the

word mentorship, along with practical advice on how to be a

practice supervisor.

Mike Parker is an Associate Professor in Emergency Nursing

at the University of York, UK

This is a real-world book that offers practice supervisors and

assessors detailed guidance on their new role within the

context of the recent NMC (2018) standards for supervision

and assessment of students. It gives information on the

background policy to the standards and what is expected of

nurses who take on these new roles. The book provides the

theoretical base and practical guidance on facilitating good

quality learning experiences for students and on teaching,

assessment and providing evidence of learning. It is the ideal

handbook for nurses since it addresses all the issues that you

are likely to encounter whilst supporting students, with an

easy reference system and great practical examples.

Professor Fiona Ir vine - Emeritus Professor in Nursing,

University of Birmingham
A book worth recommending and adopting as a core text for

modules, especially those in teaching, learning and

assessment for new mentors, practice assessors and

supervisors. It can be a resource for nurses returning to

study, international students and anyone involved in clinical

guidance/teaching such as practice education coordinators,

facilitators, and nominated persons. It would also be suitable

for lecturers delivering core modules for Diploma, Degree,

Masters and Dissertations.

Leontia Hoy - Course Director - Bsc Hons/ Graduate Diploma/

Post Graduate Diploma– Specialist Practice, School of Nursing,

Queens University Belfast

Contents

List of figures

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Who is this book for?

A brief summary

Quotes and narratives

Benefits of being a practice supervisor

Students’ views

Summary

References

1 The mentor’s new clothes: the NMC standards for student

supervision and assessment

Key points

History and context of student supervision

SLAIP: the NMC framework to support learning and assessment

in practice

NMC review of nurse education

The mentor’s new clothes

Summary

Further reading

References

2 Effective practice supervision

Key points

Motivation, Maslow, and practice supervisors

The characteristics and roles of the supervisor/mentor

 Effective working relationships and the practicalities of

supervision

The first day and week

Active listening: the basis of effective working relationships

Student-centred leadership

Summary

Further reading

References

3 Supervision considerations

Key points

What can we learn from the clinical supervision literature?

Supporting students through clinical supervision

Toxic mentoring and supervising (how not to do it!)

Practice supervisor SWOT analysis

A useful alternative

Liaison with higher education institutions

The case of the associate nurse: a new role for health and social

care

Summary

Further reading

References

4 The clinical learning environment

Key points

Creating an environment for learning

Factors that enhance a placement experience

Factors that detract from a placement experience

Learning experiences

Learning resources

Placement profiles

Insight visits

Links with the School of Nursing/university

Role modelling

Structured teaching

Mapping of learning opportunities

 Educational audit

SWOT analysis of the placement area

Students’ evaluation of placement

Physical safety

Evidence-based practice

Practice supervisor’s evaluation of placement

Conclusion: putting it all together

Summary

Further reading

References

5 Teaching and learning theory

Key points

Teaching and learning theories

Behaviourist theories

Humanistic theories

Cognitive theories

Learning styles

Criticisms of learning styles

Bloom’s taxonomy

Summary of key principles of good teaching

Summary

Further reading

References

6 Teaching in practice

Key points

Theory in practice!

Lesson planning

Teaching methods and strategies

Assessment of learning

Student evaluations

Conclusion

Summary

References
7 Assessment: theory and practice reality

Key points

Theory of assessment

Cardinal criteria

Types of assessment

Evaluating learning

Factors influencing assessments

Assessment in practice

Levels of learner

Attitude

Good practice in assessment

Summary

Further reading

References

8 Evidence of learning

Key points

What is a portfolio?

Structure of a portfolio

Reflection

Types of evidence of learning

Learning contracts

Summary

References

9 Fostering a successful placement

Key points

Support mechanisms other than the practice supervisor

Link tutor/personal tutor

Students with disabilities and difficulties

Disability

Dyslexia

Dyscalculia

Sickness and stress

Workplace harassment

Bad practice
 Supporting the failing student

Reasons for failure

The error of leniency: why nurses fail to fail students!

Providing feedback

Avoiding failure and failing with fairness

Managing the process of failure

Attitude

Accountability and responsibility in practice

NMC requirements

Summary

Further reading

Useful web resources

References

10 Support and development for the practice supervisor and

assessor

Key points

Practice supervisor’s guide to surviving a placement!

The politics of time

Maintaining competence

Evidence for a portfolio

Research

Revalidation

Support for practice supervisors/assessors

Common practice supervision/assessment problems

Some problems to ponder

Ongoing developments

Good practice for practice supervisors: a few reminders

The future!

Summary

Further reading

Useful web resources

References

Index
Figures

1.1 How it might look!

4.1 Role of the nurse spider char t

4.2 Sample patient’s journey

4.3 Mapping learning experiences

4.4 Nursing action research cycle

4.5 Simplified nursing action research cycle

5.1 The nursing process

5.2 The nursing process and Kolb’s learning cycle combined

6.1 The lesson-planning cycle

6.2 Example of the construction of a mind map

8.1 Student’s reflective cycle

Acknowledgements

For this third edition I am hugely indebted to a host of friends and

colleagues. The advice and contributions of my colleagues Julie

Dixon and Fran Maplethorpe have been invaluable and their

contribution on the art of supervision does much to enhance this

volume. I am also grateful to Clare Sobieraj and Karen Johnston for

their general overview of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

changes to nurse education and student supervision. The material

relating to nursing associates was written by Wendy Leighton. My

thanks also go to Diane Ramm who has drawn on her considerable

experience to write an important section detailing the key principles

of teaching clinical skills, and to Chris Craggs who contributed her

insight with the section relating to students with disability. Many of

the mentor/supervisor and student quotes used within were drawn

from various student evaluations from a range of nursing courses

nationally. Many were also sent to me anonymously, so to persons

unknown I am especially grateful. Some narratives were recollected

on request specifically for this book and I am grateful to these

contributors: S. Bettles, A. Hurrell, N. Raybould, Y. Potter, C.

Burrows, Z. Mabandla, G. Helme and I. Trueman. Finally Sylvia

Hepworth, whose wisdom and experience I called upon many times

in the production of the second edition, remains a major influence

upon this third. I have been lucky to have had such support from all

those listed above – as far as mentors go, there could be no better.

Introduction

Arguably the most important aspect of nursing and midwifery

training is the clinical placement during which nurses learn and

practise their many skills in the real world. The most important

factor underpinning a good placement is the practice supervisor who

works with the student. All nurses have a duty, through their

professional code of conduct, to pass on their knowledge and to

teach students – and this book is a guide to doing just that. The

second edition of The Nurse Mentor’s Handbook embraced changes

in nurse education and this third edition has had to incorporate some

wholesale changes in pre-registration nurse training and student

nurse mentorship described by the NMC as not just an update but a

radical revision. Not least of these have been changes in terminology

and the division of labour: nurse mentors have been replaced by

practice supervisors and practice assessors. In a sense it is a case of

the emperor’s new clothes (or titles) – of which more in Chapter 1.

Among other changes, there have also been new standards of

proficiency for registered nurses and the introduction of nurse

associates.

What’s in a word!

While the mentor of old is now cast as a practice supervisor and

sometimes practice assessor, the reality will see the same roles
and skills being used by the same nurses under new titles, with
little practical difference. The word mentor is still used in many
instances throughout this book, such as in the examples from
practice taken before the new terminology was in place; indeed, it
will take a while for nursing to get used to the new terminology –
 not least because the word mentor perfectly describes the role of
the supervisor and assessor in a clinical practice setting.

Who is this book for?

The purpose of the book is to examine and support the role of the

nurse acting as practice supervisor and/or assessor to pre-

registration student nurses in the light of the NMC 2018 Standards

for Student Super vision and Assessment (NMC 2018a). The book is

intended primarily for qualified nurses undertaking the roles of

practice supervisor and assessor. However, it will also be of value to

all student nurses themselves, containing as it does a wealth of

guidance and ideas on useful learning experiences to undertake in

practice and how these can be presented as evidence of achievement

of proficiencies. It will also be useful to those undertaking

mentorship or supervision in other related health and social care

settings, such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy and social

work. The professional standards might vary, but, as with midwives,

the supervision skills and teaching elements will be transferable.

A brief summary

Chapter 1 ‘The mentor’s new clothes’ discusses the policy context

and recent changes arising out of the NMC’s (2018a) Standards for

Student Super vision and Assessment which sets out the roles and

requirements for practice supervisors and assessors. The history and

politics of mentorship are also examined for valuable lessons to be

learnt.

Chapter 2 ‘Effective practice supervision’ examines the role of the

super visor, trying to capture the essence of what it takes to be a

good supervisor. It examines some key principles – including

effective working relationships and communication – and offers

much practical advice on how to make a student feel valued and the

placement successful.
Chapter 3 ‘Supervision considerations’ examines the literature

around clinical supervision to see how it informs practice

supervision. It looks at the concept of ‘toxic’ mentoring or

supervision and how to audit your supervision skills. It also looks at

the introduction of a new level of nurse associate and examines their

own needs in relation to supervision.

Chapter 4 ‘The clinical learning environment’ examines the qualities

of a good learning environment as well as what detracts from it. In

any learning environment, many factors affect the learning that

takes place, for good and for bad. Readers are asked to reflect upon

their own experiences here in order to explore key issues. The

chapter also covers the key aspects of proficiency mapping and how

this can be achieved, and explores the range of potential learning

opportunities in the clinical environment. Furthermore, it introduces

a range of strategies that can help improve the learning

environment. An emphasis is placed upon evidence-based practice

and the role action research can play.

Chapter 5 ‘Teaching and learning theory’ explores the major

educational theories, examining them for their usefulness and

practical application. Behaviourist, cognitive and humanist

approaches to learning and teaching are explored alongside the

concepts of andragogy and pedagogy. The chapter also examines

the concept of learning styles and the work of Kolb, Bloom, and

Honey and Mumford, among others.

Chapter 6 ‘Teaching in practice’ looks at the teaching cycle,

planning for teaching, and lesson planning. The chapter outlines the

practicalities and skills of delivering teaching in the practice setting

and examines the various teaching methods and resources that are

available, giving the practice supervisor a range of strategies to

choose from. It also looks at assessment of learning.

Chapter 7 ‘Assessment: theory and practice reality’ focuses upon

assessment, examining the process and the theory behind it. From

definitions and aims of assessment, it goes on to discuss the cardinal

criteria for assessment – such as validity and reliability. From a

practical point of view, a range of assessment methods are examined

which can be used to assess clinical proficiency, again giving the

practice supervisor and assessor a range of strategies to choose

from.

Chapter 8 ‘Evidence of learning’ looks at the range of evidence

which can go towards demonstrating the student’s achievement of

their proficiencies. The role of portfolios which many students and

qualified nurses have to keep is examined. It also highlights the

importance of reflection.

Chapter 9 ‘Fostering a successful placement’ provides a summary

of good practice in relation to supporting students generally. It also

looks at the ways in which mentors can help students with

disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, and support students

under stress. The chapter also examines the work of Kathleen Duffy

and others who identified that mentors were ‘failing to fail’ students

for various reasons. The evidence and implications are examined in

detail before outlining a strategy for fair and objective support for a

failing student. The implications for professional (and other)

accountability are made clear. Particular emphasis is placed upon

the difficult area of assessing a student’s ‘attitude’. The chapter

outlines good practice guidelines for practice supervisors and

assessors and suggests ways in which the supervisor can help the

student get the best out of their placement.

Chapter 10 ‘Support and development for the practice supervisor

and assessor’ provides a range of strategies relating to how practice

supervisors can be supported. The chapter also looks at the

evidence nurses could generate in relation to updating and building

a portfolio of ongoing proficiency. There is also an examination of

commonly encountered placement problems giving suggested

strategies for dealing with them.

Quotes and narratives

The chapter themes are illustrated in part by quotes and narratives

from students in training, supervisors and previous mentors. These

are real comments and describe the students’ raw concerns. It is the

kind of feedback straight from the horse’s mouth that we should all

be gathering and acting upon. The importance of the role of practice

supervisors in pre-registration nurse education cannot be

underestimated, a point reiterated and evidenced throughout this

book and one that these quotes highlight. Many of the quotes from

nurses are from recent times when they were still called mentors,

and I have kept that term for these quotes rather than change it to

the new title of practice supervisors.

Benefits of being a practice supervisor

As nurses, we have a professional duty towards students as set out in

the NMC Code paragraph 9.4 ‘Support students’ and colleagues’

learning to help them develop their professional competence and

confidence’ and 20.8 ‘Act as a role model of professional behaviour

for students’ (NMC 2018b). Becoming a practice supervisor is a role

nurses should wish to embrace, as it is by no means just one-way

traffic. Here are just a few of the tangible reasons for becoming one:

• Increased job satisfaction

• Increased professional role

• Involvement with the higher education provider

• Being updated by and learning from the students

• Developing teaching skills

• Adding to personal profile/CV

• Supervision skills useful in other areas – such as management

• Gratitude of the students, and increased self-esteem

• Opportunity to impact upon curriculum and nurse training

• Maintaining the standards of your own profession

• Helping to protect the public

Students’ views

Here are a selection of student reflections suggesting that good

practice supervisors/mentors are highly valued.

Second-year student on medical ward

What stood out for me was working closely with motivated

mentors who were willing to share the wealth of their knowledge
despite the pressures of their hectic shifts.

Third-year student on surgical ward

Every member of the team was approachable and helpful. I was

made to feel valued at all times. Nothing was too much trouble
for my mentor and associate mentor.

Third-year student on emergency assessment unit

Very welcoming staff made the placement very enjoyable. I have

gained valuable knowledge and skills from excellent mentors.
They put lots of effor t into the teaching despite the busy
workload.

First-year student on medical acute placement

They gave me plenty of oppor tunity to take par t in clinical skills

and I didn’t feel pressured to contribute if I felt I couldn’t do it.
Everyone tried to make me feel welcome and get the best
experience I could.

Third-year student on forensic mental health placement

I think what makes a good supervisor is one that takes an

interest in their students’ learning and gets them involved.
Somebody you can look up to in terms of practice and say to
yourself ‘I want to be like that’. Somebody who can tell you
what you don’t do well in such a way as to make it not feel like a
criticism but an oppor tunity. I’ve been very lucky.
 First-year mental health student

This placement was a remarkable experience and the credit is

due to my mentor.

Summary

• This introduction has hinted at both the diversity and

impor tance of the role of the practice supervisor, and this will
become even more apparent in the following chapters.

• It is well documented that nurses who suppor t students are

pivotal in ensuring a student nurse has a good placement
experience, and this view is suppor ted by the students quoted
in this book.

References

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2018a) Realising Professionalism: Part 2:

Standards for Student Super vision and Assessment. London: NMC.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2018b) The Code: Professional Standards

of Practice and Behaviour for Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates.

London: NMC.
 The mentor’s new clothes: the
1 NMC standards for student

supervision and assessment

Key points

• The history and politics of nurse education can inform

current practice

• Good collaboration between education and practice remains

crucial to nurse education

• The old mentor role is now split into those of practice supervisor
and practice assessor

• Nurse education can now be more multidisciplinary

• Practice learning is the responsibility of every registered nurse

The aim of this book is to explore the nature and role of supervising

and assessing student nurses in practice. Gone is the old title and

role of mentor, having been replaced by the roles of practice

supervisor and practice assessor. To understand how we have

arrived here, it is useful to look back briefly at the history and

context in which the current situation has developed.

History and context of student supervision

In 1999, the Department of Health (DoH) published a strategy for

nursing entitled Making a Difference (DoH 1999). The document was

critical of the abilities of newly trained nurses on the previous

Project 2000 curriculum, saying that evidence suggested that in

recent years students completing training had not been equipped at

the point of qualification with the full range of clinical skills they

needed. The strategy also heavily stressed the importance of

practice placements in nurse education, stating a determination to

enhance the status of those who provide practice-based training –

i.e. the mentors. The Department of Health wanted to ensure that

nurses were ‘fit for purpose’, having the necessary skills, knowledge,

and ability to provide the best care. During the same year, the UK

Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC)

published its review of nurse education entitled Fitness for Practice

(UKCC 1999). Essentially, this document stressed the need to

emphasise the role of the mentor/teacher in the practice setting and

reiterated the belief that practice experience was crucial to nurse

education. The report also acknowledged the need for higher

education institutions (HEIs) and health service providers to

formalise the preparation of mentors for nurses in training. The

other significant change was the accreditation of 50 per cent given

to the achievement of clinical practice outcomes, thus raising the

status of the clinical aspect of training and underlining the need for

credible mentor preparation programmes.

Subsequent reports such as Placements in Focus (ENB/DoH 2001)

confirmed this message. Partnership between the National Health

Service (NHS) and HEIs was stressed, and both became responsible

for providing and supporting clinical placements. The partnership

between the clinical areas and the HEIs is crucial because, as Hand

(2006) points out, skill without knowledge fosters unsafe practice

and knowledge without skill fosters incompetence.

How robust do you consider the par tnership between your own
clinical area and the university and how could this be improved
upon?

SLAIP: the NMC framework to support learning

and assessment in practice

The NMC document Standards to Support Learning and Assessment

in Practice (NMC 2006) gave us the mentor standards describing the

outcomes nurses must attain to become mentors to student nurses.

The framework also identifies eight domains for achieving

mentorship:

• Establishing effective working relationships

• Facilitation of learning

• Assessment and accountability

• Evaluation of learning

• Creating an environment for learning

• Context of practice

• Evidence-based practice

• Leadership

The domains were a revision of those previously published by the

NMC in 2004 as Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of

Nurses, Midwives and Specialist Community Public Health Nurses.

The 2004 standard of ‘Role modelling’ was replaced with the domain

of ‘Leadership’. They were also modified slightly in 2008 in the

second edition of Standards to Support Learning and Assessment

in Practice (NMC 2008).

These mentor domains (or standards as they were called)

represented the competencies and outcomes for mentors, with each

domain broken down into several outcomes:

Establish effective working relationships

• Demonstrate an understanding of factors that influence how

students integrate into practice

• Provide ongoing and constructive suppor t to facilitate

transition from one learning environment to another
• Have effective professional and interprofessional working
relationships to suppor t learning for entry to the register

Facilitation of learning

• Use knowledge of the student’s stage of learning to select

appropriate learning oppor tunities to meet their individual
needs

• Facilitate selection of appropriate learning strategies to

integrate learning from practice and academic experiences

• Suppor t students in critically reflecting upon their learning

experiences in order to enhance future learning

Assessment and accountability

• Foster professional growth, personal development, and

accountability through suppor t of students in practice

• Demonstrate a breadth of understanding of assessment

strategies and the ability to contribute to the total
assessment process as par t of the teaching team

• Provide constructive feedback to students and assist them in

identifying future learning needs and actions. Manage failing
students so they may either enhance their performance and
capabilities for safe and effective practice, or be able to
understand their failure and the implications of this for their
future

• Be accountable for confirming that students have met, or not

met, the NMC competencies in practice. As a sign-off mentor,
confirm that students have met, or not met, the NMC
standards of competence in practice and are capable of safe
and effective practice

Evaluation of learning

• Contribute to evaluation of student learning and assessment

experiences – proposing aspects for change as a result of
 such evaluation

• Par ticipate in self- and peer evaluation to facilitate personal

development, and contribute to the development of others

Creating an environment for learning

• Suppor t students to identify both learning needs and

experiences that are appropriate to their level of learning

• Use a range of learning experiences, involving patients,

clients, carers, and the professional team, to meet the
defined learning needs

• Identify aspects of the learning environment that could be

enhanced, negotiating with others to make appropriate
changes

• Act as a resource to facilitate personal and professional

developments of others

Context of practice

• Contribute to the development of an environment in which

effective practice is fostered, implemented, evaluated, and
disseminated

• Set and maintain professional boundaries that are sufficiently

flexible for providing interprofessional care

• Initiate and respond to practice developments to ensure safe

and effective care is achieved and an effective learning
environment is maintained

Evidence-based practice

• Identify and apply research- and evidence-based practice to

their area of practice

• Contribute to strategies to increase or review the evidence

base used to suppor t practice

• Suppor t students in applying an evidence base to their own

practice
 Leadership

• Plan a series of learning experiences that will meet students’

defined learning needs

• Be an advocate for students to suppor t them accessing

learning oppor tunities that meet their individual needs –
involving a range of other professionals, patients, clients, and
carers

• Prioritise work to accommodate suppor t of students within

their practice

• Provide feedback about the effectiveness of learning and

assessment in practice

While the landscape and terminology have changed, these domains

and their outcomes remain very relevant to the new practice

supervisors and assessors because essentially the skills and

knowledge required have not changed.

The document Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in

Practice (NMC 2006) introduced what was often referred to as the

student ‘passport’. This is a record of each placement in a book/file

that is taken from placement to placement. From 2007 it became

known as the ‘Ongoing Achievement Record’ (OAR) and has recently

morphed into a PAD or Practice Assessment Document.

Previous mentor preparation programmes

The NMC requirements under SLAiP for nurse mentorship courses

declared that they should:

• be at a minimum of Level 2, otherwise known as diploma level

or HE intermediate level

• be a minimum of ten days in length, of which five days are

protected learning time

• include learning in both practice and academic settings

 • have a work-based learning component as a key feature. This
often entailed acting as an associate mentor or under taking
tasks related to student learning in the workplace as directed by
the course locally.

In reality there were many variations of this course nationally, it

being interpreted locally and creatively in many different ways.
However, another reality in many areas suggests that nurses
often struggled to secure their ten days training, often only
managing five and making up the rest in their own time. For
managers, releasing staff is difficult at the best of times, and the
course was seen in the light of its predecessor, which in many
areas was interpreted as a three-day course. The NMC had not
previously defined a specific mentor course, and previous mentor
preparation programmes were approved as par t of pre-registration
and specialist practice qualification programmes, producing much
national variation.

With the onset of the new 2018 standards for student supervision and

assessment, the requirements for a mentorship course have radically

altered and shortened. The new requirements are explored in more

detail below, but one can argue that the new approach is a watering

down of the supervision and assessment (mentorship) training and

represents a worrying devaluation of the role. Cynically, it can also

be seen as a neat way of addressing the worrying lack of good

mentors which dogged the old system by replacing a limited pool of

well-trained mentors with a readily available plethora of less well-

prepared, if nonetheless dedicated, practice supervisors.

NMC review of nurse education 2010

The revised Standards for Pre-registration Nursing Education

(NMC 2010) were born out of a consultation exercise commissioned

by the NMC entitled Nursing: Towards 2015 (Longley et al. 2007).

The new standards ushered in an all-degree profession arguing that

this was necessary for the future and to ‘enable new nurses to work
more closely and effectively with other professionals’ (NMC 2010, p.

8). The review also attempted to clarify the nature of the concept of

‘due regard’, stating that other registered healthcare professionals

who have been suitably prepared can supervise and contribute

towards the assessment of nursing students. The new 2018 standards

move this on further in a welcome expansion and flexibility towards

who can support and assess nursing students.

The politics of mentorship!

Many nursing workplaces are stressful and nurses are faced with
constant challenges, including lack of time, organisational reform,
new technology, an increasingly aware and challenging patient
group, high public expectations, bed shor tages, cost-saving
measures, and increasing non-nursing and administration duties.
To this list we must add the almost constant staff shor tages that
are the source of most care failings for which nurses are
sometimes erroneously blamed. On such a ward, the picture to an
outsider might be one of unremitting chaos. Yet in the face of this
chaos high standards of care remain and the fact that the above
factors do not often undermine the quality of nursing care, is
testimony to the professionalism of today’s nurses. It can be
argued that they are the glue that holds the NHS together.

This scenario also masks the unofficial training that accompanies

such a shift, whereby students witness thinking in action,
intuitional decision-making, and creative individualised care in the
face of daunting constraints. Many examples of learning
oppor tunities could be described if one just sat and watched a
shift, noting all that the nurse did on a clipboard. Alongside skilled
physical and psychological care tasks are managerial and
decision-making skills, asser tive and confident practice. Such
nurses can see beyond the chaos and achieve Benner’s (2001)
intuition. Merely being with these nurses is an impor tant learning
experience for students. Much key learning takes place almost by
osmosis with the student soaking up styles of nursing, ways of
reacting and dealing with complex situations amid uncer tainty and
pressure. Such experience is as beneficial as structured learning
and the use of reflection can help to make sense of it.

When students describe how they learnt to become a nurse, they

usually cite key role models whom they have witnessed regularly
in such situations. It is the skill of the mentor in allowing the
student to par ticipate according to their ability and level in such
dynamic and chaotic scenarios that gives the students the
oppor tunity to build personal and professional competence.

The 2012 NHS London examination of nurse mentorship

(Robinson et al. 2012) cites Pulsford and co-workers (2002),
reminding us that mentors in this study wanted more suppor t from
trust managers and more time for mentoring activity, specifically
help with managing multiple demands upon their time. This is still
the case and serves as a timely reminder that if nursing
shor tages increase and mentorship is not given time, we may well
lose the most impor tant, albeit chaotic, learning experience that
students get. The profession must monitor very carefully whether
the new approach to mentoring student nurses overcomes or
exacerbates these problems. The title ‘practice supervisor’ is
quite succinct, but it doesn’t do justice to the diversity of roles
involved or the range of knowledge and skills required to
under take it. That mentors did not get any ‘time out’ for
‘mentoring’ a student has been hard to reconcile with the
requirements of the role. Compared with other professions, before
the dawn of the new practice supervisor era, nurses were the poor
relations. In their Standards and Guidance for Mentors document
(AODP 2006), the Association of Operating Depar tment
Practitioners recommends that mentors have four hours a week
protected time per student. This is to allow them ‘sufficient time
to provide regular supervision, including assessment and
feedback’. Social workers receive enhanced payments for
mentoring students. Occupational therapists are in the same boat
as nurses. Their Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (College
of Occupational Therapists 2005) asks that they make a
commitment to the education of students in the workplace, having
a ‘professional responsibility to provide educational oppor tunities
for occupational therapy students’ (5.5). For this role, like nurses,
there was no protected time or any extra remuneration – they
simply had to try and put aside time for a weekly supervision
session with their student. The NMC Standards to Suppor t
Learning and Assessment in Practice (2006) state that mentors
‘will need time, when under taking work with a student, to be able
to explain, question, assess performance and provide feedback to
the student in a meaningful way’ (NMC 2006, p. 30). The
document goes on to state as an NMC requirement that sign-off
mentors should be allowed one hour a week per student. Given
the professional responsibility involved here, this was derisory.
The document had little to offer non-sign-off mentors who had to
balance their clinical and managerial duties with mentoring
students.

In 2009, the NMC began a review of pre-registration nurse

education with the aim of developing a teaching, learning, and
assessment framework suitable for the future of an all-degree
profession. As par t of this process, a practice educator facilitator
workshop identified ten priority areas of concern, one of which
was mentorship. It raised the question, should all nurses be
mentors? An acknowledgement perhaps that a significant number
of nurses have far too little time to be effective mentors, but it
also acknowledged a lack of funding for mentorship and, most
tellingly, lamented the lack of value attributed to the status of
mentors. The nursing professional body should recognise the
impor tance of mentoring by introducing protected time, if not
financial reward, for under taking the role. The theory side of
training has been elevated to degree status, but the practice side
of training is arguably more deserving of elevation and status, and
this can be achieved in par t by recognising and giving real value
to the role of the mentor. But the NMC have not chosen to do this;
they have instead changed the name to practice supervisor and
said that all nurses must be supervisors in an attempt to spread
the mentoring load.
The mentor’s new clothes 2018

Clare Sobieraj and Karen Johnston

In 2018, the Nursing and Midwifery Council – following intensive

scrutiny and consultation – published two new sets of standards. The

first, Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses

(NMC 2018a) focuses on the knowledge, skills and attributes student

nurses need to attain in training to become registered nurses. The

second, Realising Professionalism, sets out expectations regarding

the provision of all pre- and post-registration NMC-approved nursing

and midwifery education programmes. Realising Professionalism

was set out in three parts.

• Part 1 Standards Framework for Nursing and Midwifery

Education (NMC 2018b)

• Part 2 Standards for Student Super vision and Assessment (NMC

2018c)

• Part 3 Standards for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes (NMC

2018d)

This book focuses upon Part 2: The Standards for Student

Super vision and Assessment (NMC 2018c) as these are the

standards which superseded the Standards to Support Learning and

Assessment in Practice (SLAiP, NMC 2008) which outlined the

requirements of the well-established mentor role, for supporting and

assessing student nurses within the practice learning environment.

Background

The NMC have historically defined the term ‘mentor’ as a registered

nurse who has met the approved preparation and standards and who

facilitates learning and supervises and assesses students in a

practice setting (NMC 2008). In preparation for this dual role,

prospective mentors with a minimum of one year’s experience and a

period of preceptorship after registration were required to undergo

an NMC-approved preparation course, to demonstrate achievement

of the eight NMC Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in

Practice, as described earlier (SLAiP, NMC 2008). Recorded on a

maintained register, mentors in practice then worked with, guided

and supported, the student throughout their placement, assessing

them through various means, including direct observation in

practice, reflective discussions, question and answer sessions,

reflective writing and assessment of a range of clinical and essential

skills through continuous, formative and summative means. Both

written and verbal feedback from other team members, such as

clinical and practice educators and the interprofessional team, were

implicit within this model. It was a requirement that the

supernumerary student would spend 40 per cent of their placement

time with a qualified mentor who would work closely with them and

simultaneously oversee and assess the student at defined points,

while giving constructive feedback and support aligned to required

competences and experience. Furthermore, there was a sign-off

mentor role, who having met further requirements stipulated by the

NMC, was required to ‘sign off’ final placement nursing students to

assure the required level of competence had been met for entry onto

the register. By and large the model worked well, but there were

some problems with this approach – most notably time limitations

and role pressures for already hard-working pressurised nurses. The

management of challenging or failing students was also highlighted

by many, notably Duffy (Duffy 2003). Not all nurses were mentors,

so workloads could become unevenly spread with no remission from

nursing duties to offset the time pressures of mentoring students.

The lengthy mentorship course of up to ten days also contributed to

a diminution in the supply of mentors. The 2018 Standards for

Student Super vision and Assessment (NMC 2018c) set out to

address these issues and outline the new approach to nurse

mentorship. They set out new expectations for the learning support,

supervision and assessment of students in the practice environment,

and replace the mentor and sign-off mentor role with those of

practice supervisor, practice assessor and academic assessor.

The Standards for Student Super vision and Assessment (NMC

2018c) are divided into three headings:

1 Effective practice learning

2 Supervision of students

3 Assessment of students and confirmation of proficiency

Effective practice learning

This reiterates the need for students to remain supernumerary. It

says that all NMC registrants should now be involved in practice

learning. It also states that the practice supervisor is encouraged to

utilise interprofessional learning in order to meet specific

programme and proficiency requirements for the individual needs of

students, tailored to their stage of learning. The perspective of users

and carers is essential to modern healthcare, and students should be

encouraged to follow the patient’s journey in a supportive and

flexible learning environment which encompasses a range of

settings and other professionals, as appropriate. The students

themselves are to be regarded as active participants, included and

involved in their own learning, in order to enjoy experiences specific

to their stage of learning and to achieve outcomes relevant to their

programme.

Supervision of students

There is now a clear division and separation between the role of

practice supervisor, who works with the student and facilitates their

learning, and that of the practice assessor, whose role is to assess

the student in practice and determine achievement of proficiencies

as stipulated in the student’s practice assessment document. This is a

clear move towards improving the objectivity of the assessment

process as the ‘teacher’ (practice supervisor) and assessor are no

longer the same person. Following this, the academic assessor from

the approved education institution (AEI) must determine whether

proficiency and programme outcomes are met in order to confirm

progression.

Roles and responsibilities of the supervisor role

The maintenance of public protection and the provision of safe and

effective care remain of paramount importance for the NMC, and it

is the practice supervisor’s role to safeguard this. In general, the

practice supervisor should facilitate and identify learning

opportunities for the student based upon their individual needs and

the stage of learning the student is at. Such supervision should aim

to promote independent learning and can decrease as proficiency

and confidence develop.

All NMC-registered nurses, midwives and nursing associates can be

included in the supervisory role; they are no longer required to be on

the same part of the register or within the same field. As role models,

practice supervisors should practise effectively, in line with their

code of conduct, and support the student to meet their proficiencies

and programme outcomes.

Apart from nurses, one major change is that any registered health

and social care professional may take on the role of supervisor to

students and provide ongoing support and guidance for the duration

or part of the placement. This role might be undertaken by

occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nursing associates, social

workers, paramedics and potentially pharmacists and doctors as

registered professionals – essentially any professional within the

multidisciplinary team. A significant outcome of this change may be

that capacity for student nurses in placement could well increase,

with a wider professional workforce responsible for supervision

rather than one individual in one profession. Another benefit may be

the potential for movement around services and agencies as part of

neighbourhood teams, and primary care networks with more flexible

working across boundaries. These other registered health and social

care professionals are also tasked with training their own

profession, and may not feasibly have capacity to extend this to

nursing students. However, adopting a more interprofessional

workforce approach to training should lead to the development of

more knowledgeable practitioners who are able to more readily

understand each other’s roles and liaise more effectively across team

and profession boundaries. Such poor interprofessional and inter-

team communication has often been cited as a key factor in many

recent tragedies where care has failed.

Effective record-keeping on behalf of the supervisor will be

essential, while direct observations and reflective discussions and

other resources – for example, fellow professionals, patients and

service users’ views – can be drawn on to inform decisions.

Supervisors will provide feedback to the practice assessor and

ascertain the achievement of clinical skills. As supervisors can

change over the course of a week, a ‘go to’ professional may manage

and oversee learning opportunities to ensure a diverse and relevant

range of skills and proficiencies are observed, attempted, practised

and assessed. The NMC (2018c) state that a nominated person in

each practice setting should be identified to actively support

students and address their concerns. Thus, in case of difficulty, the

students will have an identified ‘go to’ person. This will be locally

managed by practice partners with the support of their approved

education institute partner. The supervisor also contributes through

both written and verbal feedback to the student’s overall assessment

of proficiency and achievement of programme outcomes, and so

must have a good understanding of these through effective

preparation and support. Liaison and meeting with the practice

assessor are also essential to discuss direct observations, progress,

and the development of skills. Supervisors should seek support from

assessors when raising concerns. Once effectively prepared,

supervisors can also take on an assessor role but cannot supervise

and assess the same student, in order to enhance objectivity.

Many aspects of a student’s placement will look much the same and

remain unchanged, they will still need an induction to the placement,

an initial interview, mid-point and final interviews. Indeed, the skills

and practicalities of supervising and assessing remain pretty much

as they were under the title of mentorship. Role modelling used to be

a staple of good mentorship, and the new approach from the NMC

reiterates the importance of this, stating that supervisors serve as

role models for safe and effective practice.

Preparation and support for the supervisor role

The preparation and support for the practice supervisor and

assessor role are no longer NMC-approved but determined through

collaboration between the practice partner and the student’s

approved education institution, who are accountable for the local

delivery and management of approved programmes, thus allowing

innovative approaches to be developed. The supervisor role requires

knowledge and understanding of the proficiencies and programme

outcomes, and preparation for this is important for potential non-

nursing supervising professionals. Coordination and ongoing

support for the role will therefore be essential to ensure that safe

and effective practice learning take place. There must be

opportunities to discuss feedback with assessors and others, and

raise concerns to ensure that fitness to practise is upheld. This new

flexible approach has developed without the requirement for an

NMC-approved preparation course. The NMC do, however, need to

be satisfied that preparation of supervisors is adequate and that

support for them is in place as part of their approval processes.

Some issues

The preparation for the role of supervisor is now the remit of the AEI

in coordination with the employing organisation, and so could

theoretically vary widely between providers. Such variation could

be in the depth and level of supervisor training, and preparation

from face-to-face, university, in-house-led or online courses – this is

a far cry from the previous restrictions of the NMC under SLAiP,

which involved the administrative burden of managing a database

and checks on mentor status, annual updates and triennial review,

not to mention the ten-day mandatory training.

Questions may also arise as to whether the student’s professional

identity will be maintained in the absence of a registered nurse as

their supervisor. It is possible that student nurses may access

placements where no registered nurse is employed, and is

conceivable that over two placements they may be supervised solely

by the other professions.

Much like the old system of mentorship, the new practice

supervisors will need to ensure that their managers allow them

sufficient time to supervise students in a useful and meaningful way.

Assessment of students and confirmation of proficiency

The 2018 NMC standards for student supervision and assessment

state that responsibility for the development of an effective,

objective, robust and evidenced-based approach to the assessment

process lies in the collaboration of partners, AEIs and employing

organisations. To support this, the NMC have clearly defined

practice and academic assessor roles to ensure that timely

assessments facilitate confirmation of proficiency and student

achievement of competence.

The practice assessor

The practice assessor does not work with the student on a daily

basis but is involved purely for the purposes of objective assessment.

They liaise closely with practice supervisors, observe a clinical

episode of care, attend interviews, provide constructive feedback,

and liaise with the new role of academic assessor from the AEI. The

practice assessor is required to possess current knowledge and

expertise within their field of practice and have in-depth knowledge

of proficiencies and programme outcomes, as well as an

understanding of the students’ learning in theory. Individual students

are required to be allocated to an assigned practice assessor for each

practice placement area and to an academic assessor for each part

of the programme. These assessors are required to be registered

nurses or midwives to assess midwifery students, while student

nursing associates can be assigned to a registered nurse or

associate. The NMC stipulate that the practice assessor should have

‘equivalent experience for the student’s field of practice’. This is

quite vague, but it means that the assessor should have work

experience and knowledge to understand and assess what the

student is trying to achieve. Liaison with the academic assessor will

be integral to the new system so that recommendations for

progression for each part of the programme can be made. The

practice assessor requires the opportunity to periodically observe

the student in practice, and must conduct assessments to confirm

student achievements of proficiencies and programme outcomes for

practice learning. They will not supervise the student while on

placement, but will observe them periodically as part of the

assessment. Heavy reliance on feedback from supervisors will

therefore be integral to the success of this method. Practice

assessors should confirm and challenge achievement of outcomes

with the student and support supervisors when raising concerns.

It is feasible a failing student may go unnoticed in this new more

flexible learning environment, but this can be mitigated through

effective recording in the practice assessment document and good

communication between supervisors and assessors.

Preparation and support for the practice assessor role

The effective preparation of practice assessors new to student

assessment, and for those existing mentors already holding mentor

qualifications approved by the NMC, again falls within the remit of

local providers to devise appropriate programmes in response to

need and demand. While no longer to be regulated by the NMC, there

are responsibilities to ensure that preparation includes development

around the assessment process, effective interpersonal

communication skills, the provision of constructive feedback and the

undertaking of objective and evidence-based assessments.

Systems are required to provide ongoing support and continued

professional development for the supervisor and assessor roles.

Such roles could be similar to the link tutor or practice educator role

currently in place. Knowledge and understanding of practice

assessment documents will therefore be essential for all members

involved in the student’s assessment in order to assure public safety,

as well as the student’s demonstration of values, leadership,

confidence and proficiency.

Academic assessor roles and responsibilities

The academic assessor should be a suitably prepared academic able

to collate and confirm student performance and their achievement of

proficiencies and programme outcomes. To achieve this, they must

work in partnership with the nominated practice assessor to confirm

that the student may progress to the next part of the programme.

Effective communication channels between practice and education

must therefore be developed to discuss student progression for

theory and practice. With regard to the management of failing

students, they must raise and respond to concerns regarding student

conduct, competence and achievement. Like their practice

colleagues, the academic assessor must also be effectively prepared

and supported in this role, holding relevant qualifications, while

possessing appropriate knowledge of the proficiencies and

programme outcome, demonstrating effective interpersonal

communication skills and the ability to conduct objective

assessments with the provision of constructive feedback (Figure

1.1).

Comment

Most of the SLAiP (NMC 2008) mentor standards remain very

relevant to effective student learning and achievement. For example,

‘Establishing effective working relationships’; ‘Creating an

environment for learning’; ‘Context of practice’ and ‘Leadership’. It is

important to retain those aspects which added value to facilitating

students and in which student nurses felt valued and invested in,

leading to increased recruitment and retention (McCabe and

Sambrook 2013). There is a new opportunity for the development of

lead roles in practice to actively support the student experience and

encourage feedback, self-reflection and evaluation, as well as

placement evaluation. Academics should therefore still form

effective links to the practice area, address and discuss concerns,

and support the management of challenging or failing students

within the role of academic assessor in order to confirm

achievement with the student’s nominated practice assessor.

Figure 1.1 How it might look!

Summary

This chapter has:

• Examined the history and politics of nurse mentorship

• Outlined the new roles of practice supervisor and assessor

• Stressed the increasing impor tance of having robust links

between placement areas and the approved education
institutions providing the nurse education

Further reading

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2004) Standards for the Preparation of

Teachers of Nurses, Midwives and Specialist Community Public Health

Nurses. London: NMC.

www.practicebasedlearning.org

This website ‘aims to enhance the quality of student experiences whilst on

practice, i.e. work-based placement. It covers much ground and has a very

useful resource section. It has sections which will be useful to all aspects of

mentorship and supervision and which relate to many chapters in this book.

References

Association of Operating Department Practitioners (AODP) (2006) Qualifications

Framework for Mentors Supporting Learners in Practice: Standards and

guidance for mentors and practice placements in support of pre-registration

diploma of higher education in operating department practice provision.

Wilmslow: Association of Operating Department Practitioners.

Benner, P. (2001) From Novice to Expert: Excellence and power in clinical

nursing practice, commemorative edn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall

Health.

College of Occupational Therapists (2005). Code of Ethics and Professional

Conduct. London: College of Occupational Therapists.

Department of Health (DoH) (1999) Making a Difference. London: Department of

Health.

Duffy, K. (2003) Failing Students: A qualitative study of the factors that inf luence

the decisions regarding assessment of students’ competence in practice.

Glasgow: Caledonian Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre. Available at:

http://science.ulster.ac.uk/nursing/mentorship/docs/nursing/oct11/failingstudents

.pdf [accessed 2 March 2014].

ENB/Department of Health (ENB/DoH) (2001) Placements in Focus: Guidance for

education in practice for health care professions. London: English National

Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting/Department of Health.

Hand, H. (2006) Promoting effective teaching and learning in the practice setting,

Nursing Standard, 20(39): 55–63.

Longley, M., Shaw, C. and Dolan, G. (2007) Nursing: Towards 2015. Pontypridd:

Welsh Institute of Health and Social Care.

McCabe, T. and Sambrook, S. (2013) Psychological contracts and commitment

amongst nurses and nurse managers: a discourse, International Journal of

Nursing Studies, 50(7): 954–67.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2004) Standards for the Preparation of

Teachers of Nurses, Midwives and Specialist Community Public Health

Nurses. London: NMC.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2006) Standards to Support Learning and

Assessment in Practice: NMC standards for mentors, practice teachers and

teachers. London: NMC.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) Standards to Support Learning and

Assessment in Practice: NMC standards for mentors, practice teachers and

teachers, 2nd edn. London: NMC.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010) Standards for Pre-registration

Nursing Education. London: NMC. Available at: http://standards.nmc-

uk.org/PublishedDocuments/Standards%20for%20pre-

registration%20nursing%20education%2016082010.pdf [accessed 20 December

2019].

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2018a) Future Nurse: Standards of

proficiency for registered nurses. London: NMC.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2018b) Realising Professionalism: Part 1:

Standards Framework for Nursing and Midwifery Education. London: NMC.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2018c) Realising Professionalism: Part 2:

Standards for Student Super vision and Assessment. London: NMC.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2018d) Realising Professionalism: Part 3:

Standards for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes. London: NMC.

Pulsford, D., Boit, K. and Owen, S. (2002) Are mentors ready to make a difference?

A survey of mentors’ attitudes towards nurse education, Nurse Education

Today, 22(6): 439–46.

Robinson, S., Cornish, J., Driscoll, C., Knutton, S., Corben, V. and Stevenson, T.

(2012) Sustaining and Managing the Delivery of Student Nurse Mentorship:

Roles, resources, standards and debates – short report, an NHS London

‘Readiness for Work’ project. London: National Nursing Research Unit, King’s

College London.

UKCC (1999) Fitness for Practice. London: UK Central Council for Nursing,

Midwifery and Health Visiting.

 Effective practice supervision
2

Key points

• A good practice supervisor is a motivator

• There are many aspects to the role of the practice supervisor

• An effective working relationship is the backbone of good

practice supervision

• A student’s welcome and induction are crucial in setting the

tone for the placement

• Active listening is a key skill in forming effective working

relationships

• Leadership and managerial skills are key aspects of practice

supervision

Motivation, Maslow, and practice supervisors

The motivational theory of Abraham Maslow (1987) is described

later in relation to learning and teaching theory. However, it is useful

here to look at it from the practical point of view of a student on

placement. In identifying an order in which we usually meet basic

human needs, Maslow gives us a clue as to how to appreciate and

account for the needs of our students. According to Maslow, some

higher-order needs cannot be met until certain lower-order needs

have been met. Physiological needs must be met first followed by the

needs for security and safety, belonging, self-esteem, and finally self-

actualisation. Because of this, we also need to see students as people

who have lives, and therefore other needs, outside of nursing.

Physiological needs
At a basic level, students will not be able to get the best out of their

placement if they are not eating enough and it should be recognised

that some students live within limited means. Most universities will

have student hardship funds and support mechanisms for financial

needs, and the practice supervisor can involve the link tutor to help

the student explore these. The student may also have problems with

accommodation, or lack of sleep due to life stress and/or the

pressure of study; indeed, many students balance their full-time

nursing course with paid work elsewhere. Add to this mix a ‘healthy!’

social life and it is easy to see why a student might be too tired to get

the most out of the experiences the placement provides. A number of

students will, of course, invert Maslow’s hierarchy, with the need to

‘belong’ and ‘party’ taking precedence over the basics such as eating.

That’s life, but practice supervisors may occasionally need to remind

students about their professional responsibilities. Similarly, many

students are mature and have family responsibilities. Ward teams

need to take account of these human stresses and strains and be

realistic in their expectations and supportive, but also be assertive

and offer guidance where a student is consistently falling short of

expectations. An open and frank discussion should ensue and a way

forward agreed. The student can be pointed in the direction of other

support mechanisms if appropriate, and the practice supervisor may

also involve the university link tutor should it become necessary.

Security and belonging needs

The need to feel secure on placement can be met by reducing

anxieties, especially early on in a placement. A good orientation

programme will do this with the student being met and seen early on

by their supervisors and inducted and introduced to others within

the team. It is also important for students to feel well supported

when they are asked to perform tasks with which they are

unfamiliar or which are particularly demanding. By being aware of

the student’s level and ability, the practice supervisor will ensure the

student is adequately supported and their anxieties addressed. It

also helps if students are not alone on placement but have peers they
can chat to and work with. Sometimes on short placements it can be

difficult to achieve a real sense of belonging, but a good practice

supervisor can help to make a student feel they are valued and can

make a useful contribution, by giving them time, seeking their

opinion, and making sure they are involved.

Self-esteem

This need will likely only be met if the above ones have been met

first. The practice supervisor can help the student here to gain a

sense of being involved, valued, wanted, and of making a positive

contribution. Being given frequent positive feedback and being

included in the social as well as the working life of the clinical team

will foster this even more.

Self-actualisation

Self-actualisation is a vague concept and often ill defined. It has

been described as the achievement of ambitions and goals in

professional or personal life. Others describe it as fulfilling one’s

potential. It is difficult for a practice supervisor to promise this, but

for many students the road to this goal can be via the personal and

professional achievements made on the journey through a successful

placement and nurse training.

The characteristics and roles of the

supervisor/mentor

According to Homer’s Odyssey (circa 800 bc), Mentor was the name

of the person Odysseus asked to look after his son while he was

away. The word ‘mentor’ now means a guardian, advisor, teacher.

According to the NMC (2006), the responsibilities of nursing mentors

included:

• Organising and coordinating student learning activities in

practice
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Yale R n s 10:189 O ’20 1200w

 EVISON, MILLICENT. Rainbow gold. il *$1.75
Lothrop

While their father is serving a term of imprisonment on a charge of

embezzlement three young people, Toni, Basil and Cecily, go to live
with their grandfather in a lonely old house in Maine. The
grandfather is crabbed and cold and the two aunts have become as
dull and drab as the old house. The story tells how the children bring
new life into it and how Toni wins her grandfather’s heart and moves
him to take steps toward a new hearing of their father’s case which
proves his innocence.
 F

FABRE, JEAN HENRI CASIMIR. Secret of

everyday things; informal talks with the children: tr.
from the French by Florence Constable Bicknell. il
*$2.50 Century 504

20–17586

This book for young readers contains another selection of Uncle

Paul’s talks, following “The story-book of science,” “Our humble
helpers” and “Field, forest and farm.” Among the everyday things
discussed are Thread; Pins; Needles; Silk; Wool; Flax and hemp;
Weaving; Woolen cloth; Moths; Calico; Dyeing and printing; Human
habitations; Soap; Fire; Matches; Glass; Iron; Rust; Pottery; Coffee;
Sugar; Tea; Bread; Air; Evaporation; Rain; Snow; The force of steam;
Sound and light. There are occasional illustrations in the text.

“Would be useful in junior high schools.”

+ Booklist 17:121 D ’20

“Didacticism flies before Fabre’s freshness of style like dust before

a broom.”

+ Lit D p86 D 4 ’20 80w

 “The insect world has been recreated for lay readers by the
patience and the genius of Fabre. Here his themes are homelier but
his gift for accurate information, made fascinating in the telling, is
the same.”

+ N Y Evening Post p25 O 23 ’20 90w

“The heart and mind of a scientist, the style of an artist, and the
sympathy of a man whose child spirit never died live in the book.”
Hildegarde Hawthorne

+ N Y Times p9 D 12 ’20 150w

FAIRBANKS, HAROLD WELLMAN.

Conservation reader. il *$1.20 World bk. 338

20–8813

This book is one of the Conservation series and is especially

designed for the education of children in right ways of looking at
nature. It is the author’s opinion that much of the enthusiasm for
conservation will expend itself uselessly unless it can be made to
reach the children and the purpose of the book is to present its
principles to pupils in a simple and interesting manner. Among the
contents are: How our first ancestors lived; The earth as it was before
the coming of civilized men; How far will nature restore her wasted
gifts? Things of which soil is made; The use and care of water; How
the forests are wasted; Our forest playgrounds; What is happening to
the wild flowers; What shall we do when the coal, oil, and gas are
gone? What is happening to the animals and birds; How to bring the
wild creatures back again. Among the many illustrations are two
color prints and there is an index.

+ Booklist 16:352 Jl ’20

“Well adapted for use in the intermediate grades.”

+ El School J 21:156 O ’20 120w

FALKENHAYN, ERICH GEORG ANTON

SEBASTIAN VON. German general staff and its
decisions, 1914–1916. *$5 Dodd 940.343

20–2294

“The book will attempt to set forth in an intelligible form,

according to my knowledge at the time of their occurrence, those
operative ideas by which the best of us were guided in battle and
victory during the two years of the war when I was at the head of the
general staff. My statements do not afford any history of the war in
the ordinary sense of the word. They touch upon the events of the
war, and other occurrences connected with the latter, only in so far
as is necessary to justify the decisions of the general staff.” (Preface)
Contents: The change of chief of the general staff; The general
military situation in the middle of September, 1914: The battles of
the Yser and around Lodz; The period from the beginning of trench
warfare in November-December, 1914, until the recommencement of
the war of movement in 1915; The break-through at Gorlice-Tarnow
and its consequences; Operations against Russia in the summer and
autumn of 1915; Beginning of the unrestricted submarine campaign;
Attempts to break through in the west in the autumn of 1915, and the
campaign against Serbia; The situation at the end of 1915; The
campaign of 1916; Comparative review of the relative strength of
forces (Appendix); Maps.

“The work itself is a memoir, rather than a history. It makes no

references to authorities, and furnishes little in the form of
documents, but it bears evidence of more careful preparation than is
usual with memoirs and of being based on authentic records or
accurate first-hand knowledge.” J: Bigelow

+ − Am Hist R 25:500 Ap ’20 750w

Booklist 16:307 Je ’20

Reviewed by W. C. Abbott

Bookm 51:286 My ’20 2800w

Lit D p123 Ap 17 ’20 1400w

“Both as a personal apologia and as a revealing of inside German

military history this volume is a worthy companion to Ludendorff’s
book—indeed, it is better; it is less clumsy and tart, its language is
clearer and terser.”

+ Outlook 125:541 Jl 21 ’20 240w

“With one exception, his book is a candid and apparently

straightforward statement of the problems he was called upon to
solve, and as such it will always be valuable to the special student,
but not to the general public: it proves nothing.”

+ − Review 3:533 D 1 ’20 2100w

“General von Falkenhayn’s book on the war is, from the military
standpoint, a much more serious production than General
Ludendorff’s memoirs, though it does not appeal in the same way to
the natural man’s desire for revelations of the enemy’s domestic
controversies. The attentive reader of his book will be impressed with
General von Falkenhayn’s personality. He writes like a soldier, not
like a politician.”

+ Spec 123:895 D 27 ’19 1750w

“Von Falkenhayn’s book is a worthy companion to Ludendorff’s. It

has the merit of being shorter; it contains a much smaller admixture
of politics; and its handling of personal controversies, though
sufficiently tart, is less clumsy and disagreeable than Ludendorff’s.”

+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p723 D 11

’19 2200w

FARIS, JOHN THOMSON. On the trail of the

pioneers; romance, tragedy, and triumph of the path
of empire. il *$3.50 Doran 978

20–7011
 The present volume does not give in full detail the historical
background of the successive great movements of population from
the East to the West but rather actual typical cases of emigrants on
the move. “It ... gives glimpses of many of these great movements,
the routes the emigrants took, and the sections to which they went.
The endeavor is made to answer the questions, Who were the
emigrants? How and where did they travel? What adventures did
they have by the way? What were their impressions of the country
through which they passed? What did they do when they reached
their destinations?” (Preface) For this purpose full use has been
made of the records of early travellers and pioneers. Contents:
Through the Cumberland gap to Kentucky and Tennessee; Through
the Pittsburgh and Wheeling gateways; Floating down the Ohio and
the Mississippi; From northern New York and New England to the
West; The Santa Fe trail; The Oregon trail; Across the plains to
California; Toiling up the Missouri; Bibliography; Index; Maps and
illustrations.

+ Booklist 16:307 Je ’20

“An excellent, condensed history.”

+ Cath World 111:697 Ag ’20 120w

+ Nation 111:164 Ag 7 ’20 50w
N Y Times p30 S 12 ’20 150w

“While sketchy and disjointed, Mr Faris’s book presents enough

that is piquant or solidly interesting to lure the reader to search
further for himself.”
 + Springf’d Republican p11a My 30 ’20
700w

“The author has accomplished a scholarly piece of work without

pedantry or tedious generalization. The writing of the book is so
fresh and entertaining that the general reader will find it a real
pleasure to peruse it.”

+ Survey 44:592 Ag 2 ’20 110w

“There are evidences of haste in the compilation of the book and in

the explanatory matter which introduces the excerpts from diaries,
resulting in too general statements of specific historical events, and
some minor errors. The charm of this book lies in the abundant
passages from old journals which happily escaped the improving
pencils of ‘literary’ friends.” C. L. Skinner

+ − Yale R n s 10:185 O ’20 330w

FARIS, JOHN THOMSON. Seeing the Far

West. il *$6 Lippincott 917.8

20–17297

“John T. Faris’s ‘Seeing the Far West’ has chapters upon the
scenery of Colorado, Arizona, the Yellowstone, the Sierras, Oregon,
and Washington.” (Review) “He regales his readers with bits of
gossip and local history that enliven and endow with a human
interest the scenes to which he leads them.” (N Y Times)
 “The writing of the book is simple and direct, gaining thereby in
clearness and force. Its sincerity cannot be questioned and its
personal touches and humanness stir alive one’s jaded interest in
travel volumes.” J. W. D. S.

+ Boston Transcript p5 D 11 ’20 560w

“‘Seeing the far West’ is a desirable addition to any home library.”

+ Bookm 52:344 D ’20 140w

“Occasionally the reader finds flashes of description that are

characterized by originality, but, on the whole, the writer is content
with conventional utterance.” B. R. Redman

+ N Y Times p9 O 31 ’20 160w

“The book will take its place as one of the best of the ‘boosters’ for
seeing the great West.”

+ Outlook 126:654 D 8 ’20 50w

“Mr Faris has the enviable trick of making one see. He sets one
dreaming golden, fantastic, rainbow dreams, and leaves one,—as
only the most vivid dreams can leave one,—half convinced that one
has actually been there in the flesh.” Calvin Winter

+ Pub W 98:664 S 18 ’20 370w

Reviewed by E. L. Pearson
 + Review 3:345 O 20 ’20 40w

“It is well illustrated with photographs which show that Mr Faris is

not too enthusiastic in his descriptions.”

+ Spec 125:748 D 4 ’20 120w

+ Springf’d Republican p9a D 5 ’20 200w

“Mr Faris’s main difficulty is that he has so many things to write

about. In fact, he would have given a clearer idea of the country if of
its natural features he had been content to describe fully one of each
kind instead of—in perhaps a spirit of democratic equality—giving a
shorter account of several.”

+ − The Times [London] Lit Sup p755 N 18

’20 1250w

[2]
FARNELL, IDA. Spanish prose and poetry old
and new. *$5.25 Oxford 860.8

20–22172

“‘Spanish prose and poetry, old and new.’ by Ida Farnell is a

collection made in the belief that one of the consequences of the war
will be an increased interest in the literature of the Latin races. Miss
Farnell has endeavored to show something of the spirit of Spanish
literature by translated extracts from authors ranging from the
fourteenth to the nineteenth century (omitting the eighteenth as an
age of decadence), to which she has prefixed short biographies of the
writers.”—Springf’d Republican

“Her versification is unusually successful in coping with the

peculiar difficulties of Spanish verse. Her biographical sketches, her
comments and her notes are lively and entertaining. It is a delightful
book.” N. H. D.

+ Boston Transcript p9 D 1 ’20 1250w

“Her prefaces, though enfeebled as criticism by moral and patriotic

bias, are enthusiastic, and arouse keener expectations than her
translations satisfy.”

+ − Nation 111:278 S 4 ’20 60w

Springf’d Republican p10 My 29 ’20
80w

FARNOL, JEFFERY. Black Bartlemy’s treasure.

*$2.15 Little

20–20647

This is a veritable treasure island and piracy story. Martin Conisby,

Lord Wendover, is sold as a slave to a Spanish galleon by Sir Richard
Brandon, the slayer of his father. After making his escape and
returning to England, swearing vengeance, he unwittingly becomes
the rescuer of Brandon’s daughter. He does not find Sir Richard, who
has since been lost at sea. But he falls in with a man about to set
forth in quest of a treasure and joins him. Lady Joan Brandon
embarks on the same ship and presently the two are set adrift in a
boat and reach the island. Here they live for some time, a la
Robinson Crusoe and love grows to such an extent that the hero is
ready to abjure his vow of vengeance. The treasure is also found.
When rescuers come events develop in such a way that he renounces
love and all and remains a solitary hermit on the island as the ship
sails away. Much rough fighting and slaughter punctuate the various
phases of the story.

“Some reminiscences of Stevenson and Charles Reade may have

gone towards shaping ‘Black Bartlemy’s treasure,’ but Mr Farnol
gives a good account of himself as regards both these models.”

+ Ath p442 O 1 ’20 110w

“The story would be much more effective were it narrated in

forthright English.” E. F. Edgett

+ − Boston Transcript p2 N 27 ’20 1600w

“The author has written a thrilling and convincing sea story with
so many quaint characters and so much cut-and-thrust action that it
is hard to find anything which may be offered as a parallel in very
recent fiction.”

+ N Y Times p26 Ja 2 ’21 380w

“The action is as rapid as ever. The ingenuity with which Mr Farnol

creates fresh situations of romance is tireless.”
 + The Times [London] Lit Sup p583 S 9
’20 700w

FARNOL, JEFFERY. Geste of Duke Jocelyn. il

*$2.50 Little

20–16930

In this merry jest is romance and knight errantry of old. The tale
tells of one Duke Jocelyn of Brocelaunde, a puissant knight, but
marred of face so that he despairs of winning the love of the beautiful
lady Yolande. He dons his fool’s motley garb with cap and bells and
sets out with one lonely, poorly garbed knight to act the part of the
Duke’s envoy and press his suit. They meet with many adventures in
the forest, fall in with Robin Hood, make friends and fight many a
brave fight with and for him. Even the Lady Yolande is intrigued by
the fool’s merry songs and after he has rescued her from a hated
suitor, she yields to his love and openly declares it before the
assembled knights of the Duke of Brocelaunde. Songs and rhymes,
blank verse and prose mingle in the telling of the tale.

“He tells it for his young daughter’s edification, and has hit on a
medium—his own swaggering prose and a sound, swinging, rough-
and-ready metre—that suits both the matter and his now familiar
manner.”

+ Ath p1411 D 26 ’19 70w

“This is a good Christmas book for the incorrigibly romantic,

young or old.” Margaret Ashmun
 + Bookm 52:347 D ’20 120w

“A pretty manner Mr Farnol has adopted for the telling of his latest
story. Accepting the artifice for what it is one cannot deny that it
makes good entertainment.” W. S. B.

+ Boston Transcript p4 O 6 ’20 540w

“One of the most charming and delightfully whimsical fictional

products that have come from the presses this year.”

+ N Y Times p16 N 28 ’20 740w

+ Springf’d Republican p7a N 21 ’20 360w

“The choice of the genre is a very happy one for Mr Farnol; it

admits of his wearing his heart on his sleeve and carrying his tongue
in his cheek at one and the same time. In fact, this is such a tale as
any father—did he but dispose of Mr Farnol’s vocabulary, humour
and invention—would tell his daughter, providing her liberally with
marvels to her taste and amusing himself with Shakespearian
allusions that would escape her.”

+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p742 D 11

’19 650w

FARNSWORTH, CHARLES HUBERT. How to

study music. *$2.10 (3½c) Macmillan 780.7
 20–19843

Professor Frank M. McMurry in his introduction to the volume

points out that the teacher’s method of teaching may unduly
overshadow in importance the child’s method of study. This little
book places the emphasis on the child’s method of study and takes
the form of home conversations between the children and the adults
of the family. It shows how a child’s appreciation of music requires a
fertile home soil for its growth and how Jack’s initial “I hate music”
can be changed into his final “I love music.” Contents: Difficulties in
the study of music; How listen to music; How learn notation without
awakening a dislike for music; How a child should learn to sing; How
learn to play the piano; How learn to enjoy classical as well as
modern music; How to select music; How make use of music in the
family; Library of piano compositions.

“The unusual characteristic about the book is the fact that the
problems are presented from the viewpoint of both pupil and
teacher. In this respect it is better than a formal text would probably
be. Indeed, the author evidently sought to exemplify his philosophy
of teaching by the book itself.”

+ El School J 21:317 D ’20 510w

FARRAR, JOHN CHIPMAN. Forgotten

shrines. (Yale ser. of younger poets) *75c Yale univ.
press 811

20–3703
 “Mr Farrar has earned a reputation which foreruns this book of his
with a war poem called ‘Brest left behind.’ He divides his poems in
groups called Portraits, Songs for children and others, Miscellaneous
and Sonnets. The first group of Portraits won the eighteenth award of
the prize offered by Professor Albert Stanburrough Cook at Yale for
the best unpublished verse by an undergraduate.”—Boston
Transcript

“Beautiful in thought and expression.”

+ Booklist 16:305 Je ’20

Reviewed by R. M. Weaver

+ − Bookm 51:454 Je ’20 200w

“He gives us a fine sense of diversity of interests and a balance of

form that is admirable.” W. S. B.

+ Boston Transcript p4 My 5 ’20 340w

“Mr Farrar has achieved clear and tender outlines in the section
called Portraits, and should be encouraged to proceed further.”

+ Nation 111:278 S 4 ’20 60w

[2]
FARRISS, CHARLES SHERWOOD.
American soul. $1 Stratford co. 920
 20–22043

“An appreciation of the four greatest Americans and their lesson

for present Americans.” (Sub-title) The four Americans are: George
Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Robert E. Lee; and Theodore
Roosevelt.

“On the whole, the author is quite happy in his attempt to draw the
moral without overpainting the tale.”

+ − N Y Evening Post p10 D 31 ’20 220w

+ R of Rs 53:222 F ’21 30w

FAY, CHARLES RYLE. Life and labour in the

nineteenth century. *$8 Macmillan 331.8

(Eng ed 20–16219)

“Though the title sounds as if ‘Life and labor in the nineteenth

century’ were solely on economics, and though economics gets plenty
of treatment, Captain Fay’s lectures cover the political history of
England and its international adventures. It is only the fact that wars
are not described that prevents it from being a history of England in
the nineteenth century.” (N Y Times) “The volume contains the
substance of the author’s lectures, delivered at Cambridge in 1919, to
students of economics among whom were officers of the Royal navy
and students from the United States army.” (The Times [London] Lit
Sup)
 Ath p47 Jl 9 ’20 800w

Reviewed by G: Soule

+ Nation 111:534 N 10 ’20 100w

“It is marred by a certain ignorance of American events, or at least

American points of view.... But these evidences of careless historical
reading and insufficient information about a foreign country,
although they impair the value of Mr Fay’s book, do not prevent it
from being a careful study of the economic life and free-handed
study of its politics, written in a vivacious style.”

+ − N Y Times p13 S 26 ’20 1950w

“Mr Fay attempts to develop no clear-cut definite theories. He does

not indulge in the harmless but futile pastime of prophecy. One of
the freshest and most original portions of the book is in the chapters
in which Mr Fay traces the prevalence and disastrous consequences
of ‘semi-capitalism,’ the stage of transition from domestic industries
to manufacture.”

+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p359 Je 10

’20 1650w

[2]
FAYLE, CHARLES ERNEST. Seaborne trade.
il *$7.50 (*12s 6d) Longmans 940.45
 v 1 The cruiser period.
“From the outbreak of the war and the mobilization of the British
fleet to the beginning of the submarine warfare, Mr Fayle covers
every incident, every move of the Allied and the German fleets. He
takes up in turn the flight of the Goeben and the Breslau to the
shelter of the Dardanelles, the protection of the Atlantic terminals,
the precautions taken to cover trade in the Far East, the situation in
the South Atlantic, and the depredations of the Karlsruhe.”—Boston
Transcript

“Altogether, ‘The cruiser period’ is a notable addition to the history

of the war.”

+ Boston Transcript p7 Ja 8 ’21 350w

+ Spec 125:707 N 27 ’20 1350w
+ − The Times [London] Lit Sup p787 D 2
’20 1650w

FELD, ROSE CAROLINE. Humanizing

industry. *$2.50 Dutton 331.1

20–8521

“Miss Feld has written a story concerning one Struthers who,

inheriting an industrial plant run on old-fashioned lines of
benevolent despotism, tries to introduce modern ideas and
overcomes one by one the obstacles created by a bad tradition. It is
not fiction, but the method of telling enhances the impression of the
author’s belief in good personal relationships and common sense as