Mentorship for medical students : space for something else

Mentorship has been used in undergraduate medical education to support students ́ learning and development. The medical education literature describes various goals for mentoring, various designs of mentoring programs, and various roles and functions of the mentor. The aim of the thesis was to deepen the understanding of the meaning of mentoring for medical students ́ professional and personal development and to contribute new knowledge that will be useful when designing mentoring programs for medical students in the future. Students ́ experiences of two forms of mentoring were explored in four consecutive studies in Europe. Theories of professional competence, learning, and transition were used for the interpretation, understanding, and explanation of the findings. Studies I and II explored experiences of one-to-one mentoring during the first clinical courses, semesters 5–8. In Study I, a questionnaire showed that the students felt that the mentorship had facilitated their professional (78%) and personal (63%) development. They felt respected by their mentors, and the role of the mentor was experienced as being supportive and providing guidance and perspectives. In Study II, their experiences were further explored by means of interviews. Three themes were found: Space, Belief in the future, and Transition. Having a mentor gave a sense of security and constituted a “free zone” alongside the educational program. It gave hope about the future and increased motivation. The students were introduced to a new community and began to identify themselves as physicians. The mentorship created conditions to start to develop the more “elusive” professional competences, such as reflective capacity, emotional competence, and the feeling of belonging to a community. Studies III and IV further explored experiences of mentorship using interviews concerning combined group and one-to-one mentoring during semesters 1–11. In Study III, five themes were found about what the mentorship created opportunities for; Psychosocial support by the mentor, A relationship with a physician beneath the professional surface, Space for something else, Awareness of one ́s own development, and Reflection and learning with peers. The mentorship created space for reflection on the humanistic aspects of the professional role. A mentoring relationship can be on a personal level without frequent meetings and knowing one another well. Continuity helped the students to recognize their own development. Study IV focused on the transitional process of becoming a physician. The analyses resulted in three themes: Integrate oneself with the future role as a physician, Exciting clinical experiences with the mentor give incentives to learn, and Toward understanding the professional competence of a physician. The mentorship enabled the students to get a view of their future lives and start to integrate the professional role with themselves as persons. Early access to the clinical environment with the mentor was an incentive and gave meaning to the theoretical knowledge. Their understanding of professional competence and behavior evolved and they advanced toward understanding the wholeness of the profession. In conclusion: mentorship can facilitate medical students ́ professional and personal development by creating space for reflection and development of the more “elusive” competences of a physician, by giving incentives to learn, and by facilitating the students ́ process of becoming a physician

L-news : Zeitung für Lehramtsstudierende - Nr. 1 ; 15. November 1997

Questionnaire for medical students. The CASS questionnaire the students were asked to respond every third week. (DOC 83 kb

We need support! A Delphi study about desirable support during the first year in the emergency medical service.

BACKGROUND: New and inexperienced emergency medical service (EMS) professionals lack important experience. To prevent medical errors and improve retention there is an urgent need to identify ways to support new professionals during their first year in the EMS. METHODS: A purposeful sample and snowball technique was used and generated a panel of 32 registered nurses with 12-48 months of EMS experience. A Delphi technique in four rounds was used. Telephone interviews were undertaken in round one to identify what desirable support professionals new to the EMS desire during their first year. Content analysis of the transcribed interviews yielded items which were developed into a questionnaire. The experts graded each item in terms of perceived importance on a 5-graded likert scale. Consensus level was set at 75%. Items which reached consensus were removed from questionnaires used in subsequent rounds. RESULTS: Desirable support was categorized into eight areas: Support from practical skills exercises, support from theoretical knowledge, support from experiences based knowledge, theoretical support, support from an introduction period, support from colleagues and work environment, support from management and organization and other support. The experts agree on the level of importance on 64 of a total of 70 items regarding desirable support. One item was considered not important, graded 1 or 2, 63 items were considered important, graded 4 or 5. CONCLUSION: Even with extensive formal competence the EMS context poses challenges where a wide variety of desirable forms of support is needed. Support structures should address both personal and professional levels and be EMS context oriented

Challenging encounters as experienced by registered nurses new to the emergency medical service : explored by using the theory of communities of practice.

The aim of this study was to explore challenging encounters experienced by registered nurses (RN) during their first year in the emergency medical service by using the social learning theory of communities of practice. During the first year in a new professional practice, a new RN experiences a transition during which the new professional identity is being formed. This is a challenging and demanding period of time. According to the learning theory of communities of practice by Lave and Wenger, individuals' learning and development in a new professional practice occurs through participation in social activity and is influenced by context. This study is based on the qualitative data from semi-structured interviews. Thirty-two RNs working in the Swedish emergency medical service were interviewed via telephone during the spring of 2017. A qualitative content analysis with deductive reasoning of the interviews was used. The analysis process generated the main category; New RNs participation is challenged by unpredictability and uncertainty in practice. The main category was based on three generic categories; Loneliness in an unpredictable context, Uncertainty about the team, and Uncertainty in action. The challenges new RNs encounter during the first year relate to all three dimensions of a community of practice; mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire. The encountered challenges also relate to the EMS context. Taking into account all these aspects when designing support models for RN's professional development may be advantageous for creating positive development for RNs new to the EMS and/or similar practices

Treat me nice! –a cross-sectional study examining support during the first year in the emergency medical services

Abstract Background Working in the emergency medical service (EMS) can be extremely varying and sometimes physically and psychologically demanding. Being new in this context can be a great challenge. This study aim to describe what ambulance nurses consider to be important support during the first year in the EMS. Methods Three hundred and eighty-nine eligible participants that had graduated from the prehospital emergency care program were identified via university registrations office in Sweden. The eligible participants received a study specific questionnaire via mail consisting of 70 statements about support during the first year. The perceived importance of each statement were graded on a 7-point Likert scale. The gradings were analysed using descriptive statistics and frequencies, mean and SD were calculated. Results Two hundred and thirty questionnaires were returned fully completed, giving a response rate of 59%. Fourteen statements regarding desirable support were rated with mean values > 6.00 and SD < 1.00 and considered as being the most important during the first year in the EMS. The important supports regarded; colleagues and work environment, management and organisation, experience-based knowledge, introduction period, practical support, and theoretical support. Most statements regarded culture and climate and the way the newcomers wanted to be treated. Conclusion It was concluded that an important way to support newcomers in the EMS is to treat them ‘nice’. This can be achieved by creating an open climate and a welcoming culture where the new professionals feel trusted and treated with respect, created ways to work structurally, have applicable medical guidelines, and for newcomers to receive feedback on their actions

Additional file 1: of To belong or not to belong: nursing students’ interactions with clinical learning environments – an observational study

Interview guide. Interviews adhered to the following interview guide. (DOCX 22 kb