Mentorship Preparation - Essay Example

In this paper, we would be discussing on the nurse mentoring a patient in a sexual health clinic. Integration of the mentor's role into the health care system has increased access to comprehensive health care in combination with the fulfillment of the client's need for prescription medications (Bailey, 1999; Le Bar, 1986). In the UK, resourcing issues such as a reduced number of doctors and the demand for the delivery of cost effective care, have led to plans to extend the role of mentors into prescribing as a potential way of meeting these demands.

Nurses may teach individual clients in one-to-one teaching episodes. For example the nurse may teach about wound care while changing a client's dressing or may teach about diet, exercise, and other lifestyle behaviors that minimize the risk of a heart attack for a client who has a cardiac problem. The nurse may also be involved in teaching family members or other support people who are caring for the client. Nurses working in obstetric and pediatric areas teach parents and sometimes grandparents how to care for children.

Because of decreased length of hospital stays, time constraints on client education may occur. Nurses need to provide client education that will ensure the client's safe transition from one level of care to another and make appropriate plans for follow-up education in the client's home. Discharge plans must include both information about what the client has been taught before transfer or discharge and what remains for the client to learn to perform self-care in the home or other residence.Nurses are often involved in community health education programs.

Such teaching activities may be voluntary as part of the nurse's involvement in an organization such as the Red Cross or Planned Parenthood, or they may be compensated as part of the nurse's work role. Community teaching activities may be aimed at large groups of people who have an interest in some aspect of health, such as nutrition classes, CPR or cardiac risk factor reduction classes, and bicycle or swimming safety programs. Community education programs can also be designed for small groups or individual learners such as childbirth classes or family planning classes.

Nurses are also involved in the instruction of professional colleagues. Nurses in nursing practice settings are often involved in the clinical instruction of nursing students. Experienced nurses may function as preceptors for new graduate nurses or for newly employed nurses. Nurses with specialized knowledge and experience may share that knowledge and experience with nurses who are new to that practice area (Courteney & Butler, 1999). Such specialized courses include acute care nursing, perioperative nursing and quality improvement/quality assurance.

Nurses may also be involved in teaching other health professionals. Nurses may participate in the education of medical students or allied health students. In this capacity, the nurse educator is often clarifying the role of the nurse for other health professionals or how the nurse can assist them in their care of the client. The nurse may also teach health care colleagues knowledge or skills that are considered the domain of nursing.For a nurse who acts as a mentor, the areas for client education (NICE, 2002) include, promotion of health, increasing a person's level of wellness, growth and development topics, fertility control, hygiene, nutrition, exercise,