Review
Mentoring
Keywords: Mentoring/Continuing professional development/Portfolio
●This article has been double-blind peer reviewed
CPD for mentors: creating a portfolio
Mentors can use a portfolio of evidence to show continuing professional development
In this article...
Why mentors need a CPD portfolio
How to create a portfolio of evidence
Using a SWOT analysis to identify strengths and weaknesses
Author Louise Lawson is senior lecturer,
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social
Work, University of Hertfordshire.
Abstract Lawson L (2011) CPD for mentors: creating a portfolio. Nursing
Times; 107: 21, 15-18.
It is a mandatory requirement for mentors to support and assess all pre-registration students in their practice areas. The role is time consuming and challenging, but can also be extremely rewarding.
This article examines the roles and responsibilities of mentors and discusses the importance of continuing professional development for mentors. It also looks at how mentors can demonstrate they meet the standards required by the Nursing and
Midwifery Council (2008b).
S
ince the Nursing and Midwifery
Council updated its code of professional conduct (NMC, 2008a) there has been a renewed focus on mentor competency.
All qualified nurses and midwives have a responsibility to facilitate learning within clinical settings, and those who take on formal mentoring roles must have completed an NMC-approved course to prepare them for this role (NMC, 2008b).
Developing the skills of mentors in practice areas gives students the best possible experiences for learning.
The NMC set out standards of proficiency in nursing education to ensure pre-
registration students are deemed fit for practice, both at the point of registration and beyond (NMC, 2004). It stipulated that nurse education should be 50% practice focused, which would lead to pre-registration students becoming professionally
proficient.
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