It made me feel like my first day on placement all over again. (student
2/23)
Disempowerment in relation to learning in practice had two
core elements: absence of a mentor and lack of continuity. In
terms of lack of mentors, time and again students reported
‘this was not my mentor’. One student typified this:
For the last week of my placement my mentor was away on holiday
and I was allocated to another nurse for the week. With the second
nurse, rather than be involved with the patients’ care, knowing why
care was being given, I was just given jobs to do without explanation
of why. The nurse did not really know me or my capabilities. (student
3/10)
In relation to lack of continuity, several students reported
that their learning had been affected by having to move
placement and one student captured the associated disempowerment,
coupled with the absence of a mentor:
I had to move to an alternative ward during my placement… On
moving I felt very vulnerable, not confident and unsure of what was
expected of me… I didn’t have a designated mentor. Because I had
moved, nursing staff were unsure of my capabilities and I was not
sure of what was expected of me. (student 1/11)
The consequence of disempowerment in relation to learning
in practice was evident:
I would dread going to work, very often go home at the end of shift in
tears. (student 2/28)