One of the things that has really struck me as I carry out the initial interviews with mentors is the high level of empathy that mentors have for student nurses, patients and colleagues. The people I have interviewed so far are very experienced nurses who seem instinctively tuned in to other people and their feelings. I would like to find out more about what this means for mentors. How much of their empathy-led behavour are they conscious of labouring over, and how much is it authentic caring behaviour? Is it related to their identities as members of a caring profession? The notion of 'being-with' a student mentee is worth exploring in some depth. Sometimes, it is not about teaching or providing learning opportunities or other such actions; it is simply that they spend time together and may be inhabiting the same space at these times.
I am also interested in exploring further how mentors orient to colleagues. For instance, what are the emotional display rules amongst their colleagues with regard to mentoring? Mentors do seem to spend energy on complex interactions with colleagues, getting feedback on students, being mindful of the impact on the team of having a student, and so on.
How much of the time do mentors have to work hard at showing the 'right' emotion to students? If they are battling between heart and head when having to fail a student, how much of that do they let the student or others see? If they are relieved that a student has carried out a difficult procedure safely, does that show? I think these are all fascinating aspects of the 'hidden' lifeworld of the nurse mentor that I hope to discover.
Sunday 15 June 2008
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