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Jenny Kouri
DOS 418 Professionalism & Mentoring
July 21, 2015
Mentors in the Clinical Setting
Students do not gain all knowledge from literature alone, but additionally from an
experienced mentor who helps mold and shape the student into a young professional by
enclosing the gap between textbooks and clinical practice. A mentor is a senior professional who
implements an unspoken passion and understanding of their field to a novice by imparting what
they have experienced first hand in the clinical setting.1, 2 A mentor oversees, guides, and supplies
feedback to the student while developing personal, professional, and educational skills in relation
to optimal patient care.3, 4 The ultimate purpose of a mentor in a clinical setting is to increase
standards of care by cultivating students who will eventually practice independently in the
future.4 Adversely, strong evidence has been shown that increased errors, risk, and harm are
associated with less supervision of health care professionals.3
The quality of intrapersonal communication between the mentor and student affects the
performance of the student immensely. A relationship is built upon the foundation of trust,
availability, and communication.2, 3 During clinical, the mentor is often busy preforming his or
her own tasks and procedures. There must be a balance between their own clinical duties and
making themselves accessible to answer questions asked by the student as well as bestow
guidance. Mentors must maintain an active presence yet allow the student to make their own
treatment decisions under the guidance of the mentor. A mentor does not direct, but provides
clear feedback so the student fully understands their strengths and weaknesses.2 Feedback must
be delivered in a manner in which the student does not feel degraded, belittled, or embarressed
but rather in a lighter tone so the student does not lose confidence.1 The mentor must be an active
listener and they should encourage numerous questions to ensure the student fully understands
concepts and ideas.1, 3 Consequently, students with experience of mentors who offered little
advice or feedback, felt confused and ignored about their clinical performance.2
An effective mentor must have acquired skills and qualities to establish a hierarchical and
evaluative role to their student. An imperative task of a mentor is to delegate responsibility and
opportunity to the student to carry out procedures in step-by-step processes with patience and
calmness. A mentor must consider that a student may require more time to complete a project
than his or her own self. Therefore, a mentor must slow down, repeat steps, and re-demonstrate

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until the student has reached full understanding.1 Besides promoting fundamentals, the mentor is
a self-figure of integrity and leadership. Daily interactions with physicians, physicists,
therapists, nurses, and other health care professionals can involve ethical confrontation. A
mentor should lead by example to think clearly and professionally in a calmly matter to assess
the situation at hand to be able make a sound decision. On the other hand, if a mentor displays
poor qualities in the clinical setting such as carelessness or acting rude, the student will assume
that is ok and more than likely carry forward with that mind frame in their future practices.2
In a mentor-student relationship, both benefit mutually. With the aid of a mentor, a
student is more likely to show an increase in professionalism, improve job satisfaction, and boost
employee retention.4 It has been evident that supervision during clinical rotations has a positive
effect on patient outcome and that lack of supervision is harmful for patients. As for the mentor,
benefits include a reiteration of terms, techniques, and tools; a superior way of enforcing ones
own knowledge in an advancing field that is constantly requiring continuing education.1
Devoting time, advice, and energy to students while having the pleasure of watching them grow
and flourish in the field is sincerely rewarding to the mentor. The ultimate thanksgiving to a
career is applying what one has learned and imparting their practice with a less experienced
student.
In a formal medical dosimetry education, a student develops didactic and clinical skills
through out the program. Learning terminologies and planning tactics provided by the professors
are enhanced through coursework and applied to real patient treatment planning during clinical
with the guidance of a preceptor who takes the form of a mentor. During treatment planning, a
student may create different plans for a single patient, each incorporating different techniques
such as wedge pairs, different energies, an additional beam, etc. The student then reports to their
mentor what they have completed. In exchange, the mentor will critically question the students
own evaluation of their plans, provide feedback and positive criticism through stories or
historical physician preferences, and encourage the student to question improvement of target
coverage and limiting dose to critical structures. As a mentor is important to stress why a
wedge or a field in field may be used and not just for the sake because you can.2

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References
1. Discussion with Angie Briel, Registered Nurse at Naperville Silver Cross Hospital. Aug 1,
2015.
2. Discussion with Caitlin Brinkmann, Radiation Therapist at St. Anthonys Medical Center.
Aug 1, 2015.
3. Nash S, Scammell J. Skills to ensure success in mentoring and other workplace learning
approaches. Nursing Times. 2010;106(2). http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursingpractice/specialisms/educators/skills-to-ensure-success-in-mentoring-and-other-workplacelearning-approaches/5010479.article
4. Lenards N. Mentoring. [SoftChalk]. LaCrosse, WI: UW-L Medical Dosimetry Program;
2015.

Appendix A

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Mentoring questionnaire with Caitlin Brinkmann BS, R.T.(T)
August 1, 2015
Q: Define mentoring in a clinical setting?
A: Mentoring is showing and explaining to the student the concepts they have learned in real life
and how to apply that with hands on experience. Also, it is important to teach the students in a
way that they gain confidence in what they are doing so they are not afraid after graduation.
Always give them positive feedback. As a student last year, I remember being in their shoes.
Q: What did you like as a student in regards to having a mentor around during your
clinical rotation?
A: I liked when people would say, Good job today. That was good how you did this, your
catching on fast. I very much appreciated when someone let me know my efforts were noticed
and to let me know what I was doing right. I didnt have to worry so much if I was doing things
right and could relax and have fun.
Q: What didnt you like about your mentors?
A: I didnt like when I got pushed aside on the linear accelerator or if someone didnt talk to me.
You are always having questions in your head such as, Do they like me or why wont they talk
to me? I didnt like if someone got frustrated or if I heard other fellow students talking about
their own bad experience in a certain clinic; I didnt want that to affect my rotation at that same
clinic. Now as a therapist working with students, I am careful how I act towards a student. If we
are very busy on the machines or behind schedule Ill make sure to mention to the student,
Dont take this personally if I have to help a patient in pain or move quick.
Q: How does the mentor benefit in the relationship?
A: Explaining things to students help me grasp further what I am doing. I notice I get quicker
and faster. Since I have only being out of school for a year, I feel like I am becoming a better
therapist, too.
Q: What skills are needed to achieve successful mentoring?
A: Patience is definitely needed because setting patients up to lasers and delivering treatments
has to get done the right way in a fashionable time. We need to take our time with patients
anyways and students need to learn so why not be patient? Its important because who else is
going to show students? They are the future and if we dont show them correctly, this will effect
care in the future. Good communication skills are needed. I remember as a student, some

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therapists couldnt explain procedures or ideas because they didnt know what they were talking
about so now when I am with students, I try to use analogies to help them remember something. I
really try to stress to students to think why not just do things to do things.
Q: Is there a significant time or event as being a student last year that a mentor/preceptor
had shaped your role as a radiation therapist now?
A: So during one rotation, this particular hospital had a bad reputation on news but I noticed that
this department of the hospital was really caring and went above and beyond for their patients.
They were good patient advocates. The patients needed more that what we are doing for them
other than delivering radiation. They cared more then sending them on their way each day after
treatment. This was important to me. This department showed me to take the time other than
delivering their treatments.
Q: How did mentors help you apply what you learned in clinical?
A: Re-explaining concepts helped turned on the light bulb. Showing by example made
connections to textbooks. Showing me exactly what 2D-2D matching was other than a picture in
a book made more sense than just a book definition. I remember one therapist was so good at
electron cutouts and went through the whole process with me. This was hard to learn on paper
but made so much sense when we went through it. Also, teaching by example has negatives, too.
I noticed some therapists were texting a lot or rude and short to patients. This showed me what
not to do! Monkey see, monkey do. Students will act how their mentors acted, making roles of
mentoring of upmost importance.

Appendix B

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Mentoring questionnaire with Angie Briel R.N., BSN
August 1, 2015
Q: Define mentoring in a clinical setting?
A: When you are a mentor in a clinical setting, it is important to remember that there is not only
the student but the patient as well. It is important to talk to the student before going into a
patient room and explaining what you will be doing, asking if they have any questions, making
sure they understand everything that is going on, and are comfortable with what you will be
doing. It is important to do these things so that you make sure both the patient and the student are
at ease. You dont want to embarrass the student in front of a patient and also dont want to
make the patient feel uncomfortable or feel that the student has no idea what they are doing. It is
extremely important to explain everything thoroughly. Students need step-by-step instructions
with hands on experience and proper guidance in order to be successful.
Q: What did you like as a student in regards to having a mentor around during your
clinical rotation?
A: I really liked when my mentors explained things to me and made sure I really understood
everything before we went into the room. I also liked it when they would challenge me and ask
me questions to make sure I knew why I was doing and it would help me remember things better,
too. I also liked when they went out of their way to show me how to do something.
Q: What didnt you like about your mentors?
A: One preceptor in particular comes to mind. She would ask me questions in front of patients
that I didnt know and then I would feel dumb and lose confidence. I felt like the patient didnt
trust that I knew what I was doing.
Q: How does the mentor benefit in the relationship?
A: The mentor benefits from the mentor/student relationship in several ways. Students are so
eager to learn that they are constantly asking questions, which forces the mentor to think of ways
to explain different procedures or processes in a way the student can understand.
Q: What skills are needed to achieve successful mentoring?
A: The mentor also has to take into consideration that if the student has not done a certain
procedure, one that the mentor has done hundreds of times and doesnt even have to think about
how to do it, the mentor must slow down and explain everything in a step-by-step process. The
mentor has to be patient because when the student is doing something for the first time they will

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usually be slow and cautious with all of their movements and it may take them twice as long as
the mentor might take. The mentor also might have to repeat him or herself several times before
the student fully understands something. It is also important to know when to interrupt and say
something to the student or wait until you are outside of the room. You never want to embarrass
a student in front of a patient but you also want to keep the patient safe. So if you do need to
correct them you have to do it in an appropriate manner.
Q: Is there a significant time or event as being a student last year that a mentor/preceptor
had shaped your role as a nurse now?
A: My mentors played a huge role in the nurse I am today. All of my preceptors have been so
friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and never made me feel dumb for asking questions. They
encouraged me to ask questions and would ask me why I was doing what I was doing so they
knew I understood the reason behind it. They would let me practice saying whatever it was I
needed to teach the patients to them first so I felt comfortable. They would also give me some
ideas as to what questions the patients might ask so I knew what to expect. They had a way of
correcting me when I started doing something wrong that never embarrassed me in front of a
patient and made me feel calm and relaxed doing whatever skill it was.
Q: How did mentors help you apply what you learned in clinical?
A: My preceptors would let me think out the reasons behind certain questions I had so that I
would learn it and remember it. They would also make me look up different diseases or
medications I didnt know so I would refresh all about them. Or if we were learning about
something in school and didnt quite understand it, I would ask them about it and they would tell
me about a patient they once had who had that disease or something that helped them remember
it.