Practice nurses as mentors for student nurses: An untapped educational resource?

This article describes an evaluation process aimed at exploring the issues related to placing third year undergraduate students with Practice Nurses for their adult branch community placement. The evaluation process was based on an iterative action research cycle, demonstrating a reflective approach to the placement. This evaluation of student nurse placements with Practice Nurses intended to provide a useful contribution to the rather scant literature available on this specific issue in pre-registration nurse education. Specific outcomes for qualitative feedback from both the students and Practice Nurses will be presented and compared to issues highlighted in the literature review. The placement was evaluated highly by both students and Practice Nurses. The students enjoyed a higher than anticipated level of autonomy and were able to achieve all their learning outcomes. The Practice Nurses reported the presence of students had a positive influence on their practice.