Definition of a Mentor
A mentor is an experienced or trusted advisor or guide, a teacher, a tutor, specifically an experienced person in a company, college etc. who trains and counsels new employees, students or apprentices.
Definition of Mentorship
Mentorship refers to a developmental relationship between a more experienced individual to help a less experienced individual referred to as a protégé, apprentice, mentee, or (person) being mentored, to develop in a specified way.
The HPS Mentor
The HPS mentor must be a Registered Health Play Specialist who is listed on the SoHPS Public Register. They must have a minimum of 12 months’ experience as a SoHPS-registered practitioner and have undertaken SoHPS mentorship training within the last two years.
The mentor may be supported by another Registered Play Specialist who assumes the role of ‘supervisor’ for specific periods or aspects of the placement. This placement ‘supervisor’ must also have undertaken SoHPS mentorship training within the last two years.
Mentor training and support
The HPS mentor is required to undertake specific training to support FdA/ HPS students/apprentices. This provided remotely by SoHPS Board members.
SoHPS mentor training comprises three parts:
- Part One is a self-study exercise and involves reading two documents to prepare for participation in a live online teaching session. The Part One documents may be downloaded from the SoHPS website on the ‘Mentor Training’ button on the registrant’s User Page.
Part One of the mentor training counts as 3 -hours non-participatory CPD. - Part Two is a live online teaching session undertaken via Microsoft Teams. Eligible registrants may book onto a Part Two session using the ‘Mentor Training’ button on the registrant’s User Page. Additional supporting documentation is available to download after registering for the session, and attendance certificates are available to download following the session.
Part Two of the mentor training counts as 2 hours participatory CPD.Parts One and Two of the mentor training must be completed every 2 years.
- Part Three is a written reflection on the mentoring experience, linked to the support provided to the student/apprentice. This is a one-off written exercise completed and submitted at the end of the first year of mentoring. The Part 3 Reflection must be submitted for assessment and once approved, it may be copied into the mentor’s CPD Profile as one of the 5 required Reflective Accounts.
Definition of Workplace Learning Outcomes
Workplace learning outcomes are statements of what students/apprentices are expected to know, and be able to do, by the time they complete the Foundation Degree. They may be stated in terms of expected knowledge, skills or professional behaviours.
The student/apprentice needs to complete all of the competencies within their ePortfolio by the end of each academic year, in both Year One and Year Two. Each piece of evidence can only be used once, to support a single competency.
Commitment
The HPS mentor/supervisor will be committed to, and responsible for, meeting with the student every week to assess progress and achievements, give critical feedback and support and document the event. The mentor is the only person who can provide final sign off the workplace competencies, once they are assured that they have been achieved.
Where a HPS student/apprentice is working in a setting without an approved mentor/supervisor, an arrangement must be made with an approved registered health professional mentor/supervisor in another setting, and a workplace supervisor appointed. As the responsibility for signing off the student/apprentice’s workplace competencies rests with the approved mentor, in this situation they will be required to devote time to meeting with the student/apprentice.
All HPS students/apprentices must have a qualified, registered HPS supervisor for at least one day a week. This may be the named mentor, or another registered HPS in a supervisory role, both of which must have undertaken SoHPS mentor training.
The HPS mentor must provide consistent and continual written feedback regarding the student’s progress in terms of achieving the work-based competencies, including their attitude and professional behaviour. It is a requirement of SoHPS that mentors must keep sufficient records (‘Mentor Logs’) to support and justify their decisions on whether or not the student is competent to practice. The mentor’s final signature is crucial in determining the competency of the student and is a contributory factor in their licence to practise.
The HPS mentor is not responsible for the student’s academic learning but for promoting professionalism and enabling the student/apprentice to put theory into practice to become a competent practitioner. The mentor may apply a wide range of assessment methodologies but, wherever possible, direct observation of student’s practice is the most desirable, and should support the written evidence provided by the student.