Education mentoring for teenagers and young adults with cancer

This article provides a review of the unique learning mentor role developed in the Leeds Hospital Teaching Trust since 2004. The role provides educational support to teenage and young adult cancer patients aged 13-25 years. During the period September 2004-December 2008 the learning mentor worked with 234 teenage and young adult patients. A questionnaire was administered in the summer of 2008 to gather reflections of patients and professionals, to evaluate the impact of this post. The questionnaire findings support the success of the role and the positive impact it has had for patients and professionals. There is potential for the role to be extended to national teenage and young adult cancer services, and to wider clinical areas where young people are living with chronic illness.