Implementing a sign off mentor preparation workshop--a tripartite approach

The Nursing, Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice (SLAiP NMC, 2008) were implemented aiming to ensure that all pre-registration nursing students are assessed by mentors in practise who are knowledgeable, up to date and who can ensure that students are safe practitioners at the time of registration. These new standards place the responsibility on the sign off mentor (SOM) for ensuring that the pre-registration students are safe in practise, and 'suitable at point of entry to the register' for their practise, (NMC, 2008). Similarly the universities are responsible for signing off the theoretical aspects of the programme and confirming the students' good health and good character (Nursing and midwifery Council, 2010, 2010). However due to the extensive time commitments of training for the sign off mentor (which involves the sign-off assessment of three final placement students in practise) this is proving difficult for Trusts to achieve (Glasper, 2010) resulting in low numbers of sign off mentors. Therefore following guidance by the Nursing and midwifery Council (2010, 2010) to allow the inclusion of scenarios and OSCEs for the first two assessments, with one final practise based assessment, it was decided to implement a development programme for our existing experienced mentors. This approach was seen to be effective in developing the knowledge and skills of our mentors to ensure they were prepared for the final practise based assessment as a sign off mentor.