Creating supportive environments for students

Appropriate clinical placements are an essential part of pre-registration nurse education. They provide students with the opportunity to learn practical skills and gain knowledge, so students' learning is heavily dependent on the quality of support mentors provide. At the end of each clinical placement, student nurses are asked to evaluate the experience. One recurring theme to emerge from these evaluations is that students often perceive mentors to be too busy to provide the required level of support. This can lead to increased levels of anxiety for students as they may feel unsupported. Mentors are one of the critical factors affecting students' ability to learn and cope on their placements. This article examines the current situation and highlights how mentors can enhance the clinical experience for students.