Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore midwifery students and health visitor practice mentors experiences of a health visiting placement for midwifery students, focusing on the student-mentor relationship.
Design: Interview study
Setting: East London, United Kingdom
Participants: Eighteen students and eighteen mentors were invited to take part in an interview. Ten midwifery students (55.5%) and fifteen health visitor practice mentors (83.3%) took part in interviews or provided information via email. Thematic analysis was used to analyse findings.
Findings: The main study finding was that students reported valuing practice mentors who took the time to get to know them, were welcoming and enthusiastic and planned their time in advance. The mentors in turn spoke highly of the students who were keen and enthusiastic about the placement, but noted that not all students had appeared interested.
Key conclusions: The findings from this small interview study show that taking time to make the students feel welcome was important to facilitate a student-mentor relationship. Another important factor in whether a student enjoyed their placement was the mentors' advance planning.