Online Mentor Update

It would be expected that a variety of methods should be used to help students who struggle with calculations. This has been identified as a problem in nursing and some Trusts ask new staff to undergo a calculations test prior to offering a job. It may be that the student needs to try working in a different way as the calculation method you use might not work for them, but that should have been solved by them working with a collesgue which has already happened.

At this point if you have suspicions the student may have an undiagnosed learning difficulty involving number calculations then please contact the disability liasion office at your local centre of the division of nursing. They will be able to advise on ways to support the student for their remaining time in practice. This should always be done with the agreement of the student who should understand that additional support is now needed. If the student refuses to let you inform the Division of Nursing you can still contact the DLO and maintain the student’s confidentiality in order to seek further advice for yourself, but a priority for this issue in practice is that patient safety is maintained. Therefore the student should be closely supervised and all calculations should be checked before any care is delivered.

The issues should also be recorded on the students assessment documents in order that further support can be obtained. It may be that the student fails outcomes on this issue. It is unlikely that a student will progress through the whole of the course without this being identified and your assessment and records should document the issue as soon as possible. Student confidentiality is secondary to patient safety in this issue.