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Paramedic mentors give clinical feedback to paramedic students in educational settings.The main principles of giving good feedback in such a relationship are described. Good communication between mentor and student is vital for quality feedback. The environment must be private, timed well and comfortable so the student can make the most of the feedback given. For the students to effectively absorb their feedback, mentors must know how to deal with students' emotional responses to this feedback. They must also allow the student time to reflect on the positive and negative aspects of their own learning and performance. When giving feedback, mentors must use appropriate language and convey their observations subjectively and in a descriptive way. Action plans are important in that they outline ways for the student to improve and reinforce the ongoing, supported process of feedback.
KEYWORDS: feedback; student-mentor relationship; self-reflection; paramedic
FOR UNDERGRADUATE and postgraduate paramedic students on clinical placements, receiving quality feedback on their clinical performance from supervising mentors is vital to fostering their growth and development as paramedics. Giving and receiving feedback is a core aspect of clinical education (Thomas & Arnold, 2011). Feedback to paramedic students from paramedic mentors provides students with a vital link between the 'real world' clinical environment and the education they receive through activities in the classroom and skills labs of undergraduate and postgraduate paramedic programmes.
This paper aims to provide paramedic students and mentors with an overview of the various elements that contribute towards optimal feedback. It will also discuss models from literature about providing feedback in the clinical setting particularly as it applies to paramedics.
DEFINITIONS
While there is no paramedic-specific literature about giving feedback, there is a large amount from other allied health disciplines, particularly medicine and nursing. In his landmark article Ende (1983) describes feedback in clinical education as 'information describing students' or house officers' performance in a given activity that is intended to guide their future performance in that same or in a related activity' (p. 777). While specifically referring to educating doctors, this definition could apply equally to other allied health professions including paramedicine. Key elements of feedback are, firstly, that it should describe the observed performance rather than offering judgement (Thomas & Arnold, 2011). Secondly, it should be formative...