Due to his duty of confidentiality Sameer cannot disclose any details to the mother. However, as she is showing concern it would be entirely appropriate to assure her that the child is being well cared for. If Sameer felt he did not know how best to answer these questions he should ask his mentor’s advice so they can work out together exactly what to say.

It is very common to be concerned before starting a new placement; mentors will expect this and remember the feeling from when they were student nurses. Connie should be proactive in managing her learning, sharing the fact that she is dyslexic with her mentor and telling them that she finds it difficult to remember all of the information relating to the patients she is caring for, and, when it very busy, she worries about forgetting what she has been asked to do. Connie’s mentor will be able to help her develop her abilities in these areas and suggest that they apply strategies outlined in the RCN (2006) toolkit.