A mentor can only be a licensed veterinarian or a credentialed veterinary technician/nurse. A mentor is the coach or guide that assists a student to become proficient in the technical skills required as a veterinary technician/nurse. As a mentor, you are the eyes and ears for the Purdue VNDL program. Utilizing the clinical mentorship logbooks , mentors ensure that a student is performing specific hands-on skills to the standards and criteria set by Purdue.
For most tasks, a video must be submitted showing the student completing the task according to Purdue's criteria. It is important for both the student and the mentor to be familiar with the criteria for successful completion of each task. While Purdue recognizes that there are different ways to accomplish the tasks, all students in the program are evaluated using the same criteria. The Purdue VNDL program instructors must give final approval regarding successful task completion.
The specific time and level of involvement varies based on the tasks and student's level of experience. Being a mentor can take some time, but the end result is that a mentor may have a veterinary technician/nurse who will be proficient, job ready, and familiar with the practice's policies, procedures, and staff. There can be several mentors in a practice to assist in sharing the load.
Each clinical mentorship has a different set of requirements based on the tasks required for that mentorship The clinical mentorships take place in a veterinary facility that meets the Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program requirements. The requirements for each mentorship are located in the facility certification document specific to that mentorship. These documents are located within each clinical mentorship link located here. The facility requirements include equipment, supplies and sometimes the species or types of cases necessary to complete the tasks.
There are several documents that need to be completed prior to a student registering for a clinical mentorship. The two that pertain to a mentor are:
