ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the social learning is achieved from the perspective of different learners in practice. Registered nurses acknowledge that their increased clinical workload affects the support and learning experience they provide to students. B. Padfield and R. Knowles highlight areas where nursing students in practice valued and supported the role of the unregistered practitioner in their learning, referring to it as ‘unregistered mentorship’. Health care assistant (HCA) recognised and enjoyed the fact that their experience, knowledge, and training helped to contribute towards learning as well as benefiting staff nurses new to the practice area. To understand if the HCA cohort can be considered as ‘Helpful Others’, a review of the literature informed the shaping of the focus group questions to explore the experiences of students, mentors, and HCAs in practice. Opportunities to practice the skills can occur through working with HCAs in practice.
