CHAPTER 9. The Final Interview
Chapter Aims
The purpose of this chapter is to explore the nature and function of the final interview. After reading the chapter you will be able to:
• Explain the purpose of the final interview.
• Identify the essential components of a successful final interview.
• Successfully conduct a final interview.
The end of placement
One of the last events to take place during a student’s placement is the final interview. This will always be a significant event for yourself and your student. Throughout your mentoring career it is likely that you will undertake final interviews with students at all stages of their programme; from their very first to their very last placement and every placement in between. The final interview may signify a critical moment as a student moves between modules, or progresses between years. Yet regardless of whether the placement has been of short or long duration or the student is at the beginning or end of their course, your role in the final interview will always be significant.
What is the point of a final interview?
The final interview is the final, formal stage of the assessment process for a student on practice placement. During the final interview you will have the opportunity to review the placement with the student; and this will usually include the following elements:
• finalize assessment and complete required sections in the practice assessment document
• complete the ongoing achievement record
• give final feedback to the student on their performance during the placement
• receive final feedback from the student on your performance during the placement
• debrief on significant events.
The final interview is essentially your chance to provide summarized feedback to the student on their overall performance during the placement. The feedback you provide is vital for the ongoing development of the student, whatever their stage on the programme. Your aim should therefore be to conduct a fair, honest and accurate final interview that promotes a student’s self esteem and encourages them to continue to develop their skills, knowledge and professional behaviour.
Final interview checklist
You may like to consider developing a final interview checklist (Box 9.1) that can be used to guide the discussion throughout the interview. Not only will it ensure that all areas are covered, it will also ensure that all documentation is completed and that no loose ends are forgotten. Many mentors find that a checklist also helps to keep the interview within the designated timeframe as this provides a fixed agenda that both the student and mentor can use.
Box 9.1
Key features of a final interview
• Final feedback related to all learning outcomes the student has undertaken during the placement.
• Final documentation of the practice assessment.
• Final documentation within action plans or development plans.
• Completion of ongoing achievement record.
• Feedback on the student’s experiences, including feedback on your performance.
• Debrief on significant events.
• Completion of placement timesheet or other relevant document.
It is quite likely that you will have past experiences of final interviews to draw upon. Activity 9.1 provides an opportunity to reflect on your own personal experiences.
Activity 9.1
Personal reflection on the final interview
Take a look at the final interview checklist in Box 9.1. Use this opportunity to reflect on your past experiences of conducting final interviews.
How many of these elements do you regularly complete?
Are there any elements that you have never done before?
If yes, what is the reason for this?
You may find it helpful to write down any factors that you feel may contribute to non-completion. As we move through this chapter we will look at the significance of each element of the final interview.
Content of the final interview
The final interview provides you with the opportunity for completing the final assessment of the student’s placement. At the final assessment you should endeavour to reflect with the student on their performance throughout the whole placement and discuss clearly your reasons for your final assessment decision. Importantly, the final assessment decision should be drawn from evidence of continual assessment that has taken place over the entire placement, and will be the culmination of all evidence over many weeks.
The final assessment should never be viewed as an opportunity for one-off tests or quizzes. It is simply a chance to discuss with the student how they have performed during the whole placement and reflect on the entire placement experience. By the time you reach the final assessment your student should already be aware of how they have performed during the placement and what the final assessment decision will be.
Final feedback to the student
The final interview and assessment should involve a summary of the placement as a whole. Your feedback throughout the placement should have kept the student informed of their progress towards meeting their learning outcomes. The final interview therefore will be a discussion of the evidence the student has produced, and a clear explanation of the reasons for your final assessment decision. If the student has demonstrated evidence of competence throughout the placement you should take this opportunity to discuss relevant examples and praise the student for their achievements. You could provide advice on how to develop during future practice experiences. If the student has not demonstrated evidence of competence in a learning outcome then this will be reflected in the final assessment decision. You should use the final interview to discuss why the student has not achieved competence and how they might develop this area during future placements.
It is very important that the final assessment decision does not contain ‘surprise’ assessment decisions. The feedback a student receives from you at their final interview should never be new information, or come as a shock. Remember that your feedback at this event should be a summary of feedback from the entire placement; so any feedback given at this stage should have been provided throughout the whole placement. If you find yourself giving new information at the final assessment then you have failed to provide satisfactory feedback during the placement. The impact of this is shown in Case study 9.1.
Case study 9.1
A student speaks of her experience at final interview
‘I had a terrible experience on my last placement. My mentor called me into the office on my last day and basically said I wasn’t going to pass on my drug calculations. I’m still so angry with him. I had spent 6 weeks on that ward and no-one ever mentioned that I was going to fail and then all of a sudden I’m in the office, it’s my last day and I’m told ‘Sorry, you’re not good enough’. I just think that’s cruel. If he had said something even two weeks before I could have done something about it, but telling me on the last day I had no time left to improve and so pass.’
Final feedback on your performance
The final interview should also provide your student with an opportunity to provide feedback on your performance as a mentor. You could encourage this by asking relevant questions related to the support the student has received during the placement and the feedback they received from you. Some examples are listed below to get you started.
• Did you feel welcome in the ward/clinic/unit/department – why or why not?
• Did you feel the ward/clinic/unit/department was prepared for your placement – why or why not?
• Did you have sufficient opportunities to learn – why or why not?
• How do you feel about the quality and amount of feedback you received during the placement?
• What could we/I have done to improve your experience?
Some students may feel awkward in providing feedback directly to you, especially if they believe it will affect their assessment. If you have built a good rapport with your student during the placement then honest communication between the two of you at the final interview should not be a problem. The openness of your student and willingness to provide you with feedback will provide you with feedback in itself on your skills as a mentor!
You don’t have to leave feedback on your performance as a mentor to the end of the placement, as this should be encouraged all the way through. However, the final discussion on your mentorship should take place at the final interview to ensure the student considers the placement as a whole.
It may be that student feedback sheds light on a problem that needs to be addressed, either personally or related to your unit or department. For this reason the feedback your student provides will be invaluable in developing your own skills as a mentor and also ensuring that the practice environment is supportive of students. You should use this feedback to take action where required. This is discussed in more detail in Chapter 14 which looks at evaluation.
Completing the practice assessment document
The final interview will probably be your last opportunity to complete the practice assessment documentation. This should not be rushed as the student will be required to submit this document to their university so that the assessment can be ratified and the practice element completed. If any paperwork is outstanding or incomplete the student will need to return to your area at a later stage, causing delays in them receiving their results and unnecessary worry. For this reason you should be very clear about what and how you are required to complete the final documentation and paperwork in advance of the final interview so that you have all the resources you may require to hand. We will have the opportunity of discussing specific documentation associated with the final interview later in this chapter.
Debrief on significant events
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
