CPD & Practice Engagement Series
Peer Mentoring
Year 2 students supporting Year 1 students to practise and learn practical skills.
What is peer mentoring?
Peer mentoring means Year 2 students helping Year 1 students practise and learn practical skills. You've just been through it, so you know what's tricky, what helps, and what you wish someone had told you.
It's a well-established approach in health professions education. In physiotherapy, students and educators reported that learning with peers reduced anxiety and built a sense of safety, and tutors often benefit too. The evidence on objective skill gains is less settled, so we'll evaluate the scheme as we go.
Why get involved
Learning
Explaining a skill is one of the best ways to secure it yourself.
Skills you can evidence
Teaching technique, explaining clearly, giving feedback and reflecting on your own practice.
CV and interviews
Real experience of teaching and leadership, with a record of your sessions and reflections to draw on in applications and interviews.
Early experience of two practice pillars
The CSP's Physiotherapy Education Framework describes four pillars of practice: clinical, education, research and leadership. Mentoring gives you hands-on experience of education and leadership.
Giving back
You'll help the year below feel more confident, and you'll have a say in how the scheme develops.
Where it fits in your competency workbook
| Workbook area | What mentoring supports |
|---|---|
| 1. Professional, legal, ethical and clinical governance | Working within scope, seeking supervision with a clear question, professional boundaries |
| 2. Communication, rapport and psychologically informed practice | Clear explanations using accessible language and teach-back, building rapport quickly |
| 6. Exercise prescription and physical activity promotion | Teaching safe technique and cueing, progressing or regressing based on response |
| 13. Leadership, teamwork, pathways and quality improvement | Reflective practice and planning your own CPD |
How the scheme works
At a glance
- Who
- Year 2 students volunteer as mentors. Year 1 students drop in to practise.
- When and where
- Fridays, 2 to 5pm, room 2A91, as part of the weekly drop-in.
- Time
- Flexible. You choose how often you come, and you can step back when study or placements need your attention.
- Support
- A member of staff is nearby and on call every Friday.
The steps
- 1
Sign up using the short form.
- 2
Complete a brief induction on safe practice, giving feedback, boundaries, when to ask for help, and how to log your sessions.
- 3
Join the Friday rota. Mentors work to a rota so a small number are always present, with cover if someone can't make it.
- 4
Log and reflect briefly after each session.
- 5
Join a short debrief each term to share what's working and shape what comes next.
Other formats may follow as students ask for them. We'll add them once the Friday sessions are working well.
What mentoring is, and isn't
Voluntary and mentee-led. Nobody has to mentor or attend, and mentees choose what to practise.
Support, not assessment. Mentors never judge competence, sign off skills or report on a mentee's performance.
Within scope. Mentors reinforce what has already been taught. They don't introduce new techniques or advise on real clinical problems.
Safe and consensual. Consent, privacy and the right to stop apply to every session. Nobody has to act as a practice model.
Respectful and confidential. What happens in a session stays there, unless safety or professional conduct requires escalation.
Know when to call staff. Mentors always ask the staff member on call about injury or unexpected pain, distress, anything beyond what mentees have been taught, higher-risk techniques, and any safeguarding or professional concern.
Your wellbeing comes first. Study, placements and wellbeing take priority, and you can step back without explanation.
Recording and recognition
After each session you'll add a short log entry. We're aiming for under two minutes.
- Date and hours
- What you did and which skills you supported
- Which competency workbook area it links to
- The staff member on call that day
- A brief reflection: what you learned and what you'd do differently
You can record the mentoring role in the supplementary experiences section of your competency workbook. Staff sign-off is optional, and reflects supervised learning rather than specialist competence.
Mentors receive a certificate recognising their contribution. We'll share the details at induction.
Getting involved
Year 1 students
No sign-up needed. Drop in on a Friday between 2 and 5pm in room 2A91 with something you'd like to practise.
Questions? Contact Chris Seenan at christopher.seenan@stir.ac.uk.