Suzanne Hunter, a Community Nurse from Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Centre, who has won Placement Mentor of the Year STAR award for Nursing from the University of Stirling.

Suzanne was nominated for the award by student Claire Hempenstall who wrote: “Suzanne’s caring nature and bubbly personality set her apart. She has an amazing ability to put both patients and co-workers at ease. She makes everyone feel valued and respected. This was by far the best placement I had during my studies and it was completely down to having such a good mentor and working with such a kind team.”

Suzanne said: “This award is a privilege and an honour. Having a student to mentor is something I don’t take lightly and I try to give them the best workplace experience I can. We have reviews we go through such as how to maintain confidentiality and to be respectful as we are going into people’s homes which is a completely different environment to the hospital.

“I think the key to good mentoring is having good listening skills, understanding that every student has different learning needs and that everyone learns at different stages. I think it’s good to know that you’re not on your own and you can ask for support from colleagues.”