There’s something about the unpredictability of mentoring that keeps me both excited and on edge. You never really know how the week will unfold – who will show up, how engaged they’ll be, or whether the seeds you’ve previously planted will have taken root. This particular week, though? It was one of those rare gems that reminds mw exactly why I do this work.

We kicked things off the week with a classroom teaching session. I’ve learned not to pin my hopes too high on class participation – sometimes it’s quiet, sometimes chaotic. But this group? They were switched on and fully engaged. (The promise of starbursts might’ve helped a little!) It was one of those rare classes where the energy just flowed and the learning felt mutual.

The next day took me to the ward to check in with a nurse I’ve mentored before and am fortunate enough to be mentoring again. I’ll admit, I was nervous. Would he remember what we’d covered in the past? Did it stick? I started with a pre-assessment – the ABCDE assessment, which is fundamental to nursing care. And he absolutely nailed it. Watching him confidently assess his patient confirmed that not only had he remembered, but he had grown. That meant we could move on to more specialised skills. Even better, he began teaching a group of student nurses about neurovascular observations for orthopedic patients, stepping seamlessly into a leadership role.

Meanwhile, another previous mentee was caring for a 17-year-old boy prepping for surgery. He was clearly nervous. She didn’t brush it off. She sat down with him, acknowledged his fear, and gently explained everything – the process, the people he’d meet, what would happen when he woke up, even how to use the pain scale and why it mattered. I stood back, watching her with quiet pride. Her empathy was as impactful as any clinical skill.

Another shift, I headed to the children’s ward – a place that has the power to make or break your day. Thankfully, this day was pure joy. Between each task, there was a baby to cuddle or a giggly child to play with. Amid the serious work, it was a beautiful reminder of why we do what we do.

Then, at the end of the week I spent time with a nurse whose skill level is a bit lower than the rest. We worked through the ABCDE assessment together. It took time, and she needed lots of prompting and support. After we finished, we sat at the nurses’ station, worked through some documentation, and talked more about the assessment.

Despite English being the official language in Sierra Leone, Krio is the heart language of most people in Freetown, and that can create subtle but real language barriers. I’ve learned to recognise “the stare” – that look of confusion when something doesn’t quite land. But with this nurse, I didn’t get that. She asked questions, sought clarification, and leaned into the learning. And wow, it’s so much easier to teach when you actually know what your student is struggling with. That curiosity and openness made all the difference.

All in all, it was one of those rare weeks filled with little victories. Sometimes, mentoring feels like a slow burn. You plant the seeds, nurture them as best you can, and hope something grows. But this week, I got to see the blossoms – skill, confidence, compassion, and leadership – blooming right in front of me.