CAM Documentation & Record Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A mentor is using an electronic records system. Which practice BEST ensures data security?
- Sharing login credentials with colleagues for convenience
- Using a strong unique password and logging out after each session (Correct answer)
- Saving all records on a personal, unencrypted USB drive
- Emailing student files to a personal account for backup
Correct answer: Using a strong unique password and logging out after each session
Using strong, unique passwords and logging out after each use are foundational practices for securing electronic student records.
Question 2: When writing a session note, which of the following is the LEAST appropriate element to include?
- Objective observations of student behavior
- The mentor's personal opinion about the student's character (Correct answer)
- Goals discussed and action items agreed upon
- Date and duration of the session
Correct answer: The mentor's personal opinion about the student's character
Session notes should remain objective and factual; subjective judgments about a student's character are inappropriate and potentially harmful.
Question 3: Which acronym describes a goal-setting framework that is commonly documented in student mentoring plans?
- SMART (Correct answer)
- FACTS
- RAPID
- CLEAR
Correct answer: SMART
SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) are a widely used framework documented in academic mentoring plans.
Question 4: An institution's record retention policy states that mentoring records must be kept for five years. A student graduated three years ago. What should the mentor do?
- Destroy the records immediately since the student has graduated
- Retain the records for two more years per policy (Correct answer)
- Transfer all records to the student's home address
- Scan the records and post them on a shared drive
Correct answer: Retain the records for two more years per policy
Records must be retained for the full policy-mandated period regardless of the student's enrollment status.
Question 5: Which of the following constitutes a mandatory reporting obligation that would override a student's request for confidentiality?
- The student discloses a minor personal argument with a roommate
- The student reveals an imminent plan to harm themselves (Correct answer)
- The student mentions struggling with a difficult class
- The student shares frustration with a professor
Correct answer: The student reveals an imminent plan to harm themselves
Imminent risk of harm to self or others is a standard exception to confidentiality that triggers a mandatory reporting obligation.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of an intake or intake assessment form at the start of the mentoring relationship?
- To gather baseline information about the student's academic background, goals, and needs (Correct answer)
- To satisfy an administrative billing requirement only
- To assign the student a grade before mentoring begins
- To create a legal contract between the student and the institution
Correct answer: To gather baseline information about the student's academic background, goals, and needs
Intake forms establish a baseline of the student's profile, enabling the mentor to tailor support from the very first session.
Question 7: When documenting a student's disclosed disability accommodation, a mentor should:
- Record only that an accommodation exists, without detailing the disability diagnosis (Correct answer)
- Write the full medical diagnosis in the session notes for reference
- Refuse to document it to avoid liability
- Share the details with the student's entire academic department
Correct answer: Record only that an accommodation exists, without detailing the disability diagnosis
Mentors should note relevant accommodation information functionally without recording protected medical diagnoses, which are managed separately by disability services.
CAM Documentation & Record Management 3
A mentor is using an electronic records system.
Which practice BEST ensures data security?