Nurses' experiences of their competence at mentoring nursing students during clinical practice: A systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract

Aim To identify and synthesize the best available evidence on nurse mentors' experiences of their competence in mentoring nursing students during clinical practice.

Design: The research employed a systematic literature review that followed the guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI).

Data sources: The databases CINAHL, Medline Ovid, Scopus, Eric, Web of Science, Medic, and OATD were systemically searched from 2000 to 2017.

Review methods: The identified studies were screened by title, abstract (n = 3080) and full-text (n = 91) using the following inclusion criteria: registered nurses, nurses' experiences of competence in mentoring nursing students, acute and primary care organizations providing clinical practice for nursing students, qualitative study. Quality appraisal was performed, data extracted and findings from the included studies (n = 21) were pooled using meta-aggregation with the Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI).

Results: A total of 92 extracted findings were aggregated into 21 categories and then further grouped into five synthesized findings: 1) creating an interactive relationship with the student; 2) developing mentor's characteristics and cooperation with stakeholders; 3) providing goal-oriented mentoring; 4) supporting students' development to nurse profession; 5) supporting the student's learning process.

Conclusions: This review demonstrated that multifaceted mentoring competence is essential to supporting students' learning processes and helping them become confident professionals. For this reason, the findings suggest that healthcare organizations which provide clinical practice for students should emphasize developing the mentoring competence of nurses by offering nurse mentors adequate education, ensuring that the organizational structure affords them sufficient support, and creating a receptive learning atmosphere.

Keywords: Clinical learning; Clinical mentors; Clinical practice; Mentoring competence; Nurse; Student nursing; Systematic review.