Nursing Home Mentorship Practices Associated With Barriers, Inconsistencies

Mentorship practices for first-year nursing students in nursing homes were associated with barriers that impede effectiveness, according to a study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Researchers conducted a qualitative mixed-methods study that explored registered nurses’ mentorship practices for students in nursing home placements in Norway. Data included 126 hours of observation of two mentor-student pairs across three Norwegian nursing homes, as well as 12 in-depth interviews with registered nurse mentors. Findings were based on the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist.

Characteristics of mentorship practices included the following:

• variability and uncertainty in pedagogical supervisory approaches;

• lack of management support and engagement of staff members in supervision;

• lack of supervisory continuity; and

• a peripheral role in formal assessment discussions.

Researchers noted that there were inconsistencies between registered nurses’ roles and the students’ learning objectives.

“Targeted efforts to enhance mentorship practices in nursing homes are warranted to promote full use of the learning potential in this context,” study authors concluded. “Developing and testing educational interventions is necessary to effectively enhance registered nurses' pedagogical competence, alongside engagement and support from nurse managers and nurse educators.”

Reference:
Frøiland CT, Husebø AML, Akerjordet K, Kihlgren A, Laugaland K. Exploring mentorship practices in clinical education in nursing homes: A qualitative mixed-methods study [published online ahead of print July 18, 2021]. J Clin Nurs. doi:10.1111/jocn.15943.