Judgements about mentoring relationships in nurse education

Nurse mentors' experiences with suitability assessments in clinical placement: A qualitative study

AIM

This study aims to explore mentors' experiences with assessing the suitability of nursing students in clinical placements in a context where suitability assessment is required by law.

BACKGROUND

It is the schools' responsibility to assess students, but mentors play an important role when students are in clinical placements. Clinical placements are typical arenas for assessing suitability.

DESIGN

An explorative qualitative study METHODS: Participants were 17 registered nurses with experience as mentors for nursing students in clinical placement. The participants represented somatic and surgical wards from three different hospitals in Norway. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed a total of four themes: 1) the understanding of suitability, 2) experiencing borderline performance, 3) the heavy responsibility of doing the assessment and 4) the importance of support.

CONCLUSIONS

The mentors found it difficult to assess suitability. They reported having little or no knowledge about leading rules and guidelines. The mentors experienced support from their colleagues, something which lightened the burden of assessing the students. This study indicates that mentors need more information about suitability and suitability assessments.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

To be included in abstract after acceptance.

Suitable, fit, competent and safe to practice nursing? Assessing nursing students' personal qualities in clinical placement-An integrative review

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study aims to explore, describe, and synthesize the personal requirements student nurses are assessed in their clinical placement to be suitable, fit, competent, and safe for the nursing profession.

BACKGROUND

There are different terms and concepts used when describing what nursing students are assessed by regarding personal requirements needed to be eligible to enter the nursing profession. This is regulated and enforced mainly by different standards and guidelines.

DESIGN

An integrative review using Whittmore and Knafl's (2005) methodology.

METHODS

Searches were systematically conducted in CINAHL, Education Source, ERIC, Academic Source Elite, MEDLINE and EMBASE, NORART, SveMed+, and Bibliotek.dk. The PRISMA checklist for systematic reviews was used.

RESULTS

Eighteen studies were included in the review. The results present various factors student nurses are assessed by in clinical placements, which were categorized into three themes: attitude and personal characteristics, behavior, and basic knowledge. Assessing students is a complex and subjective endeavor, and decisions are based on a holistic assessment of several different aspects of the student's performance and behavior CONCLUSIONS: The personal requirements to be deemed suited for det nursing profession are complex and composed of several different components. Assessments are often based more on assessors' subjective standards and intuition than on the provided guidelines and standards. There is no universal understanding of which characteristics or qualities are considered necessary for a student to be deemed suited for the nursing profession.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This study points at challenges with the assessment of nursing students today as there are no clear standards or understanding of the requirements needed.

A qualitative analysis investigating competence assessment of undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

This study reports on the process of competence assessment in undergraduate nursing programmes in New Zealand.

AIM

To identify current competence assessment practice and determine how competence assessment is constructed in order to reflect student development.

DESIGN

This research utilised a qualitative exploratory-descriptive design.

PARTICIPANTS

Nurse educators from nine tertiary institutions opted to participate in the research.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Three themes are reported in this article; clinical assessment pedagogy, measure of competence, and relational assessment practice. There was significant variation between and within institutions in conducting competence assessment while scaffolding competence assessment throughout the degree programme was highlighted as a challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the need for an assessment process that allows for the developing competence of nursing students and competencies that are designed to adequately assess students in each year of the nursing programme.

Development of emotional intelligence and assertiveness in physiotherapy students and effects of clinical placements

BACKGROUND

Emotional intelligence (EI) and assertiveness are key abilities for physiotherapists. Clinical placements seem to affect students' development of EI and assertiveness, and their construction of the professional role.

PURPOSE

This study aims to compare the EI of physiotherapy students with students from other health professions and explore the evolution of EI and assertiveness in physiotherapy students throughout their university education, focusing on the influence of clinical practice.

METHOD

Students (N = 753) completed a self-administered questionnaire to measure emotional intelligence (TMMS 24), assertiveness (CSES), and sociodemographic variables.

RESULTS

EI levels were adequate and very similar across the three disciplines. Regarding assertiveness, physiotherapy students in year 4 obtained significantly higher levels than students in years 1, 2, and 3. Significant correlations (rs (207) = 0.35, p < .001) were found between assertiveness and the number of modules of clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

This study contributes with further evidence on the improvement of assertiveness in physiotherapy students through their university education and, in particular, with clinical placements. Practical implications highlight the importance of training in EI and assertiveness during university, coupled with clinical placements, in order to prepare for an effective and satisfactory professional life.

Nursing supervisors' perspectives on student preparedness before clinical placements- a focus group study

METHODS

The study was conducted in a county in Southeastern-Norway, with 317.000 inhabitants, and within one hospital and one university college catchment area. Focus group interviews were conducted in the periode August to December 2018. Data were analyzed using Hsieh and Shannon's conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

34 nursing supervisors participated, three intellectual disability nurses and 31 registered nurses, working in four different primary healthcare wards and four different hospital wards. Participants' age ranged from 23 to 58 years, one male only. Through the analysis we derived the category 'Shared responsibility for preparation' with subcategories a) Individual initiative, and b) University college facilitation.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that there is a gap between nursing supervisors' expectations and reality regarding students' preparedness for clinical placements. Moreover, nursing supervisors did not seem to focus on their own role in student preparedness.

The effect of instructors' clinical experience on professional socialization from the perspective of nursing students: A phenomenological qualitative study

Nursing students spend efforts to be familiar with their professional roles and professional values and to understand professional behaviors, functions, and values correctly in clinical practices. First and second-year nursing students are in the early stages of professional socialization in clinical practice. In the third year, students start to reach a level at which they are aware of the professional behaviors of instructors in clinical practice in terms of professional socialization. This study aimed to determine how the effect of instructors on the professional socialization of students in clinical practice was perceived by the students. The study used a qualitative design based on Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenological approach. First, the content of the questions in the interview form and the aim of the study were explained to the students, and then the interviews were conducted with 10 students who agreed to participate in face-to-face in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using van Manen's thematic analysis and three themes and seven sub-themes were determined. The themes of the study were as follows: (1) It may make professional socialization easier or difficult (subthemes: "It is important to be aware of my presence"; "Unfair practices related to marks and threat with marks"), (2) Instructors' communication with nurses affects us (subthemes: "Positive atmosphere of care", "Acceptance in the clinic"), (3) I am aware of our instructors with clinical experience (subthemes: "Like someone in the clinic", "Role model with care behaviors", "Like carrying water in your palms"). In light of the results of this study, it has been understood that the clinical experience of the instructors is important. In addition, the importance of clinical experience in the employment of instructors has emerged.

Guess it (SVUAL): An app designed to help nursing students acquire and retain knowledge about basic and advanced life support techniques

To design an app that helps nursing students to acquire and retain knowledge of Basic and Advanced Life Support techniques, as well as analyze the students' gamification experience. The study had two phases: 1) App design and development and 2) experimental study. A total of 184 students participated, with 92 in the experimental group and 92 in the control group. The instruments used were the Guess it (SVUAL) app, a test on knowledge and the Gameful Experience Scale. The app was deemed to have a suitable level of content and user-friendliness of 97%. The experimental group obtained a higher average score on the knowledge test than the control group (U = 2835.500; Z = -3.968; p < 0.05). On the re-test, the experimental group also obtained a higher average score than the control group. As for the experience within the game, all the dimensions scored higher than average, except the absence of negative effects dimension, which indicates that the app had very few negative consequences on the participants. The developed app has proven to have a good level of content and to be user-friendly, improving knowledge levels and retention of information in nursing students.

Design and Psychometrics of the Mentoring Questionnaire among Bachelor's Degree Students in Nursing

BACKGROUND

Regarding the importance of mentoring in nursing and lack of attention to this issue, as well as the lack of a suitable questionnaire to assess mentoring, this study was carried out to design and analyze psychometric properties of mentoring among bachelor's degree students in nursing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In a mixed method study, the validity and reliability of the Mentoring Questionnaire were measured after designing it. The study sample included all undergraduate nursing students of one of the nursing schools in Tehran, Iran. In the qualitative phase, item generation, face, and content validity were performed. In the quantitative phase, construct validity and reliability were performed. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) test were exploited for data analysis and reliability assessment, respectively.

RESULTS

The number of items designed for the Mentoring questionnaire was twenty. Finally, the Mentoring Questionnaire was designed with 16 items. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the Mentoring Questionnaire was 0.96. In addition, the results of the ICC showed the high reliability of the Mentoring Questionnaire (ICC = 0.99). The indices derived from Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed that the Mentoring Questionnaire had appropriate construct validity.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the results of this study, as well as the importance of mentoring measurement among nursing students and the lack of access to a valid questionnaire, it can be concluded that the Mentoring Questionnaire is a useful tool for bachelor's degree nursing students.

Investigating The Implementation of a Collaborative Learning in Practice Model of Nurse Education in a Community Placement Cluster: A Qualitative Study

Background:

Attracting new graduate nurses to work in the community is problematic, and this has contributed to shortages in this sector in the United Kingdom and internationally. This paper reports the findings of a pilot study to implement Collaborative Learning in Practice in one region of the United Kingdom, which was intended to increase placement capacity, introduce students to this sector, and accelerate their learning and development of key skills and behaviors.

Study Aim:

To investigate the views of student nurses and the staff supporting them on placement about their experiences of implementing Collaborative Learning in Practice.

Methods:

We conducted four focus group interviews between winter 2018 and spring 2019, with 31 staff and students in two English counties in the South West of England. These were transcribed and analysed using the Framework Method; themes were discussed and agreed by the research team.

Results:

Three themes emerged: Peer support, which concerned the benefits of being in placement with other students; Developing and learning, which was about the acquisition of skills including leadership; and Organisation, which related to issues and concerns involved in the preparation and daily management of the collaborative learning in practice experience.

Conclusion:

Some positive aspects were reported, particularly in relation to hospice and General Practice Nursing placements. Most clear was the supportive potential for peer learning fostered by Collaborative Learning in Practice. Less positive aspects were the potential for horizontal violence and some aspects of nursing home experiences. We believe more work needs to be done to make nursing homes an attractive option for students and new graduates, and regarding visual materials for pre-placement preparation.

The Point of View of Undergraduate Health Students on Interprofessional Collaboration: A Thematic Analysis

Interprofessional education (IPE) is essential to prepare future professionals for interprofessional collaboration (IPC). Learning together is essential for students because it is a way to understand the roles of other colleagues, improve their skills, knowledge, competencies, and attitudes to collaborate with the interprofessional teams. To explore how undergraduate students who attend IPE courses define IPC, a qualitative study using semistructured interviews followed by a thematic analysis was performed. Four main themes were identifed: IPC as a resource, requirements for IPC, emotions linked to IPC, and tutor's role to facilitate students' perception of IPC. Students considered IPE important to build IPC, where clinical placement tutors play a key role. The most important findings of the present study include the students' considerations about the importance of IPE when building their IPC definition and the key role played by the tutor during the placement in building IPC in clinical practice.

Smartphones and mobile applications (apps) in clinical nursing education: A student perspective

BACKGROUND

Nurse educators are exploring how mobile technology can support students in clinical practice. However, the view of nursing students on the use of smartphones and mobile applications (apps) to enhance clinical education has not been explored. Their opinions are vital to capture if the right technology is to be designed, evaluated, implemented and used.

METHOD

A self-reported questionnaire, based on a review of the literature, was used to understand the opinions of undergraduate nursing students towards the use of smartphones and mobile apps to support learning in clinical environments. Descriptive statistics were utilised to describe participants and the mobile devices and apps they currently use. Thematic analysis was employed to code open-ended questions and explore students' perspective on how mobile apps can support learning and how best to implement and use them in practice.

RESULTS

Two hundred nursing students across a four-year Bachelor of Nursing programme responded to the questionnaire. Most reported owning a smartphone but just under half used mobile apps to help them learn in clinical practice. A range of educational apps such as calculators, drug reference guides and medical dictionaries were used with varying frequency. Nursing students reported numerous benefits of mobile technology such as better access to educational material, improvements in knowledge and confidence, and reduced levels of anxiety around learning in practice. Barriers such as negative attitudes of nursing staff, poor Wi-Fi connectivity, and the quality of educational content available on mobile apps were identified as some of the issues preventing the adoption of mobile learning in clinical nursing education.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing students have a unique perspective on how smartphones and mobile apps can support learning in clinical practice. Nursing faculty need to undertake more rigorous research to determine if mobile technology can improve learning outcomes, how best to personalise mobile apps to students needs and ensure both hardware devices and educational software can be integrated in practice to support clinical training.

Nurse link lecturers' perceptions of the challenges facing student nurses in clinical learning environments: A qualitative study

In the United Kingdom student nurses spend approximately half of their education programme in a practical setting commonly referred to as the Clinical Learning Environment (CLE). The significant amount of time student nurses spend in CLEs, combined with reports of negative experiences, indicate that it is important to consider the challenges of learning within this environment. Nurse Link Lecturers spend up to 20% of their teaching time supporting student nurses in CLEs. Link lecturers' proximity to the CLE means that they are well-placed to articulate the challenges facing student nurses in this context. This paper reports on a study that used interviews and focus groups to collect experienced adult field Link Lecturers' views on the challenges facing student nurses in CLEs. Link Lecturers reported that students often find themselves in polarised positions of either 'fitting in' with the pressures of the environment and thereby potentially gaining 'access to learning' opportunities or 'falling out' and merely 'learning to get through' their placement. Mentors were thought to have a significant influence on student nurses' negotiation of learning. This insight is timely due to the changes in supervisory and assessment arrangements required by the new Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards (NMC, 2018).

South African podiatry students' perceptions of feedback given as part of clinical training

Background

As part of their clinical training podiatry students spend time in clinical settings treating patients under the supervision of qualified podiatrists. The role and purpose of feedback during such clinical training is to improve students’ knowledge, skills and behaviour. Feedback is an integral part of the learning process that should enhance students’ clinical learning experiences. However, there is no data on podiatry students’ satisfaction or lack thereof about feedback provided during clinical training. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of podiatry students on feedback given or received during clinical training.

Methods

Cross-sectional survey design study in which a four-section self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect data from podiatry students in their 2nd to 4th -year of study. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative responses with free text comments yielding qualitative data, which has been used to give more insight into the quantitative findings.

Results

Analyses showed that 8% of students were satisfied, 52% were sometimes satisfied and 37% were not satisfied with the feedback. The majority (86%) of students indicated they would prefer to receive feedback in private. Seventy-three percent of students received positive (reinforcing) and negative (corrective) feedback at the same time.

Conclusion

Students agree that feedback is an essential component of the clinical learning process and appreciate constructive regular feedback whether negative or positive in nature. Additionally, students understand that feedback regardless of its type has the potential to identify areas of development, reinforce good practice and motivate them to work toward their learning outcome expectations. However, there is a need to consider issues such as setting and timing when giving feedback.

The Portfolio as a Tool for Mentoring in Nursing Students: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

One of the processes leading to education and evaluation promotion in nursing is mentoring. Moreover, using a portfolio leads to promotion of the mentoring process. Due to the importance of mentoring in nursing, its strengthening by the portfolio, the weakness of mentoring in nursing, and the lack of widespread use of portfolio in nursing education, the aim of this study was to determine portfolio content, which can help the mentoring performance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present scoping review study was conducted in 2017. Articles were searched using the keywords portfolio, mentoring, nursing education, logbook, teaching, learning, nursing, education, and evaluation. The search was conducted in SID, IranMedex, IranDoc, Magiran, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases. Studies published in Persian and English from 1997 to 2017 were reviewed. The studies were extracted based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Of the 1070 articles searched, 6 were extracted for the final assessment. The results indicated that a portfolio consists of a title page, content list, introduction, record of experience, mentor's feedback and comments, self-evaluation, and educational activities. Furthermore, nursing process is required to help conduct mentoring among nursing students.

CONCLUSIONS

Recording experiences, feedback, etc., in the portfolios of nursing students can be helpful in conducting mentoring for student's education. It is suggested that educational managers perform mentoring in educational environments using the contents suggested in this study.

The lived experience of first year undergraduate student nurses: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

INTRODUCTION

This study gives insight into the experiences and perceptions of one group of undergraduate nursing students as they make the transition into Higher Education and the nursing profession, during the first year, of their three-year programme. Research has shown that first year undergraduate experience is complex and challenging for any student. For undergraduate nursing students, the process of achieving additional professional practice competencies required for United Kingdom nursing registration adds additional responsibility and potentially, more pressure. Few studies have considered student nurses' lived experiences during their first year of study in any depth.

STUDY AIM

This study aimed to understand how one group of undergraduate nursing students perceived their experiences of the transition into higher education and nursing profession.

DESIGN

Framed within an interpretive philosophical paradigm, a hermeneutic phenomenological approach enabled the exploration of participants' lived experiences.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The study took place at a Higher Education Institution approved nurse education provider in the North of England, United Kingdom (UK). Following ethical approval, ten first year student nurses from a range of different backgrounds gave informed consent to participate.

METHODS

Over a one year period between 2013 and 2014 participants provided data at three points during their first year (four months, eight months and twelve months) via semi-structured, digitally recorded individual interviews (n=30) and digital recordings of critical incident accounts as they occurred (n=30). Data was transcribed verbatim, systematically thematically analysed drawing on hermeneutic phenomenological principles and verified for thematic accuracy by participants in 2015.

FINDINGS

Five themes emerged from the data: uncertainty; expectations; learning to survive; seeking support; and moving forward. Findings identify that the participants had developed skills to survive however considerable variation in their experience, influenced motivation and behaviour. They developed their own skills of coping to deal with the demands of academic life and those of the practice setting. An explanatory student journey model demonstrated that developing self-efficacy was key to their successful transition through the first year of undergraduate study.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the first year student nurse perspective and insight into their coping strategies are key to supporting a positive learning journey. Positive feedback from nurse educators, a growing sense of nursing community and motivation to succeed facilitates their internalisation of nursing identity, norms and values and an active pursuit of learning towards graduate status and becoming a nurse.

Participation of clinical nurses in the practical education of undergraduate nursing students

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the level of participation of clinical nurses from Castellón where Universitat JaumeI nursing students do their clinical clerkship. To identify the variables that may influence clinical nurses' participation in students' clinical mentorship.

METHOD

This observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted by applying the validated Involvement, Motivation, Satisfaction, Obstacles and Commitment (IMSOC) questionnaire. The variables collected were: age, work environment and previous training. The study was conducted between January and December 2014.

RESULTS

The sample included 117 nurses. The overall mean questionnaire score was 122.838 (standard deviation: ±18.692; interquartile range 95%: 119.415-126.26). The variable "previous training for mentorship students" was statistically significant in the overall score and for all dimensions (P<.05). Primary care nurses obtained better scores in the dimension Implication than professionals working at other care levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The level of participation of the clinical nurses from Castellón is adequate. The previous training that professionals receive for mentoring students improves both their level of participation and primary care level. Extending this research to other national and international environments is recommended.

The influence of a preceptor-student 'Daily Feedback Tool' on clinical feedback practices in nursing education: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Feedback in clinical education is essential for the development of competent nurses. When the process is enacted well, it offers measured performance against standards required by the nursing health profession, promoting learning and behavioural change. Despite this, health literature describes numerous barriers to effective feedback processes.

OBJECTIVE

A qualitative descriptive design was used to determine whether the introduction of a Daily Feedback Tool addressing some of the barriers to effective feedback, influenced nursing students and clinical supervisors (preceptors) experiences in nursing clinical education.

METHOD

A total of eight semi-structured focus groups related to student and preceptors reported experiences were completed comprising of preceptor and student groups independently. The data was analysed using aspects of grounded theory including purposive sampling and system analysis informing the subsequent stages of data collection.

RESULTS

Participants reported that the introduction of the Daily Feedback Tool overcame some of the reported barriers, particularly relating to the frequency of feedback occasions, and the traditionally didactic, teacher-led feedback conversations.

CONCLUSION

The Daily Feedback Tool was reported to influence the development of trusting preceptor-student relationships which gave the learner agency to seek feedback promoting learning and overall performance.

An exploration of the structure of mentors' behavior in nursing education using exploratory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis

BACKGROUND

To understand nursing students' expectation from their mentors and assess mentors' performance, a scale of mentors' behavior was developed based on literature review and focus group in China.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to explore the structure of mentors' behavior.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Data were collected from nursing students in three hospitals in southwest China in 2014.

PARTICIPANT

A total of 669 pre-registered nursing students in their final year clinical learning participated in this study.

METHODS

Exploratory factor analysis and Mokken scale analysis was employed to explore the structure and hierarchical property of mentors' behavior.

RESULTS

Three dimensions (professional development, facilitating learning and psychosocial support) were identified by factor analysis and confirmed by Mokken scaling analysis. The three sub-scales showed internal consistency reliability from 87% to 91%, and moderate to strong precision in ordering students' expectation about mentors' behavior and a small Mokken scale showing hierarchy was identified.

CONCLUSION

Some insight into the structure of mentoring in nursing education has been obtained and a scale which could be used in the study of mentoring and in the preparation of mentors has been developed.

Failing securely: The processes and support which underpin English nurse mentors' assessment decisions regarding under-performing students

BACKGROUND

This study was undertaken in response to concerns that mentors who assessed practical competence were reluctant to fail student nurses which generated doubts about the fitness to practise of some registered nurses. Limited evidence was available about the experiences of mentors who had failed underperforming students and what had helped them to do this.

AIM

To investigate what enabled some mentors to fail underperforming students when it was recognised that many were hesitant to do so.

METHOD

An ethically approved, grounded theory approach was used to explore thirty-one nurses' experiences of failing student nurses in practical assessments in England. Participants were recruited using theoretical sampling techniques. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Analysis was undertaken using iterative, constant comparative techniques and reflexive processes. The theoretical framework which emerged had strong resonance with professionals.

FINDINGS

Five categories emerged from the findings: (1) Braving the assessment vortex; (2) Identifying the 'gist' of underperformance; (3) Tempering Reproach; (4) Standing up to scrutiny; and (5) Drawing on an interpersonal network. These categories together revealed that mentors needed to feel secure to fail a student nurse in a practical assessment and that they used a three stage decision making process to ascertain if this was the case. Many of the components which helped mentors to feel secure were informal in nature and functioned on goodwill and local arrangements rather than on timely, formal, organisational systems. The mentor's partner/spouse and practice education facilitator or link lecturer were identified as the key people who provided essential emotional support during this challenging experience.

CONCLUSION

This study contributes to understanding of the combined supportive elements required for robust practical assessment. It presents a new explanatory framework about how mentors formulate the decision to fail a student nurse and the supportive structures which are necessary for this to occur.

Summative assessment of clinical practice of student nurses: A review of the literature

OBJECTIVES

To provide an overview of summative assessment of student nurses' practice currently in use.

DESIGN

Narrative review and synthesis of qualitative and quantitative studies.

DATA SOURCES

With the support of an information specialist, the data were collected from scientific databases which included CINAHL, PubMed, Medic, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane library and ERIC published from January 2000 to May 2014. Sources used in all of the included studies were also reviewed.

REVIEW METHODS

725 articles concerned with student nurse clinical practice assessment were identified. After inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23 articles were selected for critical review.

RESULTS

Findings suggest that the assessment process of student nurses' clinical practice lacks consistency. It is open to the subjective bias of the assessor, and the quality of assessment varies greatly. Student nurses' clinical assessment was divided into 3 themes: acts performed before final assessment, the actual final assessment situation and the acts after the final assessment situation. Mentors and students need teachers to provide them with an orientation to the assessment process and the paperwork. Terminology on evaluation forms is sometimes so difficult to grasp that the mentors did not understand what they mean. There is no consensus about written assignments' ability to describe the students' skills. Mentors have timing problems to ensure relevant assessment of student nurses. At the final interview students normally self-assess their performance; the mentor assesses by interview and by written assignments whether the student has achieved the criteria, and the role of the teacher is to support the mentor and the student in appropriate assessment. The variety of patient treatment environments in which student nurses perform their clinical practice periods is challenging also for the assessment of student nurses' expertise.

CONCLUSIONS

Mentors want clinical practice to be a positive experience for student nurses and it might lead mentors to give higher grades than what student nurses in fact deserve. It is very rare that student nurses fail their clinical practice. If the student nurse does not achieve the clinical competencies they are allowed to have extra time in clinical areas until they will be assessed as competent. Further research needs to be carried out to have more knowledge about the final assessment in the end of clinical practice. Through further research it will be possible to have better methods for high quality assessment processes and feedback to student nurses. Quality in assessment improves patient safety.

Mentorship in computer ethics

Purpose

– This paper aims to introduce the concept of ETHICOMP as “community mentor” – the role that the ETHICOMP conference plays outside the standard conference fare, in which it nurtures and supports up-and-coming researchers in the field of computer ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses an auto-ethnographic methodology to reflexively explore the author’s career from PhD student to early career researcher spanning the years 2005-2013, and how the ETHICOMP community has played a significant role as a mentor in her life. The literature on mentorship is discussed, particularly focussing on the importance of mentorship for women in philosophy-related academic careers, and criteria for successful mentorship are measured against the ETHICOMP “community mentorship”. Additionally, some key philosophical concepts are introduced and reflected upon.

Findings

– The paper produces recommendations for other philosophical communities wishing to grow their mentorship capabilities through communities around conferences.

Originality/value

– This paper sheds new light on the concepts of mentorship and the practical application of mentorship within an academic community. It also provides an account of the value of the ETHICOMP conference series that is beyond the usual academic output.

Stepping up, stepping back, stepping forward: Student nurses' experiences as peer mentors in a pre-nursing scholarship

Mentorship is an essential part of the registered nurse's role, yet few opportunities exist for student nurses to mentor others during pre-registration programmes. This paper reports student nurses' experiences of mentoring school pupils during a pre-nursing scholarship. Focus groups were conducted with fifteen final year student nurses (14 female, 1 male) in two university campuses in Scotland. Discussions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data analysed thematically. Three interconnected themes emerged: 1) stepping up; 2) stepping back; 3) stepping forward. 'Stepping up' was a process through which student nurses rapidly assumed responsibility for mentoring pupils, facilitated through the attitudes and actions of students' mentors and students' control over pupils' practice experiences. 'Stepping back' encapsulated attitudes and behaviours that enabled student nurses to mentor pupils that involved considerable judgement around how unfolding events in practice could provide learning and development opportunities, and emotional acuity to support pupils through, sometimes challenging, practice situations. 'Stepping forward' described how students' mentoring experience allowed them to appraise and affirm nursing knowledge and skills, and gain greater appreciation of the reality and complexity of mentorship in clinical practice. Peer mentoring may prepare student nurses for future mentoring roles and aid their transition into clinical practice.

A phenomenological study into the impact of the sign-off mentor in the acute hospital setting

Mentoring provides an essential quality assurance mechanism within undergraduate support and assessment of nurses. Recent changes to the standards for supporting pre-registration learners in clinical practice have provided additional structure to this process. Existing evidence suggests there are numerous challenges such as balancing clinical and mentoring priorities and making appropriate decisions; evidence about the sign-off mentor role in particular is currently lacking. This study explores the impact of the sign-off mentor role within the acute setting utilising a phenomenological approach. A purposive sample of 6 sign-off mentors contributed to data collection via the use of semi-structured interviews. Data were collected using a digital tape recorder and transcribed verbatim. Analysis of findings allowed for the development of 3 main themes which are accountability, time and commitment. A key finding of this study is the change in focus for sign-off mentors to one of assessment of clinical competence and professional regulation as opposed to mentors who have concentrated on the teaching and pastoral aspects of this role. However, sustainability requires further investment in this new role from a managerial and educational perspective. Recommendations include further attempts to embed protected time into organisational processes, the consideration of limiting students to sign-off mentors when mentoring a final placement student and negotiating maximum number of exposures to this role within a set time frame.

Psychometric properties of the Scale for Quality Evaluation of the Bachelor Degree in Nursing Version 2 (QBN 2)

To evaluate all the variables that affect nursing education is important for nursing educators to have valid and reliable instruments that can measure the perceived quality of the Bachelor Degree in Nursing. This study testing the Scale for Quality Evaluation of the Bachelor Degree in Nursing instrument and its psychometric properties with a descriptive design. Participant were first, second and third year students of the Bachelor Degree in Nursing Science from three Italian universities. The Scale for Quality Evaluation of Bachelor Degree in Nursing consists of 65 items that use a 4 point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree". The instrument comes from a prior version with 41 items that were modified and integrated with 24 items to improve reliability. Six hundred and fifty questionnaires were completed and considered for the present study. The mean age of the students was 24.63 years, 65.5% were females. Reliability of the scale resulted in a very high Cronbach's alpha (0.96). The construct validity was tested with factor analysis that showed 7 factors. The Scale for Quality Evaluation of the Bachelor Degree in Nursing, although requiring further studies, represents a useful instrument to measure the quality of the Bachelor Nursing Degree.

Patient safety in nursing education: contexts, tensions and feeling safe to learn

Education is crucial to how nurses practice, talk and write about keeping patients safe. The aim of this multisite study was to explore the formal and informal ways the pre-registration medical, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy students learn about patient safety. This paper focuses on findings from nursing. A multi-method design underpinned by the concept of knowledge contexts and illuminative evaluation was employed. Scoping of nursing curricula from four UK university programmes was followed by in-depth case studies of two programmes. Scoping involved analysing curriculum documents and interviews with 8 programme leaders. Case-study data collection included focus groups (24 students, 12 qualified nurses, 6 service users); practice placement observation (4 episodes=19 hrs) and interviews (4 Health Service managers). Within academic contexts patient safety was not visible as a curricular theme: programme leaders struggled to define it and some felt labelling to be problematic. Litigation and the risk of losing authorisation to practise were drivers to update safety in the programmes. Students reported being taught idealised skills in university with an emphasis on 'what not to do'. In organisational contexts patient safety was conceptualised as a complicated problem, addressed via strategies, systems and procedures. A tension emerged between creating a 'no blame' culture and performance management. Few formal mechanisms appeared to exist for students to learn about organisational systems and procedures. In practice, students learnt by observing staff who acted as variable role models; challenging practice was problematic, since they needed to 'fit in' and mentors were viewed as deciding whether they passed or failed their placements. The study highlights tensions both between and across contexts, which link to formal and informal patient safety education and impact negatively on students' feelings of emotional safety in their learning.

'Newcomer adaptation': a lens through which to understand how nursing students fit in with the real world of practice

Aims and objectives

To present a discussion on newcomer adaptation as a lens through which to understand how nursing students adapt to clinical practice and raise awareness of strategies that can be used to enhance their learning experiences.

Background

Socialisation is an important factor that facilitates students’ learning in the clinical setting. Therefore, it is beneficial to examine organisational socialisation literature, particularly that pertaining to newcomer adaptation.

Design

This is a critical review of organisational socialisation literature.

Methods

Seminal literature and more recent research in the field of organisational socialisation and newcomer adaptation were accessed. In addition, nursing and allied health literature examining students’ socialisation and the clinical learning environment was retrieved.

Conclusions

It is revealed in this article that to create an appropriate clinical learning environment, an understanding of socialisation tactics could be beneficial. Role modelling is deemed crucial to successful newcomer adaptation. Peer support is necessary but must be advocated with caution as it can have a negative impact when students form a ‘parallel community’. Students with some knowledge of the workplace tend to adapt more easily. Likewise, students’ disposition and, in particular, their confidence can also enhance the socialisation process.

Relevance to clinical practice

Both the organisation and the student can impact on how successfully the nursing student ‘fits in’. Understanding this through the lens of newcomer adaptation means that strategies can be put in place to facilitate this process.

Mentoring: Some cautionary notes for the nursing profession

Abstract Mentoring has been embraced in nursing as a way of socialising new nurses into the profession, growing and developing nursing talent, and more recently as a way to retain experienced nurses with the current nursing shortage. Much of the extant literature focusses on the benefits of mentoring, differences between formal and informal mentoring, the elements of a successful mentoring relationship, and the characteristics of 'good' mentors and protégées. Until recently the research on mentoring has almost exclusively focused on the positive aspects of mentoring for the protégées, organisations and to a lesser extent, mentors. While viewed by many as a beneficial and enriching developmental experience, it is equally important to recognise that there can be a darker side to the mentoring experience for the mentor and protégée. This paper will explore the negative aspects associated with mentoring and mentoring relationships and provide some cautionary notes for nursing.

What factors facilitate good learning experiences in clinical studies in nursing: bachelor students' perceptions

Clinical studies constitute 50% of the bachelor program in nursing education in Norway, and the quality of these studies may be decisive for the students' opportunities to learn and develop their professional competences. The aim of this study was to explore what bachelor students' in nursing perceived to be important for having good learning experiences in clinical studies. Data was collected in a focus group interview with eight nursing students who were in the last year of the educational program. The interview was transcribed verbatim, and qualitative content analysis was used for exploring and interpreting the content of the interview text. One main theme emerged from the analysis: “being in a vulnerable and exposed position characterized by conflicting needs.” Four categories were found: “aspects related to the clinical setting”, “aspects related to the nurse supervisor,” “aspects related to the student,” and “aspects related to the student-supervisor relationship”. The findings revealed that the students' learning experiences and motivation were related to individual, relational, and organizational aspects. The students highlighted their own as well as their supervisors' attitudes and competences and the importance of positive relationships. In addition, feeling welcomed, included, and valued in the ward improved their motivation, self-confidence, and self-respect.

The Spanish version of the Emotional Labour Scale (ELS): a validation study

AIM

To validate the Spanish version of the Emotional Labour Scale (ELS), an instrument widely used to understand how professionals working with people face emotional labor in their daily job.

METHOD

An observational, cross-sectional and multicenter survey was used. Nursing students and their clinical tutors (n=211) completed the self-reported ELS when the clinical practice period was over. First order and second order Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were estimated in order to test the factor structure of the scale.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the CFA confirm a factor structure of the scale with six first order factors (duration, frequency, intensity, variety, surface acting and deep acting) and two larger second order factors named Demands (duration, frequency, intensity and variety) and Acting (surface acting and deep acting) establishing the validity of the Spanish version of the ELS.

Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage

The factors preventing registered nurses from failing students in practice are multifaceted and have attracted much debate over recent years. However, writers rarely focus on what is needed to fail an incompetent pre-registration nursing student in their final placement. This hermeneutic study explored the mentor experience of failing a pre-registration nursing student in their final placement. A total of 19 mentors were recruited from 7 different healthcare organisations in both inner city and rural locations in the southeast of England. Participants took part in individual reflective interviews about their experience of failing a pre-registration nursing student in their final placement. These experiences were interpreted through a hermeneutic discovery of meaning. The new horizon of understanding which developed as a result of this research is framed within the context of moral stress, moral integrity and moral residue with the overall synthesis being that these mentors' stories presented a new horizon of moral courage.

Seamless and committed collaboration as an essential factor in effective mentorship for nursing students: conceptions of Finnish and British mentors

BACKGROUND

The effective mentorship of nursing students requires that mentors have a range of personal qualities. However, it is also essential to consider the role of other participants, such as colleagues in placement settings and educators in educational institutions, as well as the relationship with students.

OBJECTIVE

This aim of this study was to describe Finnish and British mentors' (n=39) conceptions of the factors that affect the provision of effective mentorship for pre-registration nursing students in healthcare placements.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The data in this qualitative study were collected by focus group interviews and analysed using a phenomenographical approach.

RESULTS

The findings highlighted the factors governing seamless and committed collaboration with all stakeholders involved in student mentorship. Mentors considered that their own advantageous attitude, capabilities and competence, supportive co-operation with colleagues and lecturers, and enthusiasm and active participation of students were all significant factors determining the effectiveness of student mentorship.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing organisations and educational units need to develop a well-defined and robust partnership strategy for student mentorship, which would clarify the roles of all stakeholders. This would help to ensure the availability and quality of students' placement learning and mentorship, and develop the joint preparation programmes for student mentorship.

Students' experiences of implementing clinical skills in the real world of practice

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To examine the factors that impact on students' implementation of clinical skills in the practice setting. This was a part of a larger exploration into the role of the Clinical Skills Laboratory in preparing student nurses for clinical practice.

BACKGROUND

It is already known that students can experience reality shock on clinical placement and that staff support is crucial for their adaptation to the environment. This process is similar to socialisation theory whereby the newcomer adapts to the workplace.

DESIGN

A multiple case study design (n = 5) was used.

METHODS

Data were collected using semi-structured interviews (n = 43) and non-participant observation of students implementing skills in clinical practice.

RESULTS

Findings revealed the factors that could facilitate students' implementation of clinical skills were as follows: provision of learning opportunities, staff support and supervision, and students' confidence. Factors that hindered students were reality shock, 'the gap' in how skills were taught in the higher education institutions and the clinical setting, and missed learning opportunities. Support from peers in the clinical area and having previous experience of working as a health care assistant, or similar, were the factors that could either positively or negatively impact on students.

CONCLUSIONS

Students need to be adequately prepared for the real-life clinical environment. Understanding, through socialisation theory, how students adapt to the workplace can facilitate this process. Facilitating students' learning includes supporting them, developing their confidence and ensuring that they have prior exposure to undertaking clinical skills.

RELEVANCE TO PRACTICE

Staff working with students in clinical practice can help facilitate students' learning and implementing of clinical skills through an understanding of how students adapt and 'fit in' to their working environment.

An investigation of nursing students' experiences in an Iranian psychiatric unit

This qualitative study aimed to investigate and explain clinical experiences of nursing students in a psychiatric unit in an Iranian hospital. The researcher performed a Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenological study by conducting in-depth interviews of 13 participants. An analysis based on Diekelmann's method helped to interpret the data and uncover common themes. The following four correlated themes were obtained: anxiety, maturation, dissatisfaction and enthusiasm. These results present distinctive insights on contextualizing, developing and implementing clinical education in Iran, especially in psychiatric units. The exploration and description of students' experiences will help nurse educators to plan the clinical learning opportunities such that they are less stressful, thus ensuring that nursing students are equipped to act as therapeutic professionals.

Exploring cognitive skill development in midwifery education

Changes in maternity services and the role of the midwife mean that the midwife must provide flexible, evidence-based, woman-centred care. As the lead professional, the midwife must use a high level of professional judgement, clinical reasoning and decision-making to enable choice while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of mother and infant. Delayed development of these cognitive skills is suggested by the continuing theory-practice gap, suboptimal practice and students requiring to conform to non-evidence-based practice. The purpose of this research was to explore midwifery students' understanding and experience of the development of cognitive skills. The research employed analysis of undergraduate midwifery programme documentation and a focus group discussion with student midwives from second and third year of the programme. Document analysis and thematic analysis of the interview data indicated a lack of emphasis on cognitive skill development and a sense that these skills improve naturally through exposure to clinical practice. The findings suggest a need to change our approach to learning in clinical practice and to conduct further research to improve understanding of mechanisms to support the development of cognitive skills.

Implementation of 'sign-off' mentorship: different perspectives

Students who entered nurse training from September 2007 onwards are required to have a sign-off mentor (SOM) in their final clinical placement. The sign-off mentor is responsible for confirming to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that a student nurse has met all the requirements of pre-registration clinical assessment and can be registered as a nurse. This became mandatory in September 2010, and this article describes how one acute NHS foundation Trust implemented and managed this process, with contributions from practice education facilitators, an SOM and a student.

Nursing students and the issue of voice: a qualitative study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This paper reports the findings of part of a larger study that explored the empowerment of nursing students in clinical practice. The focus here is on the phenomenon of 'voice' and the extent to which nursing students are able to exercise voice during their clinical practice experiences.

BACKGROUND

There is evidence to suggest that nursing students are 'silenced' in clinical practice and that they are unable to make their voices heard, even when they witness poor nursing practice.

METHODS

This study explored the experiences of thirteen nursing students in the UK as they progressed through their undergraduate nursing programme. The study was underpinned by hermeneutic phenomenology. Data were generated through annual, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions.

FINDINGS

In situations that called for nursing students to 'speak up' they did one of two things: exit or voice. However, there was bridging of these actions in the form of 'negotiating voice'.

DISCUSSION

Theoretically, findings of this study can be understood in relation to Hirschman's notions of 'exit and voice'. However, rather than being dichotomised extremes, an exit-voice continuum is proposed.

CONCLUSIONS

Students are often silenced in clinical practice, but to overcome this they negotiate situations in an attempt to be heard. This paper provides new insight into the means by which nursing students can be supported to avoid the exit option, in favour of exercising voice.