Mentors' cultural competence at mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students in clinical practice: An international cross-sectional study

Facilitating international students' learning during placements: the experiences of practice assessors and practice supervisors

BACKGROUND

There are increasing numbers of international students applying for preregistration nursing courses in the UK. Encouraging overseas students to study nursing in the UK has potential benefits for the profession, but practice assessors and practice supervisors may face challenges when supporting international students during placements.

AIM

To explore the experiences of practice assessors and practice supervisors in facilitating international preregistration nursing students' learning during placements.

METHOD

A qualitative interpretive research method was used. Data from ten semi-structured interviews undertaken in one hospital in an acute NHS trust were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and interpretive approaches.

FINDINGS

Three overarching themes emerged: communication, support and collaboration. Participants identified barriers related to language and culture and expressed a desire for additional information about students' background before the start of placements. Solutions included drawing from the expertise of colleagues with similar backgrounds to those of students, using buddying and creating peer support groups.

CONCLUSION

Effective collaboration between universities and practice placement providers is needed to develop interventions that can support practice assessors and practice supervisors to enhance international students' learning experiences.

Preceptors' experiences of supervising internationally educated nurses attending a bridging program: An interview study

BACKGROUND

Internationally educated nurses attending a bridging program must demonstrate clinical competence and meet requirements to apply for a nursing license in Sweden.

OBJECTIVES

To describe preceptors' experiences of supervising internationally educated nurses undergoing clinical practice education during a bridging program.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study.

SETTINGS

Two universities offering the 1-year bridging program for nurses with a nursing degree from outside European Union/European Economic Area and Switzerland.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifteen preceptors, all registered nurses, who supervised internationally educated nurses were included.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were performed, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Supervising internationally educated nurses was not the same as supervising nursing students and raised feelings of both joy and frustration. Preceptors had to adapt supervision to the student's nursing knowledge and skills. They had to help students communicate in Swedish and form good relationships with other students, patients, and other professionals. Most preceptors requested more information about the student's nurse education, country of education/cultural background, and previous work experiences. Mixed experiences of support from the university, first-line managers, and colleagues were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Being a preceptor for internationally educated nurses is a challenge, and supervision training is important for managing preceptorship. To supervise students based on their level of knowledge and skills, more information must be shared with the preceptor. Encounters with others are of importance in the training, where teamwork and person-centered care must be in focus, both in prior theoretical education and in clinical practice education.