Experiences of nursing students in A peer mentoring program during their clinical practices. A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Clinical placements allow nursing students to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to provide care. Peer mentoring programmes seem to facilitate these achievements, but there are very few studies on the effects of peer mentoring on clinical placements and what it can bring to both mentors and mentees.

AIM

To describe the perspectives of nursing students on a peer mentoring programme during their clinical placements.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive and exploratory study.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

First year and third year nursing students were included.

METHODS

Focus groups were conducted with students after they participated in a peer mentoring programme during their clinical practice rotation.

RESULTS

The support received from the student mentors was very important both academically and personally. Mentors also acknowledged having improved their teaching and leadership skills.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results can be applied to future studies to inform peer mentoring programmes as a complementary teaching tool in clinical placements to improve leadership and empowerment in nursing students.

Educating the nurses of tomorrow: exploring first-year nursing students' reflections on a one-week senior peer-mentor supervised inspiration practice in nursing homes

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, the healthcare system stresses a severe deficit of nurses because of elevated levels of work-induced stress, burnout and turnover rates, as well as the ageing of the nursing workforce. The diminishing number of nursing students opting for a career in nursing older people has exacerbated this shortage. A determining factor in the choice of a career within the field of residential care for nursing students is educational institutions offering students learning opportunities with positive learning experiences. Therefore, educational institutions must develop programmes that employ student active learning methods during clinical periods. Although much focus has been given to the development of new educational programs, insufficient consideration has been given to the value of peer mentoring and students' interactions during the clinical placement at nursing homes. The aim of the present study is to explore first-year nursing students' perceptions and experiences with peer mentoring as an educational model during their inspiration practice week at nursing home.

METHODS

The study employed a qualitative exploratory and descriptive research design. Data collection took place in October 2022 using focus group interviews. A total of 53 students in their first year of the bachelor's programme at the Oslo Metropolitan University participated in eight focus group interviews. The data were analysed following the principles of inductive content analysis.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in one main category, 'Being inspired-keep learning and moving forward', representing first-year nursing students' common perceptions of being mentored by third-year students. The main category is supported by two categories: 'Closeness to the mentor' and 'Confidence in mentors' professional knowledge and teaching and supervision methods', which are interpreted as the drivers that enabled first-year students to learn more about nurses' roles and responsibilities in the nursing home.

CONCLUSION

Mentorship enhances the learning transfer from third-year nursing students over to first-year nursing students by providing them with real-world exposure and guidance from their more experienced peers. This hands-on approach allows them to bridge the gap between theory and practice more effectively, boosting first-year nursing students' confidence and competence in nursing and caring for older people living in nursing homes.

Overcoming Marginalization by Creating a Sense of Belonging

Marginalization encompasses structural, interpersonal, and intergroup dynamics that perpetuate inequality and exclusion. This manuscript advocates that the solution to marginalization lies in fostering a sense of belonging. Belonging is a fundamental human need, critical for mental well-being, academic success, and personal growth. It significantly impacts engagement, retention, and overall development, especially in health professional education settings like nursing schools. When individuals feel they belong, they are more likely to seek support, engage actively in learning, and perform better academically. However, achieving a sense of belonging is not straightforward, and many challenges at both individual and institutional levels hinder its realization. Individual challenges include resistance to change, implicit biases, and lack of awareness of the disparities caused by marginalization. Institutional challenges include insufficient commitment, inadequate resource allocation, and lack of representation from marginalized groups. In the United States, recent legislation obstructing initiatives toward diversity, equity, and inclusion poses additional obstacles. To overcome these challenges and promote belonging, this manuscript offers strategies that highlight the importance of aligning institutional values with policies and practices, recognizing and rewarding inclusive efforts, and actively seeking diverse perspectives.

Peer mentoring programs for nursing students: A mixed methods systematic review

BACKGROUND

Peer mentoring in nursing is imperative to both mentors' and mentees' personal and professional development. Yet, there is a dearth of reviews appraising the relevant qualitative and quantitative studies reported in the literature.

OBJECTIVES

To synthesize the best evidence exploring the impacts of peer mentoring programs on nursing students.

DESIGN

A mixed-method systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

Published and unpublished literature written in English between January 2011 and May 2022 were identified from nine databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, and PsycINFO.

REVIEW METHODS

A systematic search strategy was applied in June 2021. Two reviewers independently screened and selected the eligible studies focusing on nursing students in higher education institutions who participated in peer mentoring programs. We included studies of quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods and explored the main outcomes of peer mentoring programs. Eligible studies were appraised independently using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklists. Two independent reviewers extracted relevant data using a standardized form. A meta-analysis, narrative synthesis, and meta-aggregation were then conducted, followed by a convergent segregated approach to integrate the findings.

RESULTS

Thirty-one studies were selected for analysis. We aggregated four sets of synthesized findings from fourteen categories. A meta-analysis of the data showed that the intervention group experienced significant improvement in stress levels. In addition, the integrated results revealed peer mentors, with the support of academia, served as rich resources and support for peer mentees.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights the importance of providing support to peer mentors to help them achieve the desired outcomes of peer mentoring while they cater to the needs of nursing student mentees.

Peer mentoring in nursing education: A concept analysis

AIM

This peer-mentoring concept analysis aimed to explore and define the concept of peer mentoring in nursing education and the impact it may have on nursing education.

BACKGROUND

A lack of literature exists explicitly defining peer mentoring in nursing education. The interchangeable use of processes, terms, and applications may contribute to the lack of consistency and obscurity of nursing education scholarship on peer mentoring. Since peer mentoring can be used to enhance student success, there is a need to clarify the concept of peer mentoring in nursing education for accuracy in future nursing education research.

DESIGN/REVIEW METHOD

Using Walker and Avant's framework, the authors identified defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences of peer mentoring.

DATA SOURCE

The literature search involved a combination of terms in the MEDLINE with Full Text, Academic Search Complete, Humanities International, ERIC, CINAHL, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, and Consumer Health Complete-EBSCOhost databases.

RESULTS

This concept analysis revealed a consistent definition of peer mentoring for use in nursing education. The definition of peer mentoring in nursing education is a formal learning partnership between two individuals (mentor and mentee) with differing levels of nursing school experience. The peer mentor promotes a positive academic and emotionally supportive environment, decreasing stress and increasing the mentee's confidence and competency.

CONCLUSION

A shared definition and understanding of peer mentoring within nursing education can contribute to the consistent use of the concept in research and advance the scholarship of nursing education.

"We know what they're struggling with": student peer mentors' embodied perceptions of teaching in a health professional education mentorship program

This paper reports on a study of student peer mentorship in the context of nursing education in a higher education program in Canada. The study used an embodied hermeneutic phenomenological methodology to investigate student peer mentors' perceptions of teaching during peer mentorship. The data were collected over one calendar year (2019) and involved analysis of 10 participants' interview data and their 'body maps,' produced in response to guided questions. Through the data analysis a core theme of 'commitment to mentee growth' was identified, along with seven interrelated themes: sharing responsibility for learning, moderating stress, mediating power relations, navigating unknown processes, valuing creative approaches, offering generous acceptance, and facilitating confidence. Student peer mentorship has the potential to contribute to health professions education in a number of unique ways including through embodied attunement, trusting intersubjective relations, and dialogic education. This study is innovative in its purposeful design and aim to investigate both cognitive and embodied perceptions of student peer mentors. The findings point to the promise of student peer mentorship for advancing health sciences education. Implications for peer mentorship program development in health professions education are discussed.

Peer Mentorship in Psychiatric Nursing Education: Preparation for Future Practice

BACKGROUND

Academic demands along with stressors inherent to daily life may be overwhelming for undergraduate psychiatric nursing students. Peer mentorship programs have been found to improve emotional well-being in students; however, little research is available regarding psychiatric nursing students' experiences.

METHOD

Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to answer the research question: "What are the lived experiences of mentors within an undergraduate psychiatric nursing peer mentorship program?" Nine undergraduate psychiatric nursing students with experience serving as a mentor were interviewed.

RESULTS

The participants expressed they gained important skills that are valued by the profession of psychiatric nursing. The themes identified included: support, empathy, the mentor-mentee relationship, active listening, and leadership.

CONCLUSION

Involvement in these programs may assist with fostering these skills in undergraduate psychiatric nursing students. Offering a mentorship program for undergraduate psychiatric nursing students has been demonstrated to be valuable. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(10):582-585.].

Utilization of peer advisement course among first year students: A pilot study exploring students and their perceptions

BACKGROUND

The transition from high school to college can be a stressful experience for first-year university students. Peer advisors are thought to be a valuable social support resource for first-year nursing students.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions and experiences of both first-year nursing students and their peer advisors in a first semester seminar course.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional descriptive design was used on a sample that included 108 first-year nursing students and five peer advisors.

RESULTS

The study revealed that 68% of the participating freshmen felt that the program met their nursing school expectations and 95.1% reported that the peer advisor group meetings were beneficial and met the goals of the courses, as anticipated. Students described their peer advisors as excellent communicators, accommodating, and sensitive to diversity. The course also offered peer advisors an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study might help inform the academic institution's practices regarding the benefits of peer advisement program for first-year students.

A university/healthcare institution mentorship programme: Improving transition to practice for students

AIM

This study describes the impact of a university-based mentorship programme that is designed to prepare nursing students for the transition to practice during their last year of classes.

BACKGROUND

Research shows that mentorship is an effective strategy for facilitating the transition to clinical practice. However, there is a lack of programmes that provide mentorship prior to the students' graduation from nursing school.

METHODS

A mixed qualitative and quantitative approach was chosen to describe nursing students' perceptions. Mentees and mentors were invited to complete a survey or participate in an interview (September-November 2018).

RESULTS

Nine participants were interviewed and 22 completed the survey. Four themes were found. Students were as follows: Feeling unsure and looking for answers from clinicians and wanted to Learn about practical real-life situations. Their experiences allowed them to Normalize the entry to practice and become more prepared and capable to address pragmatic issues.

CONCLUSIONS

By bridging the academic and clinical environments, this mentorship programme helped mentees address their concerns and facilitated an easier transition to the workplace after graduation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers can advocate for mentorship programmes by partnering with educational institutions. This support can also be continued as new graduates transition into their careers.

Practicing Leadership Skills through Peer Mentoring and Teaching: the Lived Experience of BSN Students

Although leadership theory is introduced in baccalaureate nursing curriculum, opportunities to practice and develop leadership skills are limited for undergraduate nursing students. This study explores the experience of advanced nursing students who provided mentoring and tutoring to beginning nursing students. The experiences they describe are interpreted in light of literature on leadership education in undergraduate nursing schools, as well as that of peer mentoring and peer teaching. These advanced students described opportunities to practice and reflect on leadership skills and attributes. Peer mentoring and peer teaching programs may be an effective and efficient way of helping nursing students gain leadership skills and experience.

Benefits of Peer Mentoring in Prelicensure Nursing Education: A Dual Perspective

BACKGROUND

College retention rates continue to be a national issue in the United States. Solutions to decrease attrition have not been adequately tested in the nursing student population.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of a peer-mentoring program in a baccalaureate nursing program from the perspectives of both the mentor and mentee.

METHODS

Electronic surveys were used to evaluate the impact of a peer-mentoring program.

RESULTS

Responses showed the peer-mentoring program to be beneficial academically, personally, and professionally. A large majority (89%-96%) of mentees agreed or strongly agreed with the positive effects of the peer-mentoring program, whereas all of the mentors agreed or strongly agreed with the positive effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Peer mentoring was found to be advantageous for both the mentees and mentors.

The effect of mentoring program on adjustment to university and ways of coping with stress in nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Mentoring programs are effective in improving some characteristics related to university adaptation, such as increasing student satisfaction, gaining social skills and effective communication, reducing stress and anxiety, and improving cognitive and psychomotor skills as well as academic performance.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of mentoring program on adjustment to university and ways of coping with stress in nursing students.

DESIGN

This quasi-experimental study was carried out using a nonrandomized control group pretest and posttest design.

SETTING

The study was conducted at a university school of nursing in Turkey.

PARTICIPANTS

Ninety-one first-year undergraduate nursing students were included in the study.

METHODS

The 8-week peer mentoring program was conducted with the experimental group. The Adjustment to University Scale (AUS) and The Ways of Coping Inventory (WCI) were measured at preintervention and postintervention.

RESULTS

The posttest mean scores of AUS of the experimental group were statistically higher than the control group (p < .05). The posttest mean scores of optimistic and seeking social support approaches of the experimental group were also statistically higher than the control group (p < .05). Mentoring program had an effect on self-confident, optimistic, seeking social support, submissive, and helpless approaches in the experimental group (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

Mentoring program had a positive effect on adjustment to university and ways of coping with stress in nursing students. These study results indicate that this program can be used to increase the adjustment to university and ways of coping with stress in nursing students.

Peer Mentoring During Practicum to Reduce Anxiety in First-Semester Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

The clinical setting creates significant anxiety for students that can decrease their ability to learn.

METHOD

This quasi-experimental study examined whether nursing students who participate in peer mentoring during their first clinical experience (n = 18) experienced less anxiety than those in traditional clinical experiences (n = 19). Anxiety was measured using the standardized State Trait Anxiety Index and the Clinical Experiences Anxiety Form (CEAF). Data were analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistics.

RESULTS

A significant decrease was demonstrated in clinical situation-specific anxiety, as measured by the CEAF, among students who were peer mentored as compared with students who were not.

CONCLUSION

Peer mentoring shows promise as an effective strategy to reduce anxiety among novice nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(11):651-654.].