Mentoring today — the students’ views. An investigative case study of pre‐registration nursing students’ experiences and perceptions of mentoring in one theory/ practice module of the Common Foundation Programme on a Project 2000 course

Abstract

The study reported in this paper investigated the mentoring experiences and perceptions of pre-registration nursing students in one organization, on a theory/practice nursing module. It considered the extent to which students' understanding and expectations matched their actual experiences. Interviews were conducted with 35 students on a Common Foundation Programme, and 15 allocated mentors, using a semi-structured interview guide. These were done within the clinical setting of the wards on which the students were placed as part of their requirements for completion of the module. A distortion of the actual meaning of mentoring appears to be present because of the lack of clarity provided, both internally by organizations and by the English National Board (ENB) who have provided loose guidelines. The implications of this distortion are discussed. The application of a mentoring role in practice needs to be re-examined, with the provision of a clear structured guide internally and externally, with regard to the needs of students and staff who are expected to act as mentors. The study was small scale and cannot be generalized. Mentoring, however, is now widely used within pre-registration nursing education, even though it is generally considered that its use may not be appropriate. Follow-up studies need to be undertaken on an ongoing basis, to examine what actually happens in practice, and to consider ways of ensuring that the benefits for staff and students are enhanced.

Mentoring College Students: A Critical Review of the Literature Between 1990 and 2007

“…Most significantly, the work of Lark and Croteau (1998) has revealed the perceptions of mentoring as viewed by gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. The mentoring literature has also expanded over the past decade to include studies centered on examining the characteristics, roles, and outcomes of mentoring specific student populations such as students taking online courses (Edwards and Gordon 2006;Melrose 2006), athletic students (Pitney and Ehlers 2004), medical and nursing students (Aagaard and Hauer 2003;Atkins and Williams 1995;Hauer et al 2005;Lloyd and Bristol 2006;Melrose 2006;Watson 1999) and students in specific majors such as engineering and science (e.g., Friarson 1996).…”

“…It should be noted that this ambiguity surrounding the definition of mentoring is further obscured by inconsistencies in how the ''mentoring'' has been used throughout the literature. For instance, while some researchers have used the term mentoring to describe specific set of activities conducted by a ''mentor'' (e.g., Bowman and Bowman 1990;Brown et al 1999;Campbell and Campbell 1997;Freeman 1999;Watson 1999), other researchers have defined mentoring in terms of a concept or process (e.g., Anderson and Shannon 1988;Blackwell 1989;Roberts 2000).…”

“…Similarly, Watson (1999) interviewed 35 pre-registration nursing students and 15 staff (mentors) in an attempt to understand what is meant by the term mentoring within the context of a theory/practice nursing module. Content analysis revealed that all students understood the role of mentor to include assessor, facilitator, role model, planning and clinical support while staff understood their role to include assessor, facilitator, role model, and support.…”

Living on the edge: issues that undermine the capacity of residential aged care providers to support student nurses on clinical placement

“…15,16 Students have identified hospital staff shortages and the absence of key staff as especially problematic. 17 The consequence of not having a regular preceptor is students lacking direction in their learning and feeling that they are a "burden" to other staff. 17 Staffing and resource availability issues impact on the capacity of aged care nurses to provide a positive educational experience to student nurses on clinical placement in RACFs.…”

“…17 The consequence of not having a regular preceptor is students lacking direction in their learning and feeling that they are a "burden" to other staff. 17 Staffing and resource availability issues impact on the capacity of aged care nurses to provide a positive educational experience to student nurses on clinical placement in RACFs. This issue was identified in the Tasmanian research Building connections in aged care, which explored developing quality clinical placements in aged care with the intent to positively influence students' attitudes to working in the sector following graduation (http:// www.snm.utas.edu.au/research/building_connec-tions.html).…”