Nursing Students’ Expectations and Evaluations of Mentors’ Competences and Mentors’ Self-Evaluations as Indicators of Mentoring Process Quality

Abstract

Important information about the clinical education can be revealed by nursing students' initial expectations and final evaluation of mentors' competences, and mentor's self-evaluation of their competences. The aim of this study was to examine whether these constructs can be used for evaluating the atmosphere in clinical education. This was a nonexperimental prospective study. Data were collected between January and April 2012, in 12 clinics at the University Hospital Osijek. The participants were undergraduate nursing students in years 1, 2, and 3 (n = 150) and their mentors (n = 35) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Osijek, during the academic year of 2012/2013. The instrument was a modified version of the questionnaire taken from The Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory (NCTEI). Prior to clinical practice, the students evaluated the desirability of each competence expected from a mentor; after the clinical practice, the students estimated how often their mentor possessed and applied those competences. Mentors have evaluated their own competences according to the same items. Comparison of students' expectations and estimates shows significantly higher expectations of first and third year students (p<0.001). Mentors' self-assessed competences, compared to students' evaluations, were rated significantly higher by mentors of all three years (p<0,001). The comparison of nursing students' initial expectations and final evaluation of mentors' competences, and mentor's self-evaluation of their competences, when they are significantly different, can provide relevant information about potential problem in clinical education.

Nursing student evaluations of the quality of mentoring support in individual, dual and group mentoring approach during clinical training: A prospective cohort study

“…This directive defines that during the course of a three-year study and a minimum of 4,600 hours, Bachelor of Science (BSc) nursing students in Croatia should spend at least 2,300 hours in a clinical environment under the supervision of a clinical mentor with a BSc and who is a qualified Registered Nurse (RN). 4,5 Despite implementation of the EU directive, the mentoring system in the Republic of Croatia has not experienced significant changes. CT is mainly organized as a group mentoring approach, in which an individual approach to each students' needs is not possible.…”

“…6 A relevant indicator for the importance of the topic being researched is the fact that students spend a large number of hours with their mentor, during which they develop a relationship that is a key element in their satisfaction. 5,7 The literature shows that the satisfaction of nursing students with their mentors is a frequently investigated topic around the world. 1,7-10 However, there is a lack of research and insufficient comparisons of students' perceptions of the mentor-student relationship in relation to different mentoring approaches such as individual, dual, or group mentoring in CT.…”

Comparing the relationship between Iranian clinical educators' teaching behaviors and undergraduate nursing students' professional behaviors

“…[ 21 22 ] However, Lovrić et al . (2017)[ 16 ] in Croatia found that the mean effectiveness of clinical educators' teaching behaviors in the second and third academic years had been statistically higher than that in the first one. The mentioned studies in different regions produced very different estimates about such behaviors.…”

“…The mentioned studies in different regions produced very different estimates about such behaviors. [ 16 20 21 22 ]…”

“…Based on documented evidence, limited studies have been conducted in Iran till date, wherein the mentioned variables have been examined and described separately. [ 10 16 ] As a result, comparing the relationship between educators' clinical teaching behaviors and professional behaviors demonstrated by undergraduate nursing students in different academic years can help professional values and practices in clinical environments and, consequently, provide an efficient platform for planning future goals. Hence, this study was conducted to compare the relationships between Iranian clinical educators' effective teaching behaviors and undergraduate nursing students' PBs.…”