Leading Future Nurses: Do Mentors Facilitate Learning, Enhance Professional Development, and Provide Psychosocial Support for Prelicensure Nursing Students during Integrative Practicum?

Abstract

Background Clinical training is an essential aspect of the integrative practicum course. The mentors play a multifaceted role in the clinical experience of the pre-licensure nursing students and foster their readiness to work independently in a complex healthcare environment. Aim This study aimed to evaluate the perception of mentorship of the mentee as a means of facilitating learning, enhancing professional development, and providing psychosocial support for prelicensure nursing students. Methods A cross-sectional survey study was carried out at the College of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Bahrain. A convenient sample of 201 students enrolled in the final year of the BSc in Nursing program completed the behavior questionnaire of the mentors. Results The findings indicated that students reported that mentors had a clear plan for their learning (4.16±0.86), helped them to achieve learning objectives, and linked theory to practice (4.04±0.84). Regarding professional development, the mentors encouraged in-depth learning (4.14±0.95), displayed clinical competence (4.09±0.93), encouraged the use of evidence-based practice (4.01±1.03), and gave the students constructive feedback (3.98±1.08). Most nursing students reported that the mentors supported them psychologically, instilled confidence in them (4.12±0.89), and had a warm and friendly attitude (4.12±0.83). Female participants reported higher scores across the three aspects. The overall mean scores were (4.00±0.54) in facilitating learning, (4.01±0.63) in professional development, and (4.10±0.57) in psychosocial support. Conclusion Mentors took responsibility for the learning of the students, provided a supportive practice environment, had a clear plan for the learning, and helped them achieve learning objectives and goals. There was a slight disparity in perception among the three need aspects; nonetheless, participants felt that their psychosocial support was better.