Mentoring in Nursing Education: An Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Background: The nursing shortage is partly the result of the scarcity of nurse educators. To provide patients with competent, confident nurses that received quality education, having an adequate team of nurse educators is essential. To retain nurse educators and attract novice nurse educators, mentorship programs used in nursing education must be identified and utilized. Aim: The purpose of this integrative literature review is to identify and analyze mentorship programs used in nursing academia. Methods: A literature search was conducted by searching online databases including PubMed, Science Direct, CINHAL, and gray literature. Study quality was assessed prior to inclusion using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools checklist for quantitative and qualitative research. Findings from the studies were analyzed and categorized into themes, and a synthesis of conclusions from each of them was presented as an integrated summation of the topic. Results: Seventeen studies were included in this review from 3,047 articles that were retrieved in the initial search. Themes identified include informal mentorship with colleagues, implementing a program, communication and support, mentorship structure and planning, and formation of the mentoring relationship. Conclusion: After reviewing the literature, it is evident that few structured mentorship programs have been utilized and tested. Informal mentorship is commonly used in academia; however, novice nurse educators would most benefit from a structured and institutionally supported formal mentoring program.