Umeå University's logo

Background: Research consistently underscores the importance of mentoring and a supportive work environment for nurse retention and well-being. Previous research on nurse mentoring has primarily focused on mentees' perspectives. Research is scarce on the prerequisites for mentoring from the perspective of mentors—experienced registered nurses who guide and support their new colleagues, mentees.

Aim: To explore nurse mentors' perspectives on the prerequisites for mentoring, following their participation in a mentoring intervention.

Design: Qualitative study design with an inductive approach using focus group interviews as a data collection method.

Methods: A total of 19 experienced registered nurses, appointed as mentors, were interviewed in four focus groups and one individual interview, in May and June 2022, following the conclusion of the intervention period. Focus groups consisted of three to six participants. The transcribed interview data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: The main theme identified in the results was that mentors needed organisational structure and leaders' support to facilitate the mentoring process. Participants underscored the necessity of a comprehensive support system that spans the entire mentoring process, as described in three themes: creating foundations for mentoring; navigating mentoring challenges in everyday work routines; and post-mentoring reflection and learning.

Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of integrating mentoring into daily healthcare routines by addressing barriers and facilitators, such as organisational structure and support from first line leaders. Key results highlight the need for pre- and post-mentoring phases to create a sustainable, continuous learning process. Further research should focus on developing sustainable frameworks for implementing mentoring.

Implications for the Profession: Policies should explicitly support the dual role of experienced registered nurses as both caregivers and mentors, acknowledging the demands on their time and responsibilities. Policymakers should integrate mentoring frameworks into nursing roles. This could play a critical role in stabilising the work environment.

Background: Mentoring in nursing is recognized as a strategy to improve the retention and workplace well-being of registered nurses. However, while nurse mentors play a crucial role in the mentoring process, their experiences and development are underexplored in research. Global concerns regarding registered nurses’ retention and deteriorating working environments, highlighted by organizations such as the World Health Organization, underscore the need for sustainable strategies that foster supportive work cultures. Within the Swedish-Norwegian action research project Becoming a Professional Nurse (BePROF), a mentorship intervention was developed and tested in the northern regions of both countries. This thesis, which exists within the BePROF framework, explores mentoring from the perspectives of nurse mentors.

Aim: The aim of this thesis was to explore mentoring within the nursing profession by examining registered nurses’ job satisfaction, professional competence, and self-efficacy at different work experience levels, and by exploring nurse mentors’ experiences, development, and the prerequisites for mentoring in the context of a mentoring intervention.

Methods: This thesis applied quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods to explore complementary approaches to knowledge creation. The studies contributed to the overarching action research project’s phases problem identification and evaluation. Study I was a multicenter cross-sectional survey of 1137 registered nurses, comparing self-rated job satisfaction, professional competence, and self-efficacy across work experience groups. Data were analyzed with descriptive and comparative statistics. Study II was a qualitative interview study with 21 registered nurses describing their experiences of being a mentor, analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Study III used a mixed-methods design to explore nurse mentors’ clinical teaching behavior, self-efficacy, and role development. Data were collected from 52 participants before the intervention, 30 at post-test I, and 17 at post-test II, along with focus group interviews involving 19 nurse mentors post-intervention. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive and comparative statistics, and qualitative data with qualitative content analysis; results were triangulated to identify convergence and divergence. Study IV was a qualitative study based on focus group interviews with 19 nurse mentors, exploring their perspectives on the prerequisites for mentoring, analyzed with qualitative content analysis.

Results: Nurse mentors demonstrated strong motivation and ability to take on mentoring roles. However, the results from both the pre- and post-intervention phases underscored a clear need for enhanced organizational support for nurse mentors. Results in Study I showed that job satisfaction was lowest among registered nurses with medium-term work experience, compared to newly qualified nurses and registered nurses with long-term work experience. Professional competence and self-efficacy were highest among registered nurses with long-term work experience. In Study II, the results further showed that being a nurse mentor meant fostering safety within complex working environments. Study III showed that during the intervention, the nurse mentors experienced both personal and professional growth, particularly in terms of relationship-building, mentoring skills, and role clarity. Consistently high ratings were reported regarding clinical teaching behavior and self-efficacy, with a post-intervention increase in clinical teaching behavior scores. The results in Study IV further emphasized that nurse mentors require organizational structure and the support of leaders in order to facilitate the mentoring process.

Conclusions: Being and becoming a nurse mentor is a relational, reflective, and developmental process that fosters nurse mentors’ professional identities, and contributes to a positive workplace culture. When it is embedded into daily clinical practice, nurse mentors can support the transition of newly qualified nurses into the profession, thereby enhance retention, and promote lifelong learning. It can strengthen leadership, communication, and reflection skills, while also reinforce a sense of purpose and belonging in nurse mentors. For mentoring to be both sustainable and impactful, it must be supported by unit leaders through structured routines and continuous guidance. Future studies should explore the long-term sustainability and impact of mentoring in nursing longitudinally. Key areas for future research include how mentoring influences professional development over time; the role of organizational culture and leadership in successful mentoring implementation; assessing the economic impact of such implementations; and the potential of interprofessional mentoring to support collaborative practice across disciplines.

Background: The global nursing workforce is facing a critical challenge, with an increasing number of nurses leaving the profession. Research consistently underscores the importance of mentoring and a supportive work environment for nurse retention and well-being. However, research is scarce on the prerequisites for mentoring from the perspective of the mentors—experienced nurses who guide and support their new colleagues.

Methods: A collaborative action research project in northern Sweden and northern Norway developed and tested a mentoring intervention designed to support registered nurses in healthcare settings across hospitals and municipalities in the regions. As part of the evaluation phase, the aim of this present qualitative study was to explore nurse mentors’ perspectives on the prerequisites for mentoring, following their participation in the mentoring intervention. A total of 19 experienced nurses, appointed as mentors, were interviewed in focus groups in May and June 2022, following the conclusion of the intervention period. The transcribed data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Preliminary results indicate that mentors required structured leadership and support throughout the mentoring journey. They emphasized the importance of a comprehensive support system covering the entire mentoring process. These findings suggest that a more organized and supportive framework is essential for fostering sustainable mentoring practices. Further results will be presented at the congress.

Conclusions and Clinical/Policy Implications: Addressing barriers such as time constraints, workload, and lack of leadership support, are essential for integrating mentoring into the daily routine. Policies should acknowledge the dual role of experienced nurses as both caregivers and mentors and promote a collaborative community of practice. 

Objective: Existing research has focused mostly on mentees’ experiences of mentoring rather than mentors’ experiences. Therefore, this study describes registered nurses’ experiences of being a mentor for newly qualified nurses.

Design: A qualitative interview study based on semistructured individual interviews. Interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Participants and setting: A purposive sample of experienced registered nurses (n=21) from healthcare units in northern Sweden and northern Norway. Inclusion criteria were to have been a mentor to at least one newly qualified nurse, hold permanent employment of 75%–100% as a registered nurse and to be able to communicate in Swedish or Norwegian.

Results: Our study’s findings suggest that being a mentor plays a crucial role in establishing safety in complex work environments. The main theme consists of three themes: feeling motivated in being a mentor; continuously developing the learning environment; and navigating obstacles and cultivating support.

Conclusion: Being a mentor is a complicated role for registered nurses. The mentoring role is beneficial—ie, positive and rewarding—if facilitated sufficiently in the context of a structured organisation. This study brings a more profound understanding of and provides new insights into registered nurses’ perspectives and needs regarding being a mentor and the study’s findings make an important contribution to the field of nursing regarding the facilitation of mentoring.

Background: Healthcare organizations worldwide face persistent challenges relating to turnover and intention to leave the nursing profession among registered nurses. Factors contributing to their retention and well-being at work include high job satisfaction, professional competence, and self-efficacy. Few multicenter studies have investigated these factors in relation to work experience in a Nordic context. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate job satisfaction, professional competence, and self-efficacy among registered nurses.

Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study survey was part of a larger overarching Swedish-Norwegian project, and was conducted among registered nurses (n = 1137) in September 2021. The participants worked in a variety of health care units, e.g., hospital units, primary health care, and home care. Data was subjected to descriptive and comparative statistical analysis; chi-square test, one-way between-groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis test.

Results: The findings show that job satisfaction is reported as lowest in registered nurses with medium-term work experience as compared to newly qualified and long-term work-experienced registered nurses. Professional competence and self-efficacy are reported as higher among registered nurses with long-term work experience as compared to those with medium-term work experience and newly qualified registered nurses. However, the participants reported their professional competence as highest in relation to the same factor – “Value-based nursing care” – regardless of their work experience.

Conclusions and implications: This study underscores the need for continuous support and professional development for registered nurses throughout their careers. Proactive support for newly qualified nurses may improve job satisfaction as they progress to being registered nurses with medium-term work experience. Tailored interventions to address the distinct needs of both newly qualified and medium-term work-experienced registered nurses are crucial for nurturing a sustainable nursing workforce.

Background: In 2021, a two-fold mentorship program was developed in collaboration with new and experienced registered nurses and leaders in healthcare units and municipalities in two regions in northern Sweden and northern Norway. The mentorship program aimed to support newly qualified nurses into working life as well as support mentors and was tested in intervention units from October-21 to April-22. The aim of this sub-study was to evaluate the mentors´ experiences, self-reported self-efficacy, and clinical teaching behavior.

Methods: A mixed methods design was used where data was collected via focus-group interviews (n=5) directly after the intervention. A follow-up, self-reported questionnaire study was conducted at three different time points: pre-test, baseline, and post-test I, directly after the intervention, and post-test II, eight months after the intervention. Transcribed interview data will be analyzed using qualitative content analysis, and self-reported answers will be analyzed using suitable statistical methods.

Results and conclusion: Preliminary results will be presented at the conference. The evaluation will highlight the potential effects and meaning of the mentorship program from the mentors´ perspective as well as what it means to be a mentor.

Background: Challenges of retaining registered nurses in the profession is a global issue[1]. Support is an important factor for retaining nurses[2], and even though mentorship have been found to reduce turnover rate for nurses[3], it is still not a fully integrated routine in all health care units. To fill the knowledge gap, the aim of this study is to describe registered nurses’ experiences of being a mentor for newly qualified nurses.

Methods: Members of the collaborative project Becoming a Professional Nurse performed individual interviews in health care units in Sweden and Norway. Participants were registered nurses (n=21) who had mentored at least one newly qualified nurse. Transcribed interview data were analysed using qualitative content analysis[4]. 

Preliminary results: To be a mentor were described as; being a role model for the mentees, creating an inclusive and open environment, and developing as a professional. To be successful mentors, they described a need of; scheduled time, support from colleagues, education about mentorship, arenas for exchange of experience, and attendant leaders. Conclusions: There is a need of a structured organization to promote mentorship. More research is needed to develop, test and evaluate evidence-based mentorship programs in the health care units.

 [1] World Health Organisation. (2020). State of the world's nursing 2020: investing in education, jobs and leadership. ISBN: 978-92-4-000327-9 [2] Akerjordet, K., Furunes, T., & Haver, A. (2018). Health-promoting leadership: An integrative review and future research agenda. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(7), 1505-1516. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13567 [3] Zhang, Y., Qian, Y., Wu, J., Wen, F., & Zhang, Y. (2016). The effectiveness and implementation of mentoring program for newly graduated nurses: A systematic review. Nurse Education Today, 37, 136-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2015.11.027[4] Lindgren, Lundman, B., & Graneheim, U. H. (2020). Abstraction and interpretation during the qualitative content analysis process. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 108, 103632–103632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103632