Umeå University's logo

Background: Mentoring in nursing is crucial for supporting newly qualified nurses, enhancing retention and promoting professional development. Despite its significance, limited research has explored nurse mentors' perspectives and their own development through mentoring.

Aim: To explore how a structured mentoring intervention influences nurse mentors' clinical teaching behaviour, self-efficacy and experiences of their professional role development.

Design: A convergent mixed-methods study was conducted during a mentorship intervention across healthcare units in hospitals and municipalities in northern Sweden and Norway.

Methods: Forty-one experienced registered nurses participated as nurse mentors. Quantitative data were collected via validated instruments on clinical teaching behaviour and self-efficacy before and twice after the intervention. Qualitative data were collected through post-intervention focus group interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank test; qualitative data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings were triangulated to identify convergence and divergence.

Results: Nurse mentors reported personal and professional growth, especially in relationship-building, mentoring skills and role clarity. Results showed consistently high ratings in clinical teaching behaviour and self-efficacy, with an increase in clinical teaching behaviour scores post-intervention.

Conclusions: Structured mentoring interventions support nurse mentors' development, improving clinical teaching practices and reinforcing their professional identity—key factors in nurse retention.

Implications for the Profession: The findings highlight the need for sustained nurse mentor support and tailored mentorship frameworks to ensure effective, long-term mentoring in nursing.

Impact: What problem did the study address? Mentoring is essential for supporting newly qualified nurses, improving retention and fostering their professional development. Most mentorship research focuses on mentees, with limited insight into nurse mentors' perspectives and development.

What were the main findings? Nurse mentors experienced development in several areas throughout the intervention, particularly in building relationships, fostering meaningful mentoring skills and refining their role as nurse mentors. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? This study can inform policy and practice by contributing knowledge on the development of sustainable mentoring frameworks. These frameworks support the formation of collaborative and stable work groups in clinical settings, enhancing nurse retention, professional development and the overall quality of patient care. Reporting Method: This study adhered to the Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) guidelines, by O'cathain et al. as recommended by the EQUATOR network. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution.

Background: Nursing students often find self-directed learning in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry challenging to manage alongside busy lifestyles. To address these challenges, it is essential for nurse educators to understand the specific contextual demands that hinder students’ self-directed learning. This study aims to explore and compare contextual demands that challenge young and mature nursing students’ engagement in efficient self-directed learning in bioscience.

Methods: A comparative qualitative content analysis study was conducted to explore contextual demands. Data were collected in November 2024 through written submissions from 98 nursing students. These submissions were analysed via qualitative content analysis to identify and compare patterns related to the contextual demands that challenged self-directed learning between two student groups. This approach provided a clear overview of key patterns, highlighting similarities and differences in the distribution of contextual demands challenging self-directed learning in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry.

Results: The analysis revealed five major categories of challenges: ‘work-related conditions’, such as part-time jobs; ‘social-related conditions’, including social commitments and family responsibilities; ‘conditions related to physical activity’, where students had to balance exercise and academic demands; ‘conditions related to social media usage’, highlighting how digital distractions impacted study focus; and ‘long commutes between home and the academic institution’, which reduced the time available for learning.

Conclusions: The results emphasize the distribution of contextual demands that challenge self-directed learning in biosciences in nursing education, and highlight the need for detailed strategies to address these aspects. The results pave the way for future research and potential policy adjustments to better support nursing students in managing their academic and personal obligations.

Background: The main aim of this study is to investigate the connection between a high workload and health-related quality of life among in-home care workers in northern Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also investigate whether social support and control at work can prevent poor health due to high workload.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the pandemic, with 629 (response rate 33 per cent) of an estimated 1,900 in-home care workers responding. Results were compared with a nearly identical survey conducted prior to the pandemic in which 1,154 (response rate 58 per cent) of an estimated 2000 in-home care workers responded. Psychosocial factors were measured using QPSNordic and health-related quality of life using EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D). EQ-5D responses were translated into quality-adjusted life year (QALY) scores. Propensity scores were used with absolute risk differences.

Results: During the pandemic, staff with high workload had a statistically significantly (6.2%) lower QALY score (confidence interval 2.2%–10.3%) compared to staff with a normal workload. This was also the case for the usual activities and the anxiety/depression dimensions of EQ-5D. These risk differences were greater, but not statistically significant, during the pandemic than before. The combination of a normal workload and a high degree of control over one’s work appeared to protect against a low QALY score, while social support at work did not seem to be protective.

Conclusions: High workload is related to poorer health-related quality of life. This is mainly attributable to anxiety/depression. In-home care organisations need to manage workload better to prevent poor health among staff during strained situations such as a pandemic. The results of our study indicate that in-home care organisations should increase their readiness to promote opportunities for staff to maintain a high degree of control over their work, in order to counteract variations in workload that ultimately appear to have a negative impact on HRQoL.

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: Home care services, with the aim to support older adults in their homes, faced intense external pressure to create sustainable working conditions for staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have indicated elevated burnout and stress among residential care staff, and it is likely that similar challenges exist in home care services. Overall, the consequences for staff's work environment and health under the extremely strained conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic merit closer examination. Therefore, the aim is to illuminate home care workers’ experiences of their work environment and health risks while supporting older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: To gain an in-depth understanding of personal experiences during the pandemic, five focus group interviews (FG) were held in northern Sweden during spring 2022. Open-ended questions were delivered via a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was used to guide data analysis.

Results: Expanded and unclear responsibilities characterized the work environment during the pandemic. This was summarized into four sub-themes: my own health was jeopardized; a wind of change towards more responsibility; struggling between being a lifeline and being contagious; and organization and management as facilitators or hindrances.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of management strategies and organizational preparedness to support staff’s mental health and mitigate challenges during crises. The health risks associated with increased workload, stress, and mental burdens were evident in the narratives. The study emphasizes the need to strive for a good work environment, set priorities to reduce workloads and mental stress, and incorporate time for recovery among staff during crises. It is also of great importance that different authorities in healthcare and social care create effective cooperation so that information, knowledge, and policies are effectively disseminated to frontline staff who have the concrete responsibility for our elderly.

Background: The in‑home work environment is the main work environment for home care workers, but it has only been sparsely studied. Our aim was to investigate the in‑home work environment for home care workers by exploring challenges that arise regardless of a pandemic and by investigating Covid‑19–specific challenges.

Methods: Two cross‑sectional studies were conducted, one before (2017) and one during the pandemic (2021/2022) in three Swedish regions (Jämtland/Härjedalen, Västerbotten and Västernorrland), in which 1,154 (58%) out of 2,000 and 629 (33%) of 1,900 invited home care workers participated, respectively. Participants responded to a question‑naire asking about 10 problems associated with the in‑home work environment as well as Covid‑19–related chal‑lenges. Comparisons were conducted between regions and between study years using univariable analyses.

Results: Daily problems with the in‑home work environment were common before the pandemic, and they increased statistically significantly during the pandemic for, among other things, non‑ergonomic beds (29% vs. 37%), impractical bathrooms (40% vs. 50%), indoor smoking (24% vs. 31%), and pets (19% vs. 25%). There were major con‑cerns about the risk of getting infected with Covid‑19 for both staff (42%) and the home care recipients (50%). There were statistically significant differences between regions, e.g. many problems were more common in the Västerbotten region than in the other two regions during the pandemic, while challenges with protective equipment was most common in the Västernorrland region.

Conclusions: In‑home work environment problems are common for home care workers and worsen in a more strained situation. Efforts are needed to strengthen the work environment for home care workers.

Background: Newly qualified nurses (NQNs) often face stress and lack confidence when transitioning to professional practice. Addressing these challenges is crucial for their development and overall well-being. The way NQNs are welcomed and supported in the workplace is a critical factor influencing their transition experience as they learn to be nurses in the new workplace.

Aim: To deepen the understanding of the meanings of collegial support and workplace culture, and how these conditions promote mentees’ process of becoming confident nurses during their transition to professional practice.

Method: An explanatory sequential design with a multi method (QUAL-quan) triangulation approach guided by caring science and Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics was employed. Pre- and post-tests were used to evaluate psychosocial conditions in the workplace over time among NQNs (n = 27). Following the intervention, NQNs (n = 19) participated in focus group interviews. Triangulation served as a methodological metaphor to integrate qualitative and quantitative data.

Findings: The qualitative and quantitative findings point to the importance of a respectful, supportive, and positive workplace culture in enhancing the meaning of work, fostering a sense of fellowship, and building confidence and self-efficacy among NQNs. The results of the descriptive study demonstrate that social support and a sense of fellowship are highly valued, with no changes observed over time between the pre- and post-tests. Qualitative data support this, emphasising the significance of a caring workplace culture and collegial support.

Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate the considerable importance of developing a caring workplace culture that welcomes and respects NQNs as new colleagues. Value-conscious leadership is crucial in fostering such a culture by setting the tone in the workplace, thereby creating conditions that support continuous learning, fellowship, and overall well-being. This study reinforces the importance of supportive colleagues and a compassionate workplace culture in boosting NQNs’ confidence and their development into confident nurses. 

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. 

Introduction: The transition to working life as a newly qualified nurse (NQN) can be challenging, leading to heightened stress levels. While NQNs are generally enthusiastic about starting their careers, they often express concerns about various responsibilities and a perceived lack of experience in independently dealing with clinical care in complex environments.

Objective: To acquire an in-depth understanding, from a caring science perspective, of what it means to be an NQN during the transition period of the first 18 months in the profession.

Methods: This study relied on an exploratory qualitative design. The methodological approach followed Gadamer's hermeneutic philosophy. Six focus group interviews were conducted in northern Norway (n = 3) and northern Sweden (n = 3) from January through May 2021. The interpretation of the data was inspired by Fleming et al. Nineteen female and seven male NQNs working in different contexts, including hospitals and municipalities, participated in the study. The consolidated criteria for qualitative research were used to report the results.

Results: Perspectives on NQNs are presented as three themes: a) the responsibility was perceived as a significant challenge, b) being a nurse is complex and demanding, and c) a desire for personal and professional development. Learning to be a nurse shouldering responsibility necessitates support and guidance from caring and compassionate colleagues and leaders.

Conclusions:  This study sheds light on the importance of creating a workplace culture where NQNs’ learning is promoted and supported by designated mentors during their transition to working life. The responsibilities should be aligned with their level of knowledge. It is important that leaders hold developmental dialogues and ensure a career plan for NQNs to continuously develop their knowledge and skills. Intervention studies designed to evaluate the meaning of the support from appointed mentors within structured mentorship programs are needed.

Aim: To explore and compare the didactic approaches to practical skills learning at simulation centres in Scandinavian universities and university colleges.

Background: Academic simulation centres are an important arena for learning practical nursing skills which are essential to ensure competent performance regarding patient safety and quality of care. Knowledge of didactic approaches to enhance learning is essential in promoting the provision and retention of students' practical nursing skills. However, research on didactical approaches to practical nursing skills learning is lacking.

Design: A qualitative comparative design was used.

Methods: During November and December 2019, interviews were conducted with a total of 37 simulation centre directors or assistant directors, each of whom possessed in-depth knowledge of practical skills in teaching and learning. They represented bachelor nursing education in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. A qualitative deductive content analysis was conducted.

Results: The results revealed all five predetermined didactical components derived from the didactical relationship model. Twenty-two corresponding categories that described a variation in didactic approaches to practical skills learning in Scandinavian nursing simulation centres were identified. The didactical components of Learning process revealed mostly similarities, Setting mostly differences and Assessment showed only differences in didactic approaches.

Conclusion: Although various didactic approaches were described across the countries, no common approach was found. Nursing educational institutions are encouraged to cooperate in developing a shared understanding of how didactic approaches can enhance practical skills learning.

Implications for Profession and/or Patient Care: Cross-country comparisons of practical nursing skills learning in Scandinavian countries highlight the importance of educator awareness concerning the impact diverse didactic approaches may have on competent performance in nursing education. Competent performance is pivotal for ensuring patient safety and the provision of high-quality care.

Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution.

Reporting Method: This study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research reporting guidelines.