Abstract

Background: Those who mentor nursing students from diverse backgrounds should be educationally prepared to provide safe, culturally appropriate mentoring in clinical learning environments.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of an educational intervention on mentors’ competence in mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students during clinical placement.

Design: Nonrandomised, quasi-experimental study.

Settings: The study was conducted at two hospitals located in Finland.

Participants: Mentors responsible for mentoring nursing students during clinical placements.

Methods: The intervention group (n = 49) completed blended learning mentoring education containing a cultural competence component. The control group (n = 62) completed online mentoring education lacking a cultural competence component. Data were collected from both groups at baseline, immediately after education, and at six-months follow-up using the Mentors’ Competence Instrument and Mentors’ Cultural Competence Instrument. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to determine differences before and after education. Mixed model for repeated measures was used to compare the differences between the two groups.

Results: Pretest-posttest results revealed statistically significant improvements in both groups on general mentoring competences. Both groups evaluated their competence in cultural sensitivity and awareness highly throughout the study period. Following education, competence in cultural interaction and safety and cultural skills increased statistically significantly in the intervention group. The intervention group was statistically significantly more satisfied with mentoring education, and reported that it had statistically significantly higher impact on their ability and willingness to mentor students. Comparison between groups revealed statistically nonsignificant differences in mentors’ competence in mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students following education.

Conclusions: The study provides evidence on the development and evaluation of education designed to improve mentors’ competence in mentoring, which may help nursing students from diverse backgrounds overcome challenges faced during clinical placements. Reinforcement strategies following education are needed in order to facilitate the maintenance of competence over time.