Reinforcement of an under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme in nursing

Abstract

Background: During the researcher’s under-graduate education and tenure as a community service nurse it was experienced that the under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme exists. It was however noted that mentoring was ineffective as is evident in the lack of a formal supportive programme as well as non-committed senior students and academic staff members. Common challenges that are evident to the under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme are lack of nursing educators’ support and management, poor planning and implementation of this programme among under-graduate nursing students. Aim: Therefore the aim of this research was to reinforce an under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme from experiences of under-graduate nursing students in a specific Nursing Education Institution (NEI) in North-West Province. Methodology: A Retrospective Reflective Case Study was employed to achieve the aim and objectives of this research. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988) was employed to ground this research with a theoretical assumption. The World Café concurrently with seven principles was used to collect data from under-graduate peer-mentees. More importantly, Four Levels of Analysis as drawn from the Indigenous Health Research Framework as described by Pienaar (2017) were used to bring meaning to the collected data. Findings: Based on the findings of this research, a preliminary conceptual framework emerged for the reinforcement of the under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme. This emerged from four themes which are description of the under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme, significance of the under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme, recommendations to reinforce the under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme and lastly reinforcement techniques, methods and practice for the under-graduate peer-group clinical mentoring programme.