Pre-registration education programmes provide nursing students with the skills and knowledge to become safe and proficient practitioners. Assessment of students' competence is a fundamental part of these programmes and mentors play a crucial role. Mentors are registered nurses who have completed an appropriate mentorship programme in an approved higher education institution, and their main role includes teaching, supervising and assessing students' clinical competence. The role can be demanding and stressful, and mentors must maintain their workloads while supporting students. This article reports the results of the qualitative findings of a survey of mentorship practices ( Brown et al 2012 ). The findings suggest that mentors value support from link lecturers and practice education facilitators, especially when they experience difficulties with nursing students who do not have the required competencies to pass their placement.
Background:
Nursing students often experience anxiety and stress from the expectations to develop clinical reasoning skills, internalize new knowledge, and learn to care for patients. Previous research has proposed reflective thinking as a tool to lessen anxiety and promote metacognition. This article examines the role of journaling in promoting reflection among undergraduate nursing students.
Method:
The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were used to conduct the review. Concepts for journaling and nursing students were searched in four databases. Data were extracted from 19 sources to identify study type, participants, descriptions of journaling, and findings.
Results:
Studies took place in a variety of clinical and classroom settings; the majority used a guided format. Various frameworks and tools were used to provide conceptual support.
Conclusion:
Most studies found journaling to be effective in promoting reflection and the development of clinical judgment and emotional competency. However, more studies are needed to develop appropriate rubrics for assessment.
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J Nurs Educ
. 2022;61(1):29–35.]
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