Journal of Nursing and Health Studies

Defining mentors` and clinical nurse educators` job functions related to nursing students` clinical placements

27^th Edition of World Congress on Nursing Education & Research
April 23-25, 2018 Rome, Italy

Netta Pohjamies, Toni Haapa, Marja Seilola and Riitta Meretoja

Helsinki University Hospital, Finland
Diacor - Helsinki Deaconess Institute, Finland

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Health Stud

DOI: 10.21767/2574-2825-C1-003

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: Mentors and clinical nurse educators are involved in planning, organizing, evaluating, developing and guiding nursing students` clinical placement. However there were not detailed job functions of mentors and clinical nurse educators in Finland. With clearly defined job functions it is possible to standardize and develop the quality of students` clinical placements in hospitals. Purpose of the study: To define mentors` and clinical nurse educators` job functions related to nursing students` clinical placement. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: The Delphi method with two rounds was used. Firstly, we formulated two expert panels (mentors=9; clinical nurse educators=5). First round aimed to describe mentors` and clinical nurse educators` job functions related to clinical placement. Second round aimed to validate the importance of job functions. The data was collected via online survey and analyzed with content analysis and with statistical methods. Findings: We identified altogether 69 mentors` and clinical nurse educators` job functions related to clinical placements: 19 functions for planning and organizing the student�´s clinical placement; 29 functions for guiding the student in clinical placement; 8 functions for evaluation of the clinical placement and 13 for development of the student�´s clinical placement. Mentors` most important job functions were related to evaluation of the clinical placement (mean 3.72, scale 1-4), whereas clinical nurse educators` most important job functions were found in relation to development of the student�´s clinical placement (mean 4, scale 1-4). Mentors` lowest important job functions were related to development of the student�´s clinical placement (mean 3.0, scale 1-4), whereas clinical nurse educators` lowest important job functions were found in relation to guiding the student in clinical placement (mean 3.3, scale 1-4). Conclusion & Significance: The mentors and clinical nurse educators have an essential role in student�´s clinical placement and they are responsible for the quality of student�´s clinical placement at all phases of the process. netta.pohjamies@hus.fi