Mentorship in nursing in Canada - A scoping review

To review the literature on mentoring of nursing students in Canada.

Mentorship in nursing has been in existence for a long time. Supportive, nurturing guidance by an experienced individual in the profession has been found to have many benefits both to the giver and the receiver. However, there is no uniformity in the length, model, delivery method and evaluation of mentorship programs' impact. The purpose of this scoping review is to appraise the available literature and synthesize knowledge on mentorship in nursing in Canada.

Scoping Review METHODS: The scoping review was guided by the methodological framework developed by Hilary Arksey & Lisa O'Malley and the findings are reported using PRISMA ScR guidelines. A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and ERIC databases was conducted to identify articles describing nursing mentorship in Canada.

After the initial screening, a total of 125 articles were included for a full-text review. Of the 48 items included, 28 were research articles and 20 were other forms of literature. Forty-eight items were included for data extraction.

The scoping review revealed several benefits of mentorship. While synthesizing the evidence, it was noted that the components of the mentorship programs, such as the length, models, mode of delivery and the impact, vary with every nursing field.

Based on the results of the scoping review, it is recommended to consider the unique needs, strengths and challenges of the group for whom the mentorship is planned. One size may not fit all.