From Classroom to Clinical Confidence: An Integrative Review of Mentorship for New Nurses

New graduate registered nurses (NGRNs) frequently experience stress, low confidence, and difficulty adjusting to clinical practice. Without adequate support, these challenges can contribute to burnout, dissatisfaction, and early attrition. Structured mentorship programs are a key strategy to facilitate transition, promote clinical competence, and enhance retention.

An integrative review of 15 peer-reviewed studies published between 2011 and 2025 was conducted with CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EBSCOhost. The studies focused on structured mentorship programs for NGRNs within their first year of practice and were analyzed with inductive thematic analysis.

Five themes regarding mentorship emerged: It improves retention, enhances job satisfaction, supports professional development, provides emotional support, and faces barriers to implementation. Mentorship was linked to improved self-confidence, communication, decision-making, and team integration.

Structured mentorship supports NGRNs during transition to practice, improving outcomes and workforce resilience. Health care organizations should prioritize implementing and evaluating mentorship as part of retention strategies.