Abstract

Aims: To describe mentors’ competence in mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students during clinical placement and identify the factors that affect mentoring.

Background: Healthcare education is confronted by several challenges in a time characterized by globalization and increasing international migration. Nursing students from diverse backgrounds continue to experience difficulties during clinical placement. Students can overcome these difficulties and assume responsibility for their learning when mentored by supportive and competent mentors.

Design: A cross‐sectional, descriptive explorative study design was used.

Methods: Data were collected during spring 2016 through a survey sent to mentors (n = 3,355) employed at five university hospitals in Finland. Mentors’ competence in mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students was measured with the self‐assessment Mentors’ Competence Instrument and the Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Mentoring scale. The analysis included descriptive statistics, non‐parametric tests and binary logistic regression analysis.

Results: Mentors with experience mentoring nursing students from diverse backgrounds rated their overall competence in mentoring as good. However, the results show continued challenges related to competence in linguistic diversity in mentoring. Seven factors that affect mentors’ competence in linguistic diversity were identified. Despite high evaluations by mentors of competence related to cultural diversity in mentoring, there are still opportunities for improvement in this area.

Conclusion: Innovative and effective strategies are needed to develop mentors’ competence in mentoring culturally and linguistically diverse nursing students. Educational and healthcare organizations should strive to enhance collaboration and increase the competence of both mentors and nursing students to work in increasingly diverse healthcare environments.