The Effects of Blended and Online-only Methods of Mentorship Training on Mentor Competence in Two Hospital Districts – A Quasi-experimental Study
This study compared the effects of blended and online-only methods of mentorship training on the competence of mentors of healthcare students.
Background. Mentors in healthcare professions have a major impact on quality nursing education during clinical practice, and mentorship training is one means of improving mentors’ understanding high-quality education.
Method. This was a quasi-experimental study involving non-randomized, pre- and postintervention measurements. Training comprised a blended method for the intervention group (n = 192) and an online-only method for the control group (n = 64) in two Finnish hospital districts.
Results. Mentors’ competence improved after training, and all but one area of mentorship competence (reflection during mentoring) showed a statistically significant difference. The blended training produced larger mean differences than the online-only training in the competence areas requiring mentor-student interaction.
Conclusion. Both training methods increased mentorship competence . Healthcare organizations must seriously consider implementing mentorship competence training using methods that are effective and facilitate more efficient allocation of limited available resources.
Correspondence to K. Mikkonen Research Unit of Nursing Science and Health Management, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014 Finland. E-mail: kristina.mikkonen@oulu.fi