Finnish and British mentors' conceptions of facilitating nursing students' placement learning and professional development

Pre-registration nursing students require varying levels of support during placement learning. Although they receive support from different stakeholders, the support provided by mentors is considered the most significant. Several challenges are encountered in the facilitation of students in placements, particularly in relation to mentors' roles in support and assessment. This phenomenographical study examines the conceptions of Finnish and British mentors regarding the facilitation of placement learning and professional development of pre-registration nursing students. The findings identified four main categories of description, which grouped the different ways mentors experienced the facilitation of students. Firstly, students should be the focus and respected as individual partners with personal learning goals. Secondly, placements must be fit for students' practice and learning. Thirdly, facilitation was seen as guided co-working and spurring to enable a student to attain stipulated nursing competencies. Finally, ongoing assessment of students' achievements, learning outcomes and professional attributes was viewed as significant. This study highlights the importance of human and pedagogical approaches in the facilitation of students' placement learning and professional development. Hence, mentors are required to have effective communication and evaluation skills, and should therefore be supported through mandatory mentor preparation programmes and updates developed in national and cross-cultural co-operation.