Abstract
Purpose: Students completing a master's in nursing degree in my online program are required to complete a practicum project working with a master's prepared mentor. During the practicum, students implement a scholarly project to meet an educational need or administrate a project in a facility, such as the workplace, or in the community. Given that students have no face-to-face contact with faculty who supervise the capstone practicum course, effective mentors are critical to student success. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the collaborative process used to develop a practicum mentoring model.
Methods: The practicum course is divided into two parts. During part A, students develop a self-directed learning agreement. In part B, students report on their projects and submit all evidence of fulfillment of their learning agreement. In 28 part A classes (n = 263), I challenged students to describe the qualities and characteristics of the selected MSN-prepared nurses that would make them effective mentors for the practicum. I compiled lists and posted for follow-up discussion. In part B, I posted the lists and asked students to confirm whether their mentors displayed these same qualities and characteristics. All lists were content analyzed for themes and patterns.
Results: Characteristics of effective mentors described by the students fell into the following categories: expertise, educational background, interpersonal skills, roles, organizational knowledge, activity in profession, and mentoring approach. I organized categories into a mentorship model for online program practicum experiences.
Conclusion: Mentors play a critical role in guiding, supporting and challenging students to grow personally and professionally throughout the practicum experience, culminating in attainment of a master's degree in nursing. A mentorship model specific to a practicum conducted in the context of an online program facilitates appropriate selection of mentors and suggests ways that mentors and mentees can work effectively together.
Sigma Membership
Unknown
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Mentorship, Online Education, Practicum
Recommended Citation
Klakovich, Marilyn D., "Student and faculty collaboration: Development of a practicum mentorship model" (2012). INRC (Congress). 203.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2012/presentations_2012/203
Conference Name
23rd International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Brisbane, Australia
Conference Year
2012
Rights Holder
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Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Student and faculty collaboration: Development of a practicum mentorship model
Brisbane, Australia
Purpose: Students completing a master's in nursing degree in my online program are required to complete a practicum project working with a master's prepared mentor. During the practicum, students implement a scholarly project to meet an educational need or administrate a project in a facility, such as the workplace, or in the community. Given that students have no face-to-face contact with faculty who supervise the capstone practicum course, effective mentors are critical to student success. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the collaborative process used to develop a practicum mentoring model.
Methods: The practicum course is divided into two parts. During part A, students develop a self-directed learning agreement. In part B, students report on their projects and submit all evidence of fulfillment of their learning agreement. In 28 part A classes (n = 263), I challenged students to describe the qualities and characteristics of the selected MSN-prepared nurses that would make them effective mentors for the practicum. I compiled lists and posted for follow-up discussion. In part B, I posted the lists and asked students to confirm whether their mentors displayed these same qualities and characteristics. All lists were content analyzed for themes and patterns.
Results: Characteristics of effective mentors described by the students fell into the following categories: expertise, educational background, interpersonal skills, roles, organizational knowledge, activity in profession, and mentoring approach. I organized categories into a mentorship model for online program practicum experiences.
Conclusion: Mentors play a critical role in guiding, supporting and challenging students to grow personally and professionally throughout the practicum experience, culminating in attainment of a master's degree in nursing. A mentorship model specific to a practicum conducted in the context of an online program facilitates appropriate selection of mentors and suggests ways that mentors and mentees can work effectively together.