Registered nurse mentors' experiences from co‐creation in higher education targeting enhancement of mentorship practices in nursing homes: A qualitative study

Abstract

AIM: To explore registered nurse (RN) mentors' experiences of participating in the co-creation of a digital educational resource intended to enhance mentorship practices of first-year nursing students in clinical placement in nursing homes. DESIGN: An interpretive, descriptive qualitative study design. METHODS: Data were collected through two focus group interviews with 15 RN mentors (n = 15) participating in co-creative workshops. The co-creative process entailed four co-creative workshops conducted over a 17-month period (June 2019 to end of Oct 2020). Focus group interviews were conducted following the second and third workshops (i.e., in Dec 2019 and in Oct 2020) and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was used to report the findings. RESULTS: The analysis identified three themes: (1) co-creative reflective dialogues contributed to knowledge development and increased motivation among mentors; (2) the co-creative approach facilitated and validated the nursing academic-practice tripartite partnership; and (3) effectiveness of workshop structure in facilitating collaboration and mitigating power inequities. CONCLUSION: A co-creative process provides notable opportunities to advocate for mentorship needs and to enhance mentorship practices in nursing homes. IMPACT: Our study adds to the evidence on co-creation in nursing education, providing insights on the co-creative process and methodology. Higher Education Institutions are uniquely positioned to act as a co-creative arena for the academic-practice collaboration and for the development of educational resources within nursing education. Co-creation may facilitate stronger academic-practice partnership that may more effectively impact mentorship practices in nursing homes and health care system effectiveness. PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS: The RNs included in the study were involved in the co-creative process as active contributors informing the digital educational resource content and design.