Clinical nursing mentors’ motivation, attitude, and practice for mentoring and factors associated with them

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the motivation, attitude, and practice toward mentoring and related factors among clinical nursing mentors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included clinical nursing mentors from 30 hospitals in Zhejiang Province between August and September 2023. Demographic information, motivation, attitude, and practice were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 495 valid questionnaires were collected, and most of the participants were 30–39 years old (68.7%). Average motivation, attitude, and practice scores were 29 [26, 32] (possible range: 8–40), 87 (82, 94) (possible range: 22–110), and 41 (38, 45) (possible range: 11–55), respectively. Correlation analyses showed that the motivation scores were positively correlated with attitude scores (r = 0.498, P < 0.001) and practice scores (r = 0.408, P = 0.001), while attitude scores were positively correlated with practice scores (r = 0.554, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that intermediate and senior nursing mentors (OR = 0.638, 95% CI: [0.426–0.956], P = 0.030) and different hospitals (OR = 1.627, 95% CI: [1.054–2.511], P = 0.028) were independently associated with motivation. The hospital’s frequency of psychological care was a significant factor associated with nursing mentoring motivation, attitude, and practice. Participation in training (OR = 2.908, 95% CI: [1.430, 5.913], P = 0.003) and lower frequency of job evaluation in hospital (“Often”: OR = 0.416, 95% CI: [0.244–0.709], P = 0.001 and “Sometimes”: OR = 0.346, 95% CI: [0.184–0.650], P = 0.001) were independently associated with practice. Conclusion: Clinical nursing mentors had adequate motivation, positive attitude, and proactive practice towards mentoring and associated factors. Clinical nursing mentorship should be enhanced by prioritizing mentor training, fostering a supportive environment with consistent psychological care, and promoting structured mentorship activities.