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P. 183

INOVACIJE I IZAZOVI U OBRAZOVANJU I SESTRINSKOJ SKRBI - KNJIGA SAŽETAKA



               The Role of Mentoring in the Development of Nurses'

               Competencies

               Competences are a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, abilities and judgment
               that enable the valid performance of health care. This most often includes cognitive, technical,
               psychomotor  and  communication  skills,  personal  characteristics  and  the  development  of
               interpersonal relationships. Competencies are the result of the level of education in nursing and
               aim to provide safe, effective and ethically based health care. Mentors provide an opportunity
               for  future  nurses  to  gain  practical  experience  and  apply  theoretical  knowledge  in  a  real
               environment.  Through  mentoring,  nurses  develop  skills  such  as  the  correct  application  of
               therapy, communication with patients and the performance of medically technical procedures,
               etc. Mentors help nurse/technician students adjust to the work environment, learn protocols and
               procedures,  and  feel  secure  in  their  role.  They  provide  emotional  support  and  share  their
               experience.  Mentoring  further  encourages  the  development  of  critical  thinking  in  nurses.
               Mentors encourage them to analyze situations, make informed decisions and recognize the need
               for change. In their work, mentors encourage future nurses to continuously learn, participate in
               educations and follow new knowledge in medical practice. Clinical practices enable students to
               develop critical thinking, communication skills and self-confidence. Mentors provide them with
               support and guide them towards the development of competences. Ultimately, mentoring is a
               bridge  between  theory  and  practice  and  plays  a  key  role  in  the  development  of  nurses'
               competencies. This is crucial for quality healthcare and patient safety.
               This paper investigates the role of mentoring in the development of nurses' competencies and
               its  importance  in  their  education  and  practice.  The  aim  of  the  research  is  to  assess  how
               mentoring contributes to the development of key competencies of nurses and facilitates the
               transition  from  theory to practice. Using  a quantitative approach, the research will include
               surveying final and third year medical school nurse/medical technician general care students to
               gather data on their experiences, perceptions, and attitudes about mentoring.
               A total of 108 students, 55 third-grade students (51 %), and 53 fifth-grade students (49 %)
               participated in the implementation of this research, majoring in general care nursing. 3rd grade
               students had significant experiences with mentoring during education and practice, unlike 5th
               grade  (moderate  experience).  5th  grade  students  describe  the  quality  of  mentoring  as
               "good/average/expected", 3rd grade describes the quality of mentoring as "excellent". The main
               benefits of mentoring in their education and practice is practical experience and the application
               of theory to both classes.
               The  biggest  difficulties  they  experienced  during  mentoring  in  the  3rd  grade  are
               misunderstandings and ambiguities, while in the 5th grade there is a lack of time and support
               from  the  mentor.  Mentoring  contributed  significantly  to  the  development  of  nursing
               competencies, and moderately in the 5th grade. The mentors fully supported the transition from
               theory to practice, according to 39 students of the 3rd grade, and that they somewhat supported
               33 students of the 5th grade. Through mentoring, the 3rd and 5th grades gained technical skills.
               The effectiveness of mentoring in preparing for a future career would be assessed by the 3rd
               grade as extremely effective, and the 5th grade as moderately effective.  Students who had
               quality mentoring showed better development of competencies compared to those who had
               worse  mentoring.  Third-graders  had  a  significantly  positive  perception  of  the  quality  of
               mentoring and the impact of mentoring on the development of their nursing skills compared to
               final-grade students.









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