Mentoring role effectiveness and satisfaction during internship training: A psychometric evaluation of Saudi nursing interns

Abstract

BackgroundMentors play significant roles in developing their mentees’ careers. To study how effectively mentors contribute to their mentees’ career development, a valid and reliable measure is needed considering cultural background. PurposeThe twofold aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Ragins and McFarlin Mentor Role Instrument – Saudi version (RMMRI-S) and assess the effectiveness and satisfaction of staff nurses’ mentoring roles as perceived by nursing interns. MethodsThis descriptive study used translation, validation, exploratory factor analysis, and reliability tests. The pretesting data were collected in November 2017 and the main study data were collected between January 2018 and December 2018. A convenience sample of 342 Saudi nursing interns enrolled in the internship programme of three teaching hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was recruited to participate in the study. The study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. ResultsThe RMMRI-S yielded a scale-level index and an item-level index of 1. The factor analysis yielded two components that collectively explained 71.39% of the variances. While the inter-item correlation coefficients of the RMMRI-S and career development subscale were a = 0.97, it was a = 0.88 for the psychosocial subscale. All demographic variables were significantly correlated with the mentoring roles. Likewise, career development and psychosocial roles were significantly correlated with mentoring effectiveness and satisfaction. ConclusionThe study confirmed the robustness of the psychometric properties of the RMMRI-S and showed sound validity and strong reliability for measuring staff nurses’ mentoring role effectiveness and satisfaction according to nursing interns during their internship training. This scale can be utilised across the Arab Gulf region and internationally for Arabic-speaking nursing interns and students.