Mentorship needs in an intrapartum setting – mentor-centred approach: A qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

AimThe study aimed to explore and describe the needs of registered midwives in labour rooms in the North-West Province of South Africa with regard to clinical mentorship of student midwives to identify the strengths and gaps in the clinical mentorship programme and make recommendations to optimise clinical mentorship for student midwives in this setting. BackgroundThe South African healthcare system is overburdened by numerous problems, particularly in maternity services. It has been reported that nurses are not skilled enough to provide quality care to pregnant women. The onus is on nursing education institutions to produce competent midwives to improve the quality of care. Mentorship has been proven to improve competence among mentees and this strategy can be used to address this health problem in South Africa. DesignThe study employed a qualitative descriptive design and purposive sampling was used to select the participants from the level 2 hospitals in the North-West province in South Africa. MethodsData were collected using individual telephonic interviews and 14 participants from three level 2 hospitals in the North-West province participated in the data collection process. ResultsThree main themes emerged from interviews conducted with the participants. Their needs to successfully mentor student midwives in an intrapartum setting are a positive environment for learning, teaching and mentorship; a collaborative relationship between the nursing education institutions and the health facilities where they are employed as well as positive student conduct. The sub-themes under theme 1, a positive environment for teaching, learning and mentorship, are patience, teamwork, mutual respect and human and material resources. Theme 2, a collaborative relationship between the nursing education institutions and the health facilities, had three sub-themes, namely, presence, effective communication on students' objectives, activities and progress and opportunities for self-development and empowerment. Commitment to learning (presence, patience and pre-knowledge) is the sub-theme that emerged from the theme of positive student conduct. ConclusionsFor successful mentorship in the clinical setting, the focus should not just be on the mentees themselves and creating an environment where they can learn. There is a need to look into how the mentors, who provide learning opportunities and teach, guide and support mentees in order for them to be competent, can be assisted to enjoy mentorship.