A Phenomenological Study of Mentors’ and Mentees’ Experiences in a Core Nursing Skills Mentoring Program

The purpose of this study is to explore in depth the experiences and meanings of senior (fourth-year) nursing student mentors and junior (third-year) mentees who participated in a core nursing skills mentoring program. To achieve this, a focus group interview (FGI) was conducted based on the research question, “What are the experiences of mentors and mentees participating in core clinical skills mentoring, and what do these experiences mean?” The data was analyzed using Giorgi's (2009) phenomenological research method. The findings revealed that the key components derived from the mentors included: “supporting the mentee’s learning potential”, “providing emotional support for the mentee’s growth and achievement”, “co-development of personal competencies and knowledge as a mentor”, and “challenges in fulfilling the mentor role”. For the mentees, the identified components were: “interaction through the mentor-mentee relationship”, “a proactive attitude toward learning”, “learning and growth through mentor guidance”, and “difficulties in the program process”. This study confirms that the mentoring program provides nursing students with meaningful experiences in acquiring essential clinical skills and knowledge while fostering professional growth. These findings serve as foundational data for the future development and implementation of more effective mentoring programs in nursing education.