Interprofessional Mentoring of Pharmacy Students in Primary Healthcare Settings in South Africa

Professional nurses assume clinical mentoring roles for pharmacy students in Primary healthcare (PHC) settings in South Africa due to the chronic shortage of pharmacists in these settings. This study sought to describe the experiences, challenges and needs of professional nurses mentoring pharmacy students within the primary healthcare settings of South Africa. A descriptive qualitative study design was employed and 35 semi-structured, individual interviews in 18 primary healthcare settings were conducted. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. While some professional nurses are supportive of mentoring pharmacy students during healthcare delivery, others believe it increases workload and slows down healthcare delivery. The professional nurses enjoyed mentoring pharmacy students but indicated a lack of confidence due to non-preparation and not being involved during the planning or preparation for the pharmacy students’ clinical placement visits. They needed short courses to train them to perform better in mentoring pharmacy students in PHC settings. To facilitate the successful implementation of interprofessional mentoring of pharmacy students, deeper collaboration between the university and the professional nurses in primary healthcare facilities is needed to improve interprofessional mentoring of students in primary healthcare settings. Universities must provide clear information, guidance, and feedback on students’ clinical placements, while professional nurses require in-service training on interprofessional mentoring and recognition from universities for their educational contributions.