Stepping up as confident caregivers and emerging leaders of care: exploring third-year nursing students’ experiences of mentoring first-year peers in nursing homes

Nursing students in their final year of study (third-year students) are on the verge of transitioning into professional communities. Educational approaches that enable and support their successful transitions should be applied and explored. One such approach involves third-year students mentoring their first-year peers during their initial educational and clinical encounters. Serving as a mentor may provide third-year students with a meaningful platform for developing the knowledge and skills essential for their early professional careers and practice. This study aims to explore the experiences of third-year nursing students mentoring first-year nursing students during a one-week inspirational clinical placement in nursing homes. This study employed a qualitative exploratory research design. Data collection took place in October and November 2024 using focus group interviews. A total of 60 students in their third year of the bachelor’s program at the Oslo Metropolitan University participated in nine focus group interviews. The data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. The qualitative content analysis revealed one main theme: ‘Cultivating a sense of professional self: navigating the dual role of learner and mentor in clinical nursing education’, reflecting how mentoring junior peers contributed to the shaping of third-year students’ professional identity. The main theme is supported by three themes: (i) ‘From mentee to mentor – stepping into a new role’, which describes how taking on mentoring responsibilities encouraged third-year students to practice leadership, articulate their knowledge, and model quality care, fostering growing confidence and accountability; (ii) ‘Building confidence through teaching and reflection’, which illustrates how teaching skills and engaging in reflective discussions helped third-year students broaden their understanding of residential care and begin to recognize a broader view of professional nursing; and (iii) ‘Adapting to interpersonal challenges’, which highlights how managing relational difficulties encouraged teamwork, resilience, and self-awareness, supporting third-year students in developing an understanding of the relational and collaborative nature of nursing. This study highlights that mentoring first-year peers was a valuable learning experience for the third-year students, offering them relevant opportunities to build confidence, develop leadership skills, and strengthen their professional nursing identity. Despite the brevity of the learning activity, mentoring contributed to processes that could support their transition into professional nursing roles. These findings underscore the importance of integrating thoughtfully designed mentorship programs into nursing curricula to better prepare students for the workforce.