An educational intervention to enhance mentors' competence in mentoring nursing students in clinical practice: A quasi-experimental international study

AIM: To develop and test the effectiveness of an educational intervention designed to enhance mentors' competence in mentoring nursing students in clinical practice across multiple international settings. BACKGROUND: Despite the recognised importance of effective mentoring in nursing education, there remains a significant gap in evidence-based training interventions that enhance mentor competences across diverse cultural and educational contexts. METHODS: The quasi-experimental study design was conducted with 188 mentors in Finland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Spain in 2020-2021. A mentoring programme was based on an evidence-based theoretical model previously tested in six countries. Outcomes were measured using the Mentor Competence Instrument and the Mentor's Cultural Competence Instrument at the T0-baseline, T1-post-education and T2-six-month-follow-up. Data was analysed using descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis. RESULTS: The intervention produced statistically significant improvements in mentor competence across most domains (p < 0.05-p < 0.001), confirming the majority of the study's hypotheses. Highly significant gains (p < 0.001) were observed in mentoring practices, goal-orientation, student-centred evaluation, constructive feedback, and cultural skills. These improvements were sustained at six months, with mentor characteristics demonstrating additional significant gains at T2. Country-specific trends showed strong post-education improvements in Finland and Lithuania, although Lithuanian mentors experienced a slight decline in cultural sensitivity at T2. Slovenian mentors achieved the highest increases in mentoring practices, while Spanish mentors reported significant enhancements in professional characteristics at follow-up. CONCLUSION: The educational intervention effectively strengthened key areas of mentor competence and demonstrated sustained impact over six months. Findings support the need for policy and educational reforms to standardise mentoring preparation, ensure continuous mentor training, and provide organisational support. The involvement of four culturally diverse countries enhances the generalisability of results and underscores the relevance of structured mentor education across European contexts.