Faculty-Led Mentorship of Nurse Practitioner Students: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND: Nurse practitioner (NP) students have distinct needs transitioning from experienced nurses to NPs; yet, faculty-led mentorship remains poorly defined. PURPOSE: This scoping review examined faculty-led mentorship for NP students and its impact on clinical competency. METHODS: Guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, Embase (Ovid), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched. RESULTS: Twenty-six articles were included. Mentorship definitions varied widely, and reported outcomes were sparse but included increased student self-efficacy, perceived support, and improved retention. CONCLUSIONS: Empirical outcome data and structured NP-specific mentorship models remain limited, highlighting a critical gap within competency-based education. However, faculty mentorship programs show potential to support academic progression, professional growth, and transition to advanced practice.