Mentors' Experiences of Nursing Students' Peer Learning in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.

Aim: To synthesise the best available evidence on mentors' experiences in mentoring nursing students during peer learning clinical practice.

Design: A systematic review of qualitative studies.

Methods: Qualitative or mixed-methods (with a qualitative component) studies that met the inclusion criteria based on the phenomenon of interest were included. The selected studies were critically appraised using the standardised JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist. Findings from qualitative research were extracted and synthesised by using the JBI meta-aggregation approach.

Data sources: A comprehensive search was conducted in September 2024 across six databases: Scopus, CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, ProQuest (Education collection) and MEDIC.

Results: A total of 542 studies were screened, and 17 met the inclusion criteria. Three synthesised findings were identified: (1) Importance of pedagogical support for peer learning, (2) Mentors' support needs for mentoring in a peer learning model and (3) Characteristics of a favourable peer learning environment in clinical practice.

Conclusion: Mentors perceive peer learning as beneficial for nursing students' learning. The transition from the traditional mentoring model to the peer learning model requires distinct pedagogical approaches and competences from mentors, which can be enhanced by strengthening mentors' peer-learning competence.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care: It is essential to support mentors' competence in mentoring through peer learning by providing mentoring education. Learning models based on collaborative learning are beneficial for improving performance in clinical placements because they enable more nursing students to learn simultaneously in clinical practice.

Impact: This systematic review provides synthesised evidence of mentors' experiences in mentoring nursing students during peer learning in clinical practice. Mentors' role is to provide pedagogical support for nursing students in clinical practice conducted with peer learning. Before implementing peer learning in clinical practice, it is essential to consider the conditions for peer learning across various clinical settings and to provide support for mentors as they mentor nursing students through peer learning. These findings can support healthcare administrators, educators, mentoring education providers and mentors of peer learning in clinical practice.

Reporting method: This review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement.

Patient or public contribution: This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct or reporting.

Protocol registration: The protocol is registered in The Open Science Framework (OSF): 10.17605/OSF.IO/5F9HP.