Introduction Practical skills supervision is essential in nursing placement education, allowing students to bridge theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience. Registered nurse mentors, with their professional experience and expertise, are key in this process. However, there is limited knowledge about registered nurse mentors’ experiences of practical skills supervision in clinical placements. Objective To explore registered nurse mentors’ experiences of practical skills supervision. This study therefore aimed to explore factors influencing registered nurse mentors when supervising student nurses during their practical skills learning. Methods An exploratory qualitative design was employed. The study was conducted at two hospitals affiliated with one bachelor nursing education program. The study employed a purposive sampling method, intentionally selecting registered nurse mentors based on their experience in relation to the study's objective. Data were collected during the Covid-19 pandemic through individual interviews including ten registered nurse mentors. The pandemic itself did not, however, influence the data. A thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Results Two main categories and four sub-categories related to registered nurse mentors’ experience with practical skills supervision were identified: (1) external factors at the clinical placement venue influencing registered nurse mentors’ supervision and (2) factors inherent in the registered nurse mentor role influencing supervision. Conclusion Educational institutions and clinical placements should work together to strengthen the supervision competencies of registered nurse mentors, as their collaboration is essential for optimizing students’ learning experiences and fostering the development of practical skills during hospital placements. Results from the present study can inform the design of registered nurse mentoring programs.
Ravik et al. (Thu,) studied this question.