Enhancing support for new nursing faculty: an extensive scoping review of mentoring practices

Background: Understanding the state of mentoring in academic nursing is critical to identifying beneficial practices. Mentoring programs are critical in equipping new faculty in nursing with the necessary teaching competencies and professional skills. Purpose: This review aims to identify the existence of mentorship programs for new nursing faculty and to analyze key characteristics such as the mentorship models employed, the tools and surveys utilized, the theories and concepts developed around mentorship, and the evaluation and development of the programs themselves. Additionally, the aim was to examine the outcomes and impact of these programs in areas such as faculty retention, the development of teaching competencies, job satisfaction, and the consolidation of new educators' roles within the academic setting. Methods: The search in the PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, Clinical trial and SCOPUS databases included articles on newly appointed nurses in mentoring programs. Quality was assessed using the Hawker and Payne criteria. Results: Eighteen articles (2016-2023) were analyzed, and the following topics were identified: Support and appreciation in mentoring, need for role clarity, personal and professional development, perceptions of mentoring effectiveness, quality of communication, mentoring models and impact on job satisfaction and retention. Conclusions: The report offers insights into academic mentorship in nursing and highlights its benefits and challenges, such as the need for effective communication and clearly defined roles. Mentoring is effective for developing skills and competencies but faces challenges in terms of perception and structure.