OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this integrative review is to evaluate the empirical and theoretical literature on the challenges mentors face in interpreting and assessing levels of competence of student nurses in clinical practice.

DESIGN

An integrative review of the literature.

DATA SOURCES

An extensive and systematic literature search was conducted covering the period 1986-September 2016 across twelve databases covering health and education related publications. Grey literature was searched from wide relevant sources.

REVIEW METHODS

Sources were eligible for review when they referred to mentor's interpretation or assessment of student nurses' level of competence in practice settings. Methodological rigor of the included studies was evaluated with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

RESULTS

After screening 1951 records by titles, abstracts and full text, 8 were selected for review. The methodological quality of the studies was moderate. The studies reported: Accurate and fair assessment of students is impeded by a lack of transparent and explicit criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need to establish a transparent and common language to distinguish between and facilitate interpretation of different levels of competence. Well-designed rubrics might offer the solution to the challenges faced in practice-based assessment and necessitates further research into their use.