One-to-one mentoring provides the opportunity for close collaboration between the student and the registered nurse mentor and facilitates more individual follow-up of the student. The student may experience that the learning process feels safer when they follow the nurse mentor closely in different patient situations and receive relevant feedback on an ongoing basis. For the nurse mentor, the model can contribute to greater insight into the student’s academic and professional level. 

In this model, the student is not part of an organised learning community with a fellow student and will therefore become more dependent on the registered nurse mentor having time and opportunity for continuous reflections, discussions, and feedback. It can also be more difficult for the student to initiate and seek out learning situations when they do not have a fellow student to support them.

Peer-learning mentoring provides the opportunity for a student to learn from and with their fellow student through joint reflections and in practical tasks. When the students reflect together, they practice raising their awareness of various nursing issues and possible solutions. Students may also perceive having a fellow student to rely on in new learning situations as being safer, in addition to the nurse mentor. 

Different experience, ages and learning prerequisites among the students can create challenges in peer-learning mentoring practices. If one student requires more individual supervision, this may affect the follow-up of the other student. In addition, students who work closely together may seek less guidance than students who are on their own, and this might make the nurse mentor uncertain about the students’ professional development and level of knowledge. 

Discuss with the head of department which mentorship model is most appropriate to use. Some departments/wards use both models.

Consider the students’ experience, age and learning prerequisites when putting two students together to work in a team.

Individual guidance may be particularly relevant in the beginning, in connection with mid-term and final assessments, and in cases where the student requires more follow-up.