Mentorship is a nurturing relationship in which a more experienced or knowledgeable practitioner (mentor and/or role model) guides a less experienced or less knowledgeable practitioner, known as the mentee (Leonard, McCutcheon & Rogers 2016). In nursing, clinical mentoring is defined as a collaborative relationship between an experienced nurse and a student in the clinical area where the relationship is based on improving the personal and professional growth of the novice nurse (the student) (Zhang et al. 2016).

Clinical mentorship in nursing is extremely crucial during student placement in clinical learning environments as it allows students to practice the skills required to become competent professional nurses (Foolchand & Maritz 2020). According to Tuomikoski et al. (2019), mentors play an important role in encouraging the professional development of students, and students regard clinical mentors as vital role models. Dobrowolska et al. (2016) suggest that mentorship assists students in bridging the theory–practice gap and developing critical skills, which in turn enhances students’ clinical learning experiences. The function of a clinical mentor includes providing support and guidance to facilitate clinical learning, partake in clinical assessment, and ensure that mentees are well-equipped for practice (Salifu 2016). However, Herron et al. (2016) and Setati and Nkosi (2017) reported that registered nurses and midwives often encounter a role conflict in practice between providing patient care and clinical support responsibilities. Challenges such as a lack of resources, high patient turnovers, and high student intakes contribute to increased workload responsibilities (Thopola 2015). According to Lescano et al. (2019), clinical mentorship is not commonly practised in resource-limited countries.

In South Africa, clinical mentorship in healthcare facilities is not clearly developed and often occurs informally and on a voluntary capacity (Amod & Mkhize 2022). The lack of support and training for qualified practitioners is likely associated with the omission of mentorship as a clinical responsibility (Mikkonen et al. 2022). More recently, during the coronavirus disease (COVD-19) pandemic, the urgency to save lives surpassed other clinical responsibilities, including mentorship. Fewer learning opportunities left students feeling lost in a chaotic environment (Ulenaers et al. 2021; Voigt et al. 2022), and frustrated that no guidance was available in the student’s time of need (Dziurka et al. 2022). Hence, there is a strong demand for good clinical role models to positively impact students’ confidence and professional development. Clinical mentorship is considered an important professional development strategy for improving clinical performance and outcomes (Kung et al. 2023).

In maternity departments, midwives are often expected to care for the pregnant woman and foetus, manage the birthing process, and ensure healthy postdelivery outcomes for both the mother and the baby. The double responsibility placed on midwives demand that they remain highly competent to achieve good maternal and neonatal health outcomes. With such demands, a supportive and caring role of a mentor is likely to encourage midwives to continue providing high quality of nursing care (Anderson et al. 2022). Currently, the South African healthcare system is overburdened with numerous litigation, specifically in maternity services (Mathope, Du Preez & Scheepers 2023) where unskilled practitioners are often cited as a contributing factor to poor maternal health outcomes (Greenway, Butt & Walthall 2019; Mathope et al. 2023). A study by Wissemann et al. (2022) promotes mentorship as a means to retain staff and improve clinical and organisational outcomes. Similarly, clinical mentorship of midwifery students, who are the future of the profession, is extremely important as the authors work towards improving maternity care outcomes.

The clinical mentorship experiences of midwifery students have been described; however, little is known about the clinical mentorship experiences of their mentors (the registered midwives) in a South African setting.

To describe the perceptions of registered midwives regarding clinical mentorship of midwifery students in a local hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research design was adopted in this study.

In keeping with the views of registered midwives from this study, Moked and Drach-Zahavy (2016) agree that clinical mentorship is the sharing of knowledge and the transferring of skills to prepare midwifery students towards clinical competence and independence. The same was reiterated by McIntosh, Gidman and Smith (2014), who also showed that by sharing their knowledge and skills, registered midwives acquaint themselves with clinical mentorship role expectations, thus creating positive mentor roles that significantly contribute to the retention of students in the nursing profession (Salifu 2016; Thunes & Sekse 2015; Tuomikoski et al. 2019). In this study, registered midwives shared similar thoughts and insinuated that competent and independent practitioners are produced through clinical mentorship, thus securing the future of the profession. Hence, clinical mentorship is an investment in the nursing profession.

Role modelling positively impacts students learning while in clinical placement (Van Graan, Williams & Koen 2016). This study’s findings showed that clinical mentorship encouraged registered midwives to adopt role-model behaviour. Registered midwives updated themselves with recent knowledge and skills and displayed professional behaviour so that they could lead by being a good example for students to follow. This effect of learning for teaching promoted high expectations of the role. Reflecting on their clinical mentorship roles left registered midwives feeling satisfied because many competent and independent practitioners were produced through their guidance. Thus, promoting a sense of self-worth.

According to McInnes et al. (2015), Malwela, Maputle and Lebese (2016) and Bowen, Kable and Keatinge (2019), registered nurses who are overburdened with patient care duties often negated student supervision opportunities. Similarly, this study’s findings indicated that registered midwives were challenged with clinical demands related to high patient turnovers, shortage of staff and time constraints. Additional support from lecturer and improved communication about clinical mentorship role expectations and responsibilities would improve the quality of clinical experiences. Similarly, Phuma-Ngaiyaye et al. (2017) and De Swardt et al. (2017) highlighted that poor communication between educational and clinical settings, is a global challenge in the nursing profession.

There is a growing need for registered midwives to assume their roles as mentors to students placed for clinical learning in maternity care areas. Phuma-Ngaiyaye et al. (2017) point out that a potential cause of theory–practice gap could be a lack of training in mentorship, which often leads to feelings of unpreparedness to take on the clinical teaching role.

Clinical mentorship in nursing is a process of supporting students by sharing knowledge and skills to correlate theory with practical experiences. Hence, clinical mentorship prepares students to be competent and independent in performing clinical skills needed for role-taking, thus investing in the profession’s future. Registered midwives found that clinical mentorship encouraged them to act as role-models so that students may imitate and adopt similar traits. Clinical mentorship showed benefits that promoted the self-worth of registered midwives and students. Despite the confidence, satisfaction and interest in clinical mentorship, registered midwives often find the process challenged by time constraints, patient care priorities, staff shortages, and negative student behaviours. Therefore, training in mentorship will likely provide the support needed to undertake clinical mentorship, more effectively.