A Scoping Review of Educational Strategies in Nursing Curriculum

Abstract

While attention to empowering the healthcare system has drastically increased nowadays, the nursing education field has undergone significant changes to align with the evolving priorities of the modern healthcare system. The aim of this scoping review is to highlight the connection among different aspects, including health, mentorship, and academic performance and achievements among nursing students. A better understanding of these factors is highly critical as it helps in the improvement of effective educational strategies, which will lead to well-being and professional development of future nurses. Methods: This is a thorough review of experimental research, including the studies that have been published in the last five years. About thirty-four articles, which were found from different resources, were examined based on the specific factors. These factors mostly focus on nursing education and mental health. Each of these articles was examined for the proper methodology, the sample characteristics, the data collection methods, the main findings, and finally, the thematic analysis. Results: Based on the analysis, there is an insight into the different issues and challenges that nursing students are facing, especially highlighting the level of anxiety and tension, which is due to academic pressure and a lack of institutional support. One of the recognized crucial factors was the quality of mentorship, which can help in decreasing these challenges. A proper mentorship can also play a crucial role in resilience, enhance self-efficacy, and improve academic performance. Additionally, some criteria, such as self-regulated learning, social support, and effective communication, were identified as influential factors that will develop academic success and student satisfaction. Discussion: The findings emphasize the importance of incorporating mental health considerations into nursing curricula as well as cultivating the mentorship skills that involve students to be active. The review shows that by supporting the educational strategies and practices, institutions can reduce the negative effects of anxiety and stress on students' achievements. However, in regard to some small sample sizes of studies, regional focus on existing literature and variable research approaches, there would be a need for more comprehensive studies to first validate these findings and increase the applicability. Conclusion: This scoping review assures that implementing comprehensive practices that focus on mental health and mentorship skills in nursing education is critical for developing both student experiences and their academic achievement. It is expected that future researchers focus on a more diverse population and apply standard methodologies that focus on best practices. By attention to these challenges, nursing education can provide a well-qualified support for students to overcome the challenges that may exist in the delivery of education and curriculum.