Assessing advanced practicing nursing students' personal requirements in clinical placement: A scoping review

BACKGROUND: Advanced Practising Nurses (APNs) play a key role in addressing global healthcare challenges. APNs are registered nurses with a master's degree and advanced clinical competencies for expanded practice. Clinical placements are essential for assessing APN students, yet suitability-personal qualities beyond technical skills-remains poorly defined and varies internationally. Previous research highlights complexity in assessing personal attributes, but most studies focus on undergraduate nursing. AIM: Explore evidence on what personal requirements APN students are assessed by during clinical placements, from the perspectives of clinical mentors and nurse educators. DESIGN: Scoping review METHODS: The scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and reported according to PRISMA-ScR. A protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework. A systematic search was carried out in May and September 2026 across Academic Search Elite, CINAHL, Education Source, EMBASE and MEDLINE, supplemented by manual and citation searches. Data were charted and analysed descriptively to identify thematic categories. RESULTS: Six qualitative studies from Norway, China and the Netherlands explored mentors' and educators' perspectives on assessing APN students. Three categories emerged: engagement and attitude; relational factor;s and professional development. Assessors emphasised motivation, initiative, self-reflection, communication, trust, professionalism, ethical values and readiness for future roles. CONCLUSION: APN student assessment extends beyond technical competence to include motivation, relational skills and professional progression. Suitability for the APN role is a dynamic process where growth and identity development are integral. These implicit expectations are not always reflected in formal tools, raising questions about transparency and consistency.