Why mentorship in nursing

Furthermore, these programs can help organizations identify and groom novice nurses to become leaders, which saves time and money recruiting nurses for open senior positions. This partnership can also help save the organization money, as less time is often spent on training new employees. Nurses will also feel more confident in performing their job duties because they have a mentor to call on in times of stress or uncertainty.

Both nurse educators and experienced nurses can benefit from the opportunity to become a mentor. Mentors are responsible for teaching new nurses the policies and procedures of the organization. Through this, mentors are able to gain further insight into the processes and procedures that exert a positive or negative influence on daily workflow. Based on this insight, mentors can institute new policies and procedures to manage and rework the overall workflow.

Finally, mentors can update and sharpen their own professional skills while training new employees. There may be policies and procedures they may have overlooked, or technical skills they may wish to hone through practice and teaching.

Overall, the mentor-mentee relationship is meant to be mutually beneficial and foster growth. Effective nurse mentors exhibit a variety of skills that equip them to provide new nurses with the support to excel. The key skills that make an excellent nurse mentor are knowledge of nursing principles, communication skills, problem-solving and decision-making tactics, as well as patience and empathy. These qualities encourage nurses to advance in their own careers and hopefully mentor the next generations of nurses.

Nurse educators and experienced nurses can advance their careers by pursuing opportunities to participate in nurse mentorship programs. To become leaders in the field, these professionals should consider an advanced degree in nursing that can prepare them to become mentors. It is vital that the mentor and mentee communicate realistic expectations and goals.

A successful, mutually-beneficial mentor-mentee partnership requires reflection, and maintains a responsibility to examine the direction of the relationship to uphold a holistic, positive and civil attitude.

The mentor serves as an experienced guide and provides the mentee with direction and insight to assist the mentee in achieving his or her goals. Successful mentors nurture mentees, who eventually develop into leaders and become mentors themselves. References Allen, S. Mentoring: The magic partnership. Canadian Operating Room Journal, 24 4 , Anderson, L. A learning resource for developing effective mentorship in practice.

Nursing Standard, 25 51 , 48— Barker, E. Mentoring—a complex relationship. Journal of the Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 18 , 56— Benner, P. Using the Dryfus model of skill acquisition to describe and interpret skill acquisition in nursing practice and education.

Billings, D. Developing your career as a nurse educator: The importance of having or being a mentor. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39 11 , — Blauvelt, M.

A faculty mentoring program: At one school of nursing. Nursing Education Perspectives, 29 1 , 29— Darling, L. What to do about toxic mentors. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 5, 43— Feeg, V.

Mentoring for leadership tomorrow: Planning for succession. Pediatric Nursing, 34 4 , — Holmes, D. Mentoring: Making the transition from mentee to mentor. Circulation , — Jacobson, S. Transformational mentorship models for nurse educators. Nursing Science Quarterly, 25 3 , — McCloughen, A. Esteemed connection: creating a mentoring relationship for nurse leadership.

Nursing Inquiry, 16 4 , Metcalfe, S. Educational innovation: Collaborative mentoring for future nursing leaders. Creative Nursing, 16 4 , — Mijares, L. Mentoring: A concept analysis. The Journal of Nursing Theory, 17 1 , 23— Riley, M. Mentoring as a teaching-learning strategy in nursing. Wilson, V. The Demand for Qualified Nurse Mentors The pressures of a hectic health care environment can be overwhelming, resulting in nurses feeling overworked and burned out.

Gain the Leadership Skills to Be a Mentor Mentorship can be a rewarding experience, allowing you to give back to the profession, and provides opportunities to acquire a greater perspective on nursing. Get More Info. Discover Regis. This will only take a minute. What degree program are you most interested in? Next Step We value your privacy. What DNP Program are you interested in?

What option are you most interested in? Master of Health Administration. Health Policy and Management. What option are you interested in? Master of Social Work. Non-degree Certificate , Certification-Seeking Applicants. What track are you interested in? One study showed that low- and middle-income countries have the largest nurse mentoring programs.

There is an initiative for healthcare workers, especially nurses, to participate in mentorship programs. Studies show, along with nursing responsibilities, nurses exercise high emotional labor. Emotional labor is "work role" specific. This is when nurses have to manage their emotions while interacting with organizations to reach their professional goals.

Having a nurse mentor can help provide suggestions on how to navigate this reality. The mentor and mentee relationship is a two-way relationship. The role of the mentor is to act as a role model and:. Jillian Kobel, a trauma nurse registrar, started a new nursing position in March She was connected with a nurse mentor and continues to have a meaningful relationship with her mentor.

Now we talk all the time, and I run things by her frequently. There are many ways you can find a nurse mentor: Internally through a formal program provided by your facility, or externally, through taking advantage of nursing associations or nonprofit organizations.

You can also choose your own nursing mentor. You just have to ask. Although it can be intimidating, many experienced nurses are eager to mentor nurses and nursing students. Many national nursing organizations have nurse mentorship programs — with enrollment opening as soon as next month! Enrollment for the ANA mentorship program opens August 2.