Mentoring Relationship: An Individual's Career

As Finkelman (2006) stated, “Mentoring, and important career development to that can be used by nurses any type of set or specialty, can be used to develop the critical leadership skills needed by nurses. All successful leaders have had mentors are our mentors” (Finkelman,2006, p. 390).

Throughout this clinical semester, I have worked with several different registered nurses (RNs) and have been able to develop mentoring relationships with many of the staff on the unit. During our time together, I interviewed several of my nurse mentors and elicited information regarding their nursing experiences and the culture of the environment in which they work. The following conversations provide a summarization of my nurse mentors’ responses to the selected interview questions.

For this assignment I will address Morton- Cooper & Palmer (2005) enabling traits and discussed the core skill of a mentor. I will analyse and reflect on how I’ve utilised these skill with a third year student nurse in my practice area (cardiology) I will also reflect and evaluate my mentoring experience with my learner to see if there is any area of improvement or changes to be amended.

For many clinical experiences, the instructor assigns a nurse mentor to work with the student for that clinical experience. Some nurse mentors may have negative feelings about having to mentor students, may not take the time to explain things to students, or teach them how to do nursing care. The nurse mentor has the potential to positively or negatively affect the student’s learning experience based on their willingness to work with and teach nursing students.

In order to increase new RN job satisfaction and retention, a mentorship program approach is vital for the success of new registered nurses and the success of the healthcare organization. The qualitative studies presented in this chapter involve experienced nurse mentors providing guidance, assistance, and ongoing support to newly hired or newly graduated RNs/mentees throughout the 12-month mentorship programs (Fox, 2010, p. 9). According to the 2010 Institute of Medicine report, the nursing workforce can be substantially strengthened and the quality of care and patient outcomes can be dramatically improved through nurse mentorship (p. 3). The three studies introduced in this chapter demonstrate the outcomes for nurses who have participated

Mentorship encourages self-directed learning, builds relationships, provides emotional and educational support, encourages networking and helps you to reach your career goals. It allows nurses to direct and participate in their own learning, grow and learn to be leaders and role models. It provides instructors and institutions with a positive student-centered learning environment which enhances success, is highly supportive of nursing students/graduates and provides instructors and educational institutions with an opportunity to create a positive and valuable learning environment (Andersen & Watkins 2018).

The reading spoke about building quality youth mentoring relationships as the quantity of mentoring programs grow at a rapid level. The reading provided a break down on how mentoring relationships can effectively work when the mentees aren’t going through vigorous trainings as they once did. As I read it, I thought about my first week, how it went, and how I can be a better mentor to the girls I will be seeing twice a week for the next few months.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary (2015) defines mentor as “someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person”. Mentorship is sought as a long term one on one relationship between an experienced nurse and a newly registered nurse (Chen & Lou, 2013; Hodgson & Scanlan, 2013; Huybrecht, Loeckx, Quaeyhaegens, De Tobel, & Mistiaen, 2011). Mentorship is needed to encourage the success of the novice nurse and to retain new nurses (Hodgson & Scanlan, 2013; Race & Skees, 2010). Mentorship can also foster the growth of the novice nurse into a leadership role over time (Hodgson & Scanlan, 2013; Metcalfe, 2010; Race & Skees, 2010;). The relationship between the mentor and mentee benefit each other, as both

A fascinating study by Cottingham, DiBartolo, Battistoni, and Brown (2011) evaluated the efficacy of a mentoring program implemented for new nurses in rural regions to combat the nursing shortage. Each new graduate joining the workforce was assigned an experienced nurse who would serve as a mentor to them (Cottingham et al., 2011). At the completion of the study, the program was deemed a significant success, as nurse retention was, indeed, an outcome after one year of implementation. Additionally, implementing nurse mentors proved to be an excellent way to grow the leadership potential of the new graduate nurses (Cottingham et al., 2011). Thus, this is one potential approach to both nursing retention and succession.

Mentoring a student is a great challenge for my entire career as a qualified health professional here in the United Kingdom. I have been registered as a Nurse since 2001 and have worked in Respiratory Ward and Cardiology Ward in NHS Trust here in Leeds and have been involved in teaching and supporting students during their placement in the Trust. In the past, I have been working with various mentors who guided me to understand the various characteristics of being a mentor and helped me established my own approach of instilling knowledge to a learner in a nursing environment. The objective of this reflective essay is to contemplate upon the characteristics of my professional practice and any progress that I have experience during the period that I was a student mentor. Mentorship is a vital tool that links between classroom theory and evidence, and theory and the actual practice in a clinical area. Ely and Lear (2003) suggest that following a mentorship preparation course, a mentor should have adequate information to intensify their knowledge base in relation to a student’s learning needs; the effectiveness of role-modelling and effective and conducive learning environments. To be able to enhanced clinical knowledge and skill development for the student, mentors contribute individual support and guidance in the clinical area. In order to create an environment conducive to learning, the learner must be assisted by the mentor to identify their learning needs (NMC 2006). In

Hand in hand with education progression and nurses being full partners, the IOM fully expects that many more nurses will emerge as leaders.  The report proposes that leadership be embedded in nursing education to prepare nurses for this role.  It describes the importance of mentorship in helping nurses to achieve advancement, leadership and partnership.  Along with leadership roles a nursing residence or preceptorship program would be prudent to better transition nurses all the way from novice nurse into more multifaceted responsibilities and roles (The future of nursing: leading change, advancing health 2011).  What a culture change this would be from nurses who are rumored to “eat their young” to nurses who mentor and guide those around them. A culture of teamwork working towards a common goal would increase nursing retention, satisfaction and in turn produce happy nurses who make happy patients!

Mentorship relationships have demonstrated a capability to improve the recruitment, training and retention of nurses. As leaders, we are challenged with healthcare transformation. In order to meet the demands of our healthcare system, we will need to not only intuitively adapt, but also consider innovative approaches to practice. The implications not only apply to quality of care of patients, but also to the development of future leaders. We will need to rely on the resources and talents we have within our organization in order to foster quality care and employee engagement. Mentoring in nursing can help support these objectives. This paper will review my contribution and advocacy related to taking a stand to promote our nursing future.

Being a great nurse means to be in a mutual partnership with the healthcare professionals and commit to each individual patients condition. It is to collaborate with other health care professionals to provide the best care possible. Becoming an equal partner with a physician, the nurse will become a leader and as such will take part in developing health care plans, tracking improvements, making modifications and participate in important boardroom decision. Interprofessional collaboration and coordination moves the nurse from the bedside to the boardroom. To achieve this I plan to actively participate in leadership development and use my vision to transform health care systems. I will be involved in mentoring programs to progress my

Nurses maintain a position in which they guide, support and nurture a less experienced person (Berman, Snyder, & Frandsen, 2016). A nurse as a mentor can be important in helping less experienced nurses assumed added responsibilities. The benefits of having a mentor include but are not limited to: acquiring clinical practice knowledge, building confidence within, and performance improvement (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, & Lynn, 2011).

Current literature depicts a number of different mentoring relationships, such as traditional mentors and natural, nonfamily mentors. The traditional mentoring approach commonly reported in the literature involves formally connecting a youth and an older adult who meet on a regular basis (Spencer, Collins, Ward, & Smashnaya, 2010). Examples of traditional mentoring programs are Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring in Boston, and Mentoring USA in New York City. The National Foster Care Coalition promotes a peer mentoring program, called Fostering Healthy Connections, where an older adult who is a former foster youth is matched with a youth currently in foster care. One of the oldest mentoring programs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America,