My Mentor Strength

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).

I am a hardworking student who is highly motivated to go to college and pursue a nursing career. I try my best to be the most responsible person I can be by always completing all the duties and responsibilities that need to be completed. I am able to learn and memorize information in a short amount of time and be able to remember it afterward. These qualities can be very beneficial when it comes to succeeding in college. I am the type of person who does not give up and always tries to find a way out of any situation. I believe I am a very patient person and willing to help anybody and believe this is important when it comes to pursuing a nursing career. I believe the qualities I have developed throughout the years will help me be able to succeed

My selected mentor is Jerry Martin RN, BSN. He is a co-worker that has inspired me to return to school and that any dream is obtainable. Jerry has a degree in biology and was working as a ward clerk in our ER when I met him. He has a degree in biology and worked in finance before working at the hospital. Jerry states” I was unhappy with my career in finance and I realized I had drifted a long way from my education and my core belief. During a conference a guest speaker said “true happiness is found when you find the one thing you would do in life even if you did not get paid for it”. That was my “aha” moment.” G.M. Martin (personal communication, September 3,2013) Jerry entered nursing school in 2006 and graduated with a BSN in 2011. He is currently working toward a MSN and striving to be a FNP. He is a great nurse and it is a privilege to have him as a co-worker and my mentor.

From the Strength Finder website questionnaire, my individualized leadership strengths are as follows: achiever, command, context, focus, and significance. In this essay I will elaborate on these in detail and the ways they explicitly relate to my personality and the different experiences and activities of my life. I have also researched several articles that discuss transformational leadership and how this pertains to the literature on the subject. I will discuss transformational leadership in comparison to my own strengths, and explain how my leadership style may progress as I advance through this nurse practitioners program.

Striving as a successful Honor Student in high school has been daring over the years, but soon will lead to more challenging aspects centering my career goal as a Registered Nurse; which will involve my aspirations, excellence, and accomplishing the vision. Becoming a Registered Nurse is going to be hard because I'm not sure what to expect .However, I do know that the journey to this accomplishment will be stressful. Despite those circumstances as long as I stay focused and do not procrastinate, my career is bound to happen in success. The main aspect to reaching my career goal consists of my aspirations. The biggest aspiration is for me to improve myself and my skills with those around.

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.

As a nurse and future APN, my strengths are characteristics that are important to have in order to provide good bedside manner and overall car. They include being

Excellent mentors, along with the opportunities I have been provided to advance my education are my motivating factors to become a better nurse. When one door closed, such as when I broke my back and was no longer able to provide bedside care, another would open, such as the opportunity to work in the field of research. By working to develop drug and device therapies, I am able to reach far beyond the patients I would treat during a hospital shift. I am now working in a realm where there it is possible to provide life-changing therapies to millions.

Strength can be said to come from a position of having the power to handle a certain situation. As I have been working in healthcare for a while, I have expertise in clinical performance which is my strength. Though it is at times overwhelming, talking to patients and advocating for them is an area I am most comfortable with. I advocate for them by reporting to the nurse a change in a patient’s status and reporting it promptly; whether a patient is hypoglycemic or hypotensive. Being a nursing assistant gives the necessary insight to acknowledge areas that need to be prioritized when dealing with many patients, such as what patient to attend too first. As a nursing student also and working as a patient care associate gives me a better understanding to identify these certain changes.

Teaching and learning in the clinical setting is not a new concept and the teaching of clinical skill to nursing student ranks high on the current agenda of nurse education (Pfeil, 2003). Therefore, has be the duty of teachers to continue to provide ongoing guidance during teaching and learning taking place. According to While (2004), the mentor is required to feel personally and professionally confident when assessing the student’s performance. This allows the development of the students will become better and more effective.

This area addresses the three main features that showed her strength in her career path. First, she knows her role and what consists of safe to her area of practice, which is a Medical Surgical Unit. She knows what types of drugs can or cannot be given and what kind of procedures or treatment can or cannot perform in her unit. Second, she knows what she wants for her future career path, which is why she returned back to school. She wants to become a nursing practitioner and knows step-by-step how to reach that goal. Third and last, she has a flexible career plan that she follows, which helps her position herself. She believes that advancing her degree will better shape her to what nursing is becoming today or tomorrow. According to Limon (2007), the nursing profession is anticipated to keep on changing for all better for the nurses and the patients they care for. As for her weakness, it revealed that she has doubt and fear of the unknown. Not knowing what nursing field will become fears her the most. She doubts herself of what she knows to safety practice; however, she believes in God’s promise for her future, which helps her overcome the fear of the unknown.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) defines the role of a mentor as a nurse with specific training who is able to facilitate learning, and supports and supervises students in a practice setting (NMC 2008). Mentorship plays an integral part in the next generation of practitioners and nursing professionals play a vital role in guiding a process that allows the transference of knowledge, skills and attributes from healthcare professionals to the students they are working with (English National Board and Department of Health 2001).

I have enjoyed reading your post, Yonoka. I found your comment on nursing leadership and mentorship to be educational and informative. I agree with you. Mentors are essential in the work place and also nursing programs. It is important that experienced leaders to mentor nursing students and novice leaders (Hassmiller, 2014). When I was in nursing school for my associate, one of my nursing instructors advised me to find a mentor. She specifically told me to find a mentor who is a leader in the community and his or her organization. Her rationale for such valuable advice was that as an associate prepared nurse, I will have very little knowledge about leadership. When I begin working as a new graduate nurse, I discovered how important to have

A Nursing Times survey identified that, while mentors are aware of the value of mentoring students (Gainsbury, 2010), they are challenged as to how to commit fully to the role within the constant demands of their core job. They identified that work demands had a significant impact on their ability to engage in mentor activities, such as mentoring students and attending updates and relevant courses. Mentors have also expressed concerns about accountability and supporting failing students (Duffy and Hardicre, 2007). Mentorship preparation and the ongoing development of nurse mentors www.nursingtimes.net / Vol 107 No 21 / Nursing Times 31.05.11 15 Nursing Practice Review 5 key points 1 Nurses and midwives have a responsibility to continually develop themselves for professional growth Mentors play a pivotal role in protecting the public by ensuring students are fit for purpose and practice 2 3

This self-reflective paper focuses on what I’ve learned about myself this semester regarding my strengths, and weaknesses. Concentrating on areas of my professional practice that need improvement and discussing two goals I have created for myself, and how I plan on achieving them. This semester I have discovered I have two key strengths those being a dedication to the Practical Nursing Program, and seeking help in the program when I need it. Both being potential strengths in my nursing career. I have some weaknesses to work on as a student and a future nurse.