Nursing Mentorship Program Essay example

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.

You are a nurse who works in a busy A&E department in a city hospital. Because you are experienced and highly regarded your manager has asked you to mentor some new nurses who have just qualified.

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.

MacLellan, Levett-Jones, & Higgins (2016) found that lack of support as one the challenges new NP’s reported which is when the senior NP’s knowingly withhold information that would have been helpful and or the refusal to guide the new NP when guidance is needed. Another was a power struggle between nurses, new NP’s and senior NP’s which creates a stressful environment for the new NP who is trying to survive. New NP’s are already coming into employment feeling insecure, anxious, and overwhelmed, so any unnecessary challenges by the senior NP’s or other healthcare providers only contribute to the factors that hinder a successful transition role. As an employee retention program, many companies, schools, and healthcare organizations have established a mentoring program, and the purpose of a mentor is to provide guidance and support to a mentee such as a new NP practitioner in order to reduce the uneasy feeling of entering a new chapter of personal, professional or academic life changes (Mijares, Baxley, & Bond,

The article by Bally Jill (2007) identifies that nursing leadership can use mentoring culture to achieve professional and career development in nursing, and increase the quality of care given, especially for acute care nurses. This is because the article finds that nurses often have low morale, heavy workloads, high patient acuity, apathy towards professional collegial support, and reduced resources. The article identifies that mentoring in

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

"Mentoring is a process in which a person who is experienced, wise and trusted, guides an inexperienced individual to develop to their full potential" (Carr, and Gidman, 2008). There is a mentor I would never forget in my life. Although she has passed away, her good work in my life shaped the way I approach my profession today. I remembered coming to the facility on my first day and the supervisor approached two nurses to give me orientation but they refused but the third nurse accepted, with an opened heart she equipped me with most of the tools I needed to be an effective nurse in this profession. All the qualities of a good nurse I was taught in the school were all in her. She had communication skills, emotional stability, empathy, attention to detail, interpersonal skills, physical endurance, and problem solving skills. Sometimes we think these qualities are design for nurses to patients, but it is not. These are characters that should go with us wherever we are. It should have extended to co-nurses as well and my mentor had it all. Although accent was a little difficult for both of us, with her endurance skills and someone so familiar

Mentors now have to be aware of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, NHS leadership Qualities Framework, which gives mentors clear instructions about their responsibilities (Kinnell and Hughes 2010). However, meeting these requirements alone will not make a nurse a successful mentor. Mentors have to plan and provide appropriate opportunities for teaching and learning activities, with clinical experience to achieve learning outcomes and develop professional competencies (Choun and Suen 2001). This will enable them to assess students performance,

The development of nursing skills is dependant on experience exposure, evaluation, and reflection (Current Nursing, 2011). Learning becomes a building process by which we continuously engage in experiences that enhance our knowledge base and our capabilities to identify and respond. In order to bridge the experience gap, mentorship relationships can help nurture new or less experienced nurses build their nursing clinical and leadership skills. By advocating for the development of structured mentorship program I could help make a difference.

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

Preceptor plays the role of not only a mentor or a teacher, but a person who provides the new nurse with the proper experience to face any challenges in the job, and adapt to the culture of the unit (Link, 2012). A good preceptor sets goals and clear expectations for the new nurses, and provide a guideline regarding the expected responsibilities. A prudent mentor shares some of her own experiences with the new nurse to assure her that she was once in her shoes (Link, 2012). This type of connection will allow the preceptor to assess the orientee clinical competencies, and challenge her/him to develop own judgment skills (ANA, 2012). Another qualification of excellent preceptor is the ability to provide a structured orientation with a thorough

Utilizing Benner’s model of novice to expert to develop skills and practical knowledge is critical. As you stated, the new graduate is indeed a novice. While they might have been exposed to a procedure or have read about it, they are clinically a novice. Frederick (2014) notes, mentoring improves proficiency, self-confidence, skill development and knowledge. As the new nurse’s skills and knowledge increase so do patient outcomes. Fostering an environment in which new nurses’ feel supported, cared for, and valued increases retention rates. As leaders we must encourage and insist on mentoring new staff and experienced staff who are broadening their scope, for example the charge nurse who is interested in a nurse manager position. Pairing that

Mentoring in nursing practice has been thought of as a beneficial way of increasing nursing knowledge for several decades (Stewart & Krueger, 1996, pg. 311). However, the concept of mentoring had not been defined or analyzed, which made researching its effectiveness useless. This concept analysis of mentoring in nursing practice shows that mentoring can be mutually beneficial for a mentor, protégé, and nursing practice. However, further research on this concept is necessary to determine the broader application to nursing as a scientific discipline.

Mentoring is a crucial process in nursing that involves experienced nurses orienting and facilitating acclimation of new nurses to their new role (Takvorian, 2017, para. 1). The process of mentoring involves the mentor guiding, teaching, coaching, directing, and inspiring the mentee. Trust and respect are two of the most important components in a mentor-mentee relationship. Success of the relationship is dependent on both parties. Mentors are expected to act as role models and leaders while maintaining the professional role and relationship with the mentee. Maintaining open communication, being ready to learn, and analyzing the processes are all expectations that the mentor has for the mentee (Barker, 2006, p. 56). Ultimately, the mentor and

We have learned that nursing theory defines nursing as a practice and is based on conceptual frameworks. For framework to be developed into theory one must start with a concept to provide a structure. A concept is a generalized idea that when placed in context will develop its meaning and application in addition to advancing the knowledge of a specific area (Meier, 2013). A concept analysis’s purpose is to examine the basic elements of a concept that are used for theory development and define its attributes (Meier, 2013). The aim of this concept analysis will be to gain a broader understanding about the concept mentoring and how it is linked to employee satisfaction and employee retention to novice nursing staff. In an article from the Oklahoma Nurse journal it is mentioned that mentor programs and mentorship allows for continued growth for novice staff (Davis and Maisano, 2016). Dr. Benner 's theory of Novice to Expert provides support that a novice to expert relationship occurs in a mentoring relationship; this relationship will lead to career satisfaction and intent to stay in nursing (Mariani, 2012). This mentoring concept analysis will follow an outline of concept definition with defining attributes in addition to a literature review to examine current themes, facts, and ideas about the concept. To provide addition clarity of mentoring, antecedents and consequences will be described. To measure the concept has occurred, empirical referents will be explored. To conclude,