Mentoring is successful only when both the mentor and mentee contribute.
Takeaways:
- Formal or informal mentorship can promote the longevity of mentees.
- Mentorship can create pride in mentees while simultaneously increasing the confidence of mentors.
- Mentorships drive the nursing profession forward by building self-confidence, which can help reduce attrition narrow the nursing shortage.
Preceptors are intended to contribute to a nurse’s orientation process so he or she can make a successful transition into an organization. However, preceptor programs aren’t enough to ensure nurse success or retention. Evidence about mentorships, however, shows mentees increasing their self-confidence, effectively adjusting into their new role, developing new skills and knowledge, and feeling better prepared.
Developing a mentor program to improve support and retention
Inspire others through transformational leadership
The concept of formal mentoring originated from the business industry in the 1980s and rapidly grew in popularity in the 1990s. Informal mentoring has always been a concept in nursing, but as the profession evaluates and strategizes how to address the nursing shortage, formal mentoring programs are resurfacing within nursing schools, healthcare systems, and nursing units. (See Mentor vs. preceptor.)
Mentor vs. preceptorUnderstanding the difference between a mentor and a preceptor can help clarify the roles they play in nurse orientation and retention. Mentors A mentor is a knowledgeable and experienced individual who develops a supportive relationship with a less-experienced colleague to help guide his or her professional and personal development. Mentorships are voluntary and ongoing, and they work best when they develop organically and are authentic. Preceptors Preceptorships, which are prearranged, are time limited—they last for the length of orientation. |
Mentors provide support, guidance, and encouragement to student nurses, new graduates, and nurses making a specialty or practice transition. In return, they experience satisfaction, professional confidence, pride, and enthusiasm for nursing. This reciprocal relationship can yield a practice culture shift that improves retention. And evidence shows that increasing job satisfaction results in higher patient satisfaction and safety and improved quality outcomes. The following strategies can help ensure a successful mentorship.
Acknowledgement
As the mentor, acknowledge that you’re being observed: Your mentee is observing your presence, mannerisms, interactions, and demeanor. Also acknowledge the time needed to be a mentor. If your current personal and professional demands won’t allow you to be available to a potential mentee, be honest and suggest a better time or recommend someone else as a mentor.As amentee, acknowledge that you must play an active role and bring certain characteristics to the relationship. (See Mentor/mentee characteristics.)
Mentor/mentee characteristicsMentors and mentees should bring certain characteristics to the relationship for it to succeed. Mentor characteristics
Mentee characteristics
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Action and follow-up
Both the mentor and mentee must actively engage in allocating time and opportunities to meet. As the mentor, provide constructive feedback and refrain from micromanaging, dictating, and indulging in petty gossip. Remember to stay focused on the goal, which is to have a productive and fruitful meeting. As the mentee, come to each meeting prepared, organized, and ready to discuss goals, challenges, and resources. Depending on the specific mentoring relationship, an agenda is a helpful guide for staying focused and organized.
Meeting frequency and format usually are specific to individual mentorships and the mentee’s goals. Meetings can occur in person, over the phone, or via an online meeting platform, but typically the most effective communication occurs face-to-face. Some formal mentorships include a contract that outlines the mentee’s goals, meeting frequency, and timeframes.
Follow-up is essential. It reinforces active listening, commitment, and respect for each other’s time. For example, mentors can indicate an anticipated timeframe of completing a task or request. And mentees should communicate updates and when an extension is necessary.
Appreciation
Mentorship is voluntary, and gratitude is one of its rewards. As a mentee, show your gratitude for the time and expertise the mentor shared. Another reward of mentorship is the satisfaction of seeing your mentee reach his or her goals and knowing that you helped the mentee develop confidence and fulfill objectives. Even more rewarding is observing the mentee become a mentor.
As nurses, we impact not only our patients’ lives, but each other’s as well. Studies show that having appreciation and consistently displaying and recognizing gratitude can increase happiness and promote good health. So be kind, be authentic, be amazing, and practice gratitude.
Preserve the profession
Whether mentorships are formal or informal, they help foster and preserve the nursing profession through guidance, constructive feedback, and empathy. You can positively impact nursing by supporting your colleagues.
Kathleen Venant is a pediatrics dialysis unit and pediatrics surge pool nurse manager at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Selected references
Jakubik LD, Eliades AB, Weese MM. Part 1: An overview of mentoring practices and mentoring benefits. Pediatr Nurs.2016;42(1):37-8.
Mijares L, Baxley SM, Bond ML. Mentoring: A concept analysis. J Theory Constr Test.2013;17(1):23-8.
Smith-Trudeau P. Will you be my nurse mentor? Vermont Nurse Connection2014;17(2):3. nursingald.com/uploads/publication/pdf/992/Vermont_4_14.pdf
18 Comments.
Being a mentor is not an easy task, it takes both the mentee and the mentor to work together effectively and to give mutual respect to each other. I do not believe in eating the young. My desire is to become an educator and to share my knowledge with other less experienced nurses to help them become the best nurse possible. That is one of the reasons of decided to continue my career. At my workplace my colleagues often ask me for advice, which makes, me feel good. I am always eager to help them!
The right Mentor can make or break a new nurse. It needs to be someone that is confident and knows the job. “Seasoned nurses” need not to think of the new nurses as coming in to take over. A great seasoned nurses trains a new nurse in the proper policies and procedures for the facility. The season nurse should look as the new nurse as someone that will carry the unit on after they retire. Pass on your knowledge and teach them the tricks of our trade. YOu never know you may just learn something new yourself from them.
Thank you for your comment about seasoned nurse mentors possibly learning something new from a new nurse being mentored. I think it is critical to remember we also should remain open to learning. Healthcare is constantly changing and there are always opportunities to learn it should not matter if opportunities come from an esteemed professor, attendance at a national conference, or the mentee we are guiding.
Stephanie Shedden RN, BSN
Mentors are warm, approachable, and nurturing; they are experience nurse, who makes newbies like myself feel comfortable.
I am a clinical instructor for a community college and it is a privilege to teach future nurses. I remember my first day on a hospital unit and if you were with a nurse that was not receptive to a student, you were in for a bad day. Everything I do, I do with enthusiasm and I am teaching my students to do the same. I want to me the mentor that students will always remember because I taught them to love being a nurse and to always allow that to show. Ultimately, I lead by example, by being enthusiastic, kind, a good communicator, easy to approach and letting them know to always ask questions, always! My students learn on day one that there are expectations and requirements and they are to be met, I can see through things and nursing education is difficult. I was once where they were and I had an instructor that said to follow your heart and make every day about your patients, families and coworkers, and be nice!
I am so happy to see a positive way of teaching and guiding a new nurse. I remember when I was a new RN, I was only given 6 weeks of training. My Preceptor was not available most of the days and If I had a question, I would run around looking for somomeone for help. My training time was cut down to 5 weeks because they were short on RNs and they needed n nurse. I saw so many nurses leave in the middle of the training. I felt like that too, but I never quit, so I stayed strong and learned from everyone.
Mentoring is such a wonderful and a warm way to help a new nurse. I can see how this would make a longterm impact on a novice nurse. You would have someone for constant support who would ensure all your doubts or confusions are answered.
Mentorship is a key role indeed!
The popular saying, “Nurses eat their young”, has gradually started fading out because of the Mentoring program.
Mentors (the experienced Nurses) bring the mentees(the newbies) into the fold then, nurture them as it were, help them grow, as they teach them new skills and knowledge that help them adapt in their new working environment. This ultimately creates a sense of belonging that may result in retention and subsequently, reduced staffing shortages.
This article revealed the nursing aspects of the nursing culture and how mentoring can affect the overall function of the hospital through trust, moral, and retain ability. As graduate nurses begin their journey seeking the right mentor, they steer towards like-minded peers to help them truly understand the unknown challenges ahead of them. Spending quality time with your mentor builds morale, self-confidence, and assurance that you are ready to handle the next level of nursing. When mentors support the protegee, it creates a sense of belonging that you are wanted, needed, and that makes you want to invest in your future with that hospital.
All great comments and understanding.
This is a great example of older nurses having an open mind to learning new things. The seasoned nurses went into the mentor-ship & preceptor-ship thinking they would teach younger nurses, but learned a little themselves through a fresh set of eyes. As a nursing professional it is our duty to continuously gain knowledge. Great job to this department!
My dialysis unit is comprised of a group of six extremely competent, caring, and devoted nurses. As we all know with experience comes age, and we are all over 50 now. That being said, we brought up the idea of training younger nurses to help transition or “carry the torch”. My nurse manager hired a per diem nurse in her early thirties. She came to our unit with about a years worth of outpatient dialysis experience. She was assigned a preceptor but another nurse took the role of mentor as well. To our delight we had an extremely enthusiastic young nurse on our hands She brought new ideas to the table as well as a fresh way of approaching nursing. We thought we were there to help her, but truth-be-told, she helped us. Our unit was revived and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, pride for our profession, and satisfaction.
Good read, bring awareness to a crucial piece in retention in the nurse profession
Being a mentor can help new nurses learn and become confident. Seasoned nurses also need mentors as they pursue education and take on promotions or management positions. The relationship between the mentor and mentee can make the difference in retention of that employee or the progression in education.
very informative and simplified
Mentoring the nurses of the future is such a critical aspect of our on-boarding. we must never forget where we came from and where we are going. The process of mentoring new hires particularly in the ICU is a daunting task as there are so many new areas for the learner to grow into! The important thing is to assure that everything can be learned overtime and that all the staff are there to support them as well. The experiences that mentors can share will help to grow and develop the novice nurse. The most important aspect of mentoring is to create an atmosphere of professionalism as well as growth opportunities. I have been a nurse for 38 years FT and have had worked in various aspects of nursing and many different roles. Each nursing positions prepares you for the next one we are never done in our own professional growth.
Thank you
Susan Tremblay BSN,RN,CCRN,CSC,CMC, CPAN
There are still many nurses who continue to “eat their young” and transfers to specialty units . It’s a sad event to see turnover that did not have to be. Different learning styles seem to play a part as well as limited staffing and other time constraints. It would be beneficial to see a study that focused on how people learn and its effect on successful precepting and mentoring outcomes. On a bright note, I have noticed more ability in some newer nurses to effectively precept and mentor new grads as well as older transfers.
Save the nurse! Mentorships play a key role.
As a Director of Education with oversight of a nurse residency program which onboards over 700 graduate nurses in 18 hospitals each year, I appreciate the journals focus on mentorship. The article “Nurse Mentorships: A two-way street” addresses the value an effective mentorship brings to the retention of nursing staff.1 The article defines and differentiates the roles of the preceptor and the mentor on professional orientation and development. Venant stresses the importance of the mentor and mentee to willingly and actively participating in the mentorship relationship. As a nursing leader and a peer mentor, I have experienced and witnessed the value added to the nurse’s development and success within the profession and the organization when both parties are committed to the mentorship. Prior to committing to this relationship, mentors and mentees should review the characteristics which were listed in the article and confirm their readiness and availability.
I have been fortunate to have many mentors pour their knowledge and support on me over the past 24 years. The need for mentors continues to grow and has received recognition from the Institute of Medicine in the 2010 Future of Nursing report as a way to transform and develop the nursing practice.2 As nurses, we are challenged to practice to our full potential which should include supporting the next generation of nurses. As a nursing leader, I challenge all nurses to make themselves available by supporting other nurses in their journey to be their best.
Lisa Greer BSN, RN
References
1. Venant, K. Nurse mentorships: A two-way street. American Nurse Today. 2018;13(10). https://www.myamericannurse.com/nurse-mentorships-two-way-street/ Accessed on October 16, 2018.
2. Blozen, B. B. Mentoring 101: What you need to know about nurturing new nurses. American Nurse Today. 2016;11(6). http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uta.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=116135653&site=ehost-live Accessed on October 16, 2018
This is so important especially today, and we need to remember what our first days were like as a new Nurse, coming into the profession. Who did we look up to, who took us under their wing, and who did we strive to emulate, in our careers. Did you exceed your expectations? Ask yourself why? There was probably someone in your career who challenged you to be better than you ever thought. Handed you a level of responsibility that you always wanted, and then were in the position to lead, manage, care for some of the most vulnerable patients and you became proficient, and one of the best in the field. I still think of the nursing leaders who I feared, not because they were punitive, but because I did not want to let them down. They succeeded, and I have had the most diverse career, and experiences, and continue to learn on a daily basis. CAPT LJ Belsito, RN, MSN, CCM USPHS