Nurturing through mentoring for new nurses is beneficial in so many ways. The experienced nurse can take on the role of expert, advising and helping the new nurse to adjust and feel comfortable, while providing guidance when needed. For the practiced nurse who assumes the role of mentor, the relationship can help you learn new skills and brush up on important skills that you may need to revisit.
For the medical facility mentoring for new nurses has a very positive impact. Not only does the mentorship program offer the advantage of deeper orientation, but to assign a trusted advisor to help the new hire, or new nurse, with understanding and implementing policies and procedures reinforces the onboarding process so that the new nurse feels confident in their charge. Mentoring for new nurses has also proven an effective way to reduce turnover and retain quality staff.
Here are more ways in which mentoring for new nurses benefits recent hires, seasoned employees, and your medical facility:.
When you are new to any job you have many questions and concerns. Are you following protocol? How should you handle unique situations? You have a trusted colleague in whom you can confide and someone who can offer guidance along the way, until you become the seasoned professional.
Learning the ropes can be overwhelming to the new nurse. Your mentor is your greatest ally and your best source of knowledge when it comes to adjusting to your new position. Most large medical facilities have mentoring for new nurses in a formal capacity. Your HR department may be working with administration in bringing a mentoring program to your facility. It could be a fantastic move on your part and propel you into a role as nurse leader.
The mentorship role allows for more experienced nurses to play a significant role in the development of healthcare. Failing to mentor your mentee is all areas of onboarding can open your new charge up to criticism and create an impediment early on. Mentoring for new nurses can have a positive impact on your bottom line.
When you implement a mentorship program you are developing nurse leaders whom you can promote from within, reducing the cost of recruiting elsewhere.
Mentoring is a win-win-win for all parties. Mentoring for new nurses is a highly effective approach to welcoming and empowering nursing staff.
Mentoring can result in competent nurses who use their insight and critical thinking skills to provide the finest in quality care for their patients.
Mentoring boosts the confidence of new nurses and seasoned professionals alike. They have always been very accommodating and quick to respond to any needs or requests, they are always easy to reach by phone or email and very helpful. For example, if a new nurse wants guidance on end-of-life care, the coordinator might pair him or her with a mentor who has experience with palliative care. For mentees who want to regularly work with their mentors, the coordinator compares schedules and makes suggestions based on how often shifts overlap.
After a mentor is selected, the pair meets with the coordinator to outline expectations, confirm contact information, and establish a meeting schedule. These mentor-mentee meetings check-ins provide an opportunity for the new nurse to discuss personal challenges, ask for advice, or simply chat with the mentor.
Check-ins occur at least once a week for the first month after orientation. The mentor coordinators continue to gain valuable feedback via surveys aimed at assessing how well the program is meeting its objectives. Since the program began in , all new nurses who responded to the surveys indicated that it has met its chief objective: Providing support to new nurses and easing them through the transition from orientation to staff nurse.
The remaining respondents indicated that they received support from other staff members and felt the program was unnecessary. See Positive outcomes. Staff retention was another objective of the program as turnover can affect the cohesiveness of the work environment, burden remaining staff, and negatively impact patient care.
A survey of new nurses interns after participation in the University of Vermont Medical Center medical intensive care unit mentor program found that most Based on this new information, the mentor coordinators now ask mentors to support their mentees for a minimum of 2 to 3 months after orientation. The mentor coordinator role has proven essential to the ongoing success of the program. And management support has been crucial to ensure the coordinator is allocated time and resources to meet with new nurse participants, update materials, and assess best practice solutions.
Evidence shows that mentorship can be effective only if the unit and its leaders make a firm commitment to support it. According to Race and Skees, By dedicating hours to the coordinator role and developing a mentor program, leaders will reap long-term benefits of increased job satisfaction and retention. Andersen T, Watkins K.
The value of peer mentorship as an educational strategy in nursing. J Nurs Educ. Aubrey R, Cohen P. Brediger R.
Developing a mentor program for our cardiovascular ICU. Crit Care Nurse. Appl Nurs Res. Turnover in nursing: Why nurses plan to leave their jobs. January 8, Hnatiuk CN. Mentoring nurses toward success. Minority Nurse. March 30, Mentorship in nursing academia: A systematic review protocol. Syst Rev. Nursing Solutions, Inc. March Race TK, Skees J.
Changing tides: Improving outcomes through mentorship on all levels of nursing. Today, there is great effort to help nurses stay resilient.
Nursing is a physically and emotionally taxing career field and can lead to high turnover and burnout.
Having a mentor in your corner can help alleviate some of the growing pains, preventing excess stress and desperation. Examine why you want to be a mentor. You may choose to take on this role for many reasons: paying forward your own experience, learning more about yourself, being refreshed by a different perspective or fostering someone's career development. While motivations differ, providing a positive and nurturing relationship is a critical component. Provide effective feedback.
Be sure to offer specific suggestions without overly praising or being too harsh. Give both positive and constructive feedback. Aim for your comments to be about the person's work, instead of about the person. Try "I" statements instead of "you" statements. Organizations want good mentors who can train their employees well and provide better results for patients.
While an Associate Degree in Nursing ADN provides you with the basic skills and knowledge to work as a nurse, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing BSN program provides you with information about professional skills like communication, teamwork, critical thinking and leadership. These professional skills can help you become a better mentor, which in turn helps your mentees to become more confident, competent, and compassionate nurses.
Many healthcare organizations are shifting to BSN-prepared nurses to fill mentorship or preceptorship roles. Data suggests that patient outcomes, safety and quality of care improve with BSN-prepared nurses, leading to lower patient mortality rates, fewer medical errors and higher patient satisfaction.
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