What is mentorship in nursing? A nurse mentor is an experienced clinician who supports, guides and coaches nursing students and new nurses. A nurse mentorship program can help reduce stress, encourage professional growth, influence career development and even improve patient outcomes.
It’s not uncommon for new nurses to experience a challenging transition from school to practice. The high-pressure work setting, in which nurses need to apply their knowledge to complex health problems, acclimate to the work culture and transition from the structured classroom to a fast-paced nursing unit can seem overwhelming for new nurses. While nursing is a worthwhile endeavor, new nurses might find the transition to practice difficult and can benefit from mentorship in nursing.
Finding a nurse mentor can also be beneficial to nursing students who are preparing to transition to practice. At Harding University’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing program, our nursing instructors encourage students to develop strong professional relationships to help shape their careers. To understand the importance of mentorship in this field, it’s helpful to understand what mentorship is and its benefits.
What Is Mentorship in Nursing and Why Does It Matter?
A mentor in nursing is many things: an advocate, educator, guide, coach, motivator and friend. A mentor is an experienced clinician who guides nursing students and new nurses, helping them acclimate to the nursing environment and providing insights that may shape the mentees’ careers.
A mentoring relationship, which might last months or years, is based on mutual trust, as well as compassion, empathy and a commitment to learning. Research indicates that for new nurses, relationship building is integral in adapting to the work environment. A mentor can help nursing students and new nurses adapt and overcome problems such as stress, burnout and challenging workloads.
The Role of a Nurse Mentor in Your Nursing Journey
What does a mentor do in nursing? If you find a mentor in your nursing career, this person is likely to serve as a sounding board, personal career coach, counselor and nurse educator. A competent mentor can guide and support you as you transition to practice and beyond, providing insights on your career journey and helping you handle complex patient care problems.
Some common ways that mentors help nursing students and new nurses include:
- Providing academic advice, such as suggestions for learning tools and resources or explanations of complex concepts
- Offering emotional support during times of stress
- Delivering clinical care support, like helping new nurses develop critical thinking skills by working through complex health problems
- Advising on career development
Mentorship in nursing helps build confidence and clinical skills, molding the nursing student or new nurse as they work to become an experienced practitioner. An effective nurse mentor lifts up the mentee by giving praise when it’s due, offering constructive feedback and sharing their own learning experiences and mistakes. In short, a mentor is someone who can help you grow, both professionally and personally.
Professionalism in nursing is comprised of core nursing qualities, like an unwavering commitment to ethics and lifelong learning.
How to Find a Nurse Mentor During Your ABSN Program
For some nursing students, the development of a mentoring relationship occurs organically. You meet an experienced practitioner, ask questions and exchange contact information, and continue to keep in touch throughout your time in school and beyond. In other cases, however, finding the right mentor for you can take a bit of work, especially as a student.
First, you can ask your nursing instructors if there is a nurse mentorship program at the school or the nearby health care facilities where clinical placements take place. If so, you can sign up for the program right away; there’s no need to wait until after graduation.
Beyond school resources, you could look into joining professional nursing organizations. Some may have membership options for nursing students, and you might be able to sign up for a nurse mentorship program through the organization.
It’s also important to work on building your professional network even before you graduate. Make an effort to get to know other members of your cohort and build strong working relationships with your lab instructors.
During clinical placements, you’ll have even more opportunities to expand your network. Put your best foot forward during each shift and work hard to make a good impression. Ask questions, solicit feedback on your performance and keep an open mind and a positive attitude. You’re there to learn, after all.
Behaving professionally in the workplace can help attract an experienced practitioner who might be interested in serving as your mentor. You should make an effort to get to know the nurses in your unit.
Benefits of a Nurse Mentorship Program for ABSN Students
If you do have the opportunity to sign up for a formal nurse mentorship program while still in nursing school, or even if you develop an informal mentoring relationship, doing so will be beneficial to your career and your professional development.
Some of the benefits of mentorship in nursing include:
- Emotional support that can help you overcome nursing school-related stress
- Positive motivation to keep going even when times are tough
- More networking opportunities, as your mentor may introduce you to other experienced practitioners or administrators
- Enhanced learning experiences that come from genuine constructive criticism and are designed to help you develop better nursing skills
- Knowledgeable guidance on your career, such as suggestions for nursing specialties that might suit your interests and strengths
After you graduate, pass the NCLEX and start your first nursing job, you can continue to benefit from mentorship for years to come. Many employers promote mentorship in the workplace because it can:
- Improve job satisfaction
- Lower turnover rates
- Encourage professional development
- Reduce the risk of burnout
Becoming a Nurse Mentor After Graduation
After having benefited from a mentoring relationship as a nursing student or as a new nurse, you might one day think about becoming a mentor yourself. Doing so is a way to give back to new nurses and the profession as a whole.
Some of the benefits of becoming a nurse mentor include:
- The potential to further your professional development by introducing you to new perspectives and the latest research taught in nursing schools
- Opportunities to improve your communication skills
- The chance to develop a better understanding of generational differences and how to navigate them
- The ability to contribute to a positive culture in your workplace
Plus, serving as a mentor may help revitalize the passion you feel for the nursing profession. It’s a way to give back to the profession and, indirectly, help contribute toward better patient outcomes.
Of course, it’s not really feasible to become a mentor right after graduation or even within your first couple of years of work. Mentors are typically highly experienced practitioners. Mentors rely on many years of clinical experience to provide the wisdom they can then pass on to new nurses and students.
Some mentors may have advanced academic credentials, such as a Master of Science in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice, along with professional certifications. An aspiring nurse mentor needs in-depth clinical knowledge and sharp skills to effectively coach and instruct new nurses.
You can also work on cultivating the skills and characteristics that are helpful for effective mentoring. These include:
- A supportive attitude
- An open, non-judgmental mindset that welcomes feedback
- Clinical expertise
- Communication skills
- Compassion and empathy
- Problem-solving abilities
- Willingness to share personal experiences and mistakes
Nursing leadership is critically important in health care and a role you can work toward.
Explore the Possibilities at Harding University
Harding University fosters a supportive, positive nursing school culture that invites mentoring relationships and works toward helping each student thrive. Our ABSN program is designed to prepare highly competent nurses to treat the whole patient and serve as health care leaders. Rooted in Christian values, our rigorous curriculum will prepare you to navigate the transition to practice.
Contact our admissions counselors today to learn if you are eligible to apply to the ABSN program. After completing the prerequisites, you can graduate in as few as 16 months.