Action Tips for Mentors : Mentors deal in promise and futures . Seek out promising students and novice nurses and mentor them . Look for something in each nurse and provide opportunities for potential to emerge . Establish innovative orientation , preceptor , and residency programs that address the realities of the work environment and that protect novices . Seek new nurses ’ input regarding clinical problems and needs . Include novices on task forces and special initiatives . Share your connections and contacts . Invite novice colleagues to meetings and programs . Sponsor novices for organizational memberships and scholarships . Discover the mutual benefits and power of multigenerational mentoring .
Four Keys to Success in Driving the Mentor Connection 1 . Raise Your Mentor Intelligence ( MI ). The three ingredients of MI are mentor mentality , mentor lens , and mentor momentum ( Vance , 2011 ). Mentor mentality : Acquire the knowledge and skills of mentoring through study and experience . Mentor lens : Use imagination and intentionality to see the need for giving and receiving mentoring . Mentoring momentum : Activate deliberate mentoring activities daily as part of your nursing lifestyle .
2 . Be Intentional Proteges and Mentors . Be on the watch for every opportunity to find mentoring guidance . Activate your “ mentor lens ” to recognize your need for mentoring . As a peer mentor , actively reach out to empower and bond with colleagues .
3 . Engage in One-Minute Mentoring . One minute is a precious opportunity for quick , instant mentoring . An encouraging word , advice , comfort , acknowledgment of a job well done , a teaching-learning event , and advocacy are powerful . In one minute , mentors can provide reassurance and belief to budding colleagues . Novices can receive invaluable guidance and enhanced self-confidence .
4 . Join Collective Networks for Mentoring . Professional associations are a powerful resource for group mentoring , networking , and leadership training . Building connection power through collective avenues is a must . To their credit , NSNA student leaders have been pioneering champions of mentoring for more than 25 years . Student delegates at the 1996 convention passed a resolution “ in support of the promotion , awareness , and development of mentorship programs .” At the 2002 convention , they voted “ in support of encouraging peer mentorship programs to be incorporated into nursing curricula and / or student nurses associations .” Further , students passed a resolution in 2006 “ for improved preceptor programs to create a robust workforce environment for the nursing profession .”
Summary Where have all the mentors gone ? The humanity of mentoring — the positive force of the human connection — have never been more important . Experienced nurses who can mentor new graduates are a scarce precious resource . But they exist ! Nurses are compassionate and generous . Nurses have always supported their novice colleagues . When nurses champion and cheerlead each other , in the good times and the bad , that is mentoring . When nurses open the door of success to other nurses , that is mentoring . Mentoring is the gift of wisdom that nurses give to each other as they navigate their careers from student to novice to expert practitioner . n
Author ’ s Note : My sincere appreciation to mentor-colleagues who contributed their wisdom and insights to this article : Helen Archer-Duste , MS , RN , FACHE , Former Executive Director , Quality and Safety , Sutter Health Hospitals , Sacramento , CA ; Veronica Feeg , PhD , RN , FAAN , Professor , Associate Dean , and Director of PhD Program and Center for Nursing Research and Evaluation , Barbara H . Hagan School of Nursing and Health Sciences , Molloy College , Rockville Centre , NY ; Caresse Luis , MSN , RN , CCRN , Staff Nurse , NY-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center , New York , NY ; Lois Marshall , PhD , MN , RN , Coordinator , Career Development Center , National Student Nurses Association ; Lead Adviser , Career Center , Sigma Theta Tau International ; Vivian Torres-Suarez , MBA , BSN , RN , VP , Clinical Operations , SOMOS Innovations , Bronx , NY , Former President , National Association of Hispanic Nurses ( NAHN ), NY Chapter , and Past Director of Mentorship Academy , NAHN ; Maria Vezina , EdD , RN , NEA-BC , FAAN , System VP , Nursing Practice , Education , APN , and Labor Partnerships , The Mt . Sinai Health System , New York , NY .
26 NSNA IMPRINT • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 • www . nsna . org