Nurse Mentor Essay
Nurse Mentor: How to Find a Good Mentor
A nurse mentor could be anyone who can help you learn your duties and grow in your position as a nurse, including a teacher, advisor or trusted friend. Mentors often provide more than daily guidance in nursing and often help you make important career decisions. The following strategies are the most common means of find a good mentor;
Participation in a formal mentoring program
Talking to teachers
Finding a mentor online.
Observe nurses at work
Speak to key personnel
Visit NurseChoice to find nursing opportunities by area of specialty, location and hourly rate, so you can put your skills and knowledge to work.
1. Participate in a formal mentoring program
Healthcare facilities may have an official mentorship program that connects experienced nurses with mentees. These programs provide a formal structure for senior nurses to create a positive working environment for new hires. A 2017 study published in American Nurse Today shows that a mentoring …show more content…
program can help new nurses feel more confident their professional abilities within six months.
Boston Children’s Hospital has implemented a nurse mentoring program in which senior nurses volunteer to mentor junior nurses.
The new nurses select a mentor they're comfortable with, and both parties sign a contract indicating their goals for the mentorship program. The major topics covered in this program include workplace professionalism, effective communication and lateral violence.
Talk to the teachers of your clinical internships
Nursing degree programs include clinical internships that provide students with the practical experience needed to become professional nurses. However, nursing internships also offer an opportunity for nursing students to introduce themselves to the teachers in the internships. These teachers serve as effective nurse mentors who understand the challenges of a particular specialty.
“I met my mentor during an internship,” says Adam Daymude, who has worked as a registered nurse for more than 12 years. “We still keep in touch, and I still ask for her
advice.
3. Find a Nurse Mentor Online
Many people use the internet as a networking tool for professional and personal purposes. Social networking sites such as LinkedIn have groups dedicated to many professions including nursing. Online resources include allnurses.com and nursetogether.com, which can provide professional contacts who can offer advance on handling nursing challenges.
4. Observe nurses.
Many healthcare facilities offer nursing students opportunities to observe nurses on the job. The facility’s human resources or education department typically arranges these observations, which can allow you to spend more time directly interacting with senior nurses than in a clinical rotation. Once you establish a natural rapport with a nurse, you can ask that person to become a nurse mentor and mentor you during your career as a nurse.
Speak to key personal
New nurses may struggle to find a mentor on their own if the healthcare facility or university doesn’t offer a formal mentoring program. In these cases you can ask various parties for help such as the lead nurse and other staff members or the human resources department. These key personnel often have information on unofficial nurse mentoring programs that aren’t well publicized.
A nurse mentor could be anyone who can help you learn your duties and grow in your position as a nurse, including a teacher, advisor or trusted friend. Mentors often provide more than daily guidance in nursing and often help you make important career decisions. The following strategies are the most common means of find a good mentor;
Participation in a formal mentoring program
Talking to teachers
Finding a mentor online.
Observe nurses at work
Speak to key personnel
Visit NurseChoice to find nursing opportunities by area of specialty, location and hourly rate, so you can put your skills and knowledge to work.
1. Participate in a formal mentoring program
Healthcare facilities may have an official mentorship program that connects experienced nurses with mentees. These programs provide a formal structure for senior nurses to create a positive working environment for new hires. A 2017 study published in American Nurse Today shows that a mentoring …show more content…
program can help new nurses feel more confident their professional abilities within six months.
Boston Children’s Hospital has implemented a nurse mentoring program in which senior nurses volunteer to mentor junior nurses.
The new nurses select a mentor they're comfortable with, and both parties sign a contract indicating their goals for the mentorship program. The major topics covered in this program include workplace professionalism, effective communication and lateral violence.
Talk to the teachers of your clinical internships
Nursing degree programs include clinical internships that provide students with the practical experience needed to become professional nurses. However, nursing internships also offer an opportunity for nursing students to introduce themselves to the teachers in the internships. These teachers serve as effective nurse mentors who understand the challenges of a particular specialty.
“I met my mentor during an internship,” says Adam Daymude, who has worked as a registered nurse for more than 12 years. “We still keep in touch, and I still ask for her
advice.
3. Find a Nurse Mentor Online
Many people use the internet as a networking tool for professional and personal purposes. Social networking sites such as LinkedIn have groups dedicated to many professions including nursing. Online resources include allnurses.com and nursetogether.com, which can provide professional contacts who can offer advance on handling nursing challenges.
4. Observe nurses.
Many healthcare facilities offer nursing students opportunities to observe nurses on the job. The facility’s human resources or education department typically arranges these observations, which can allow you to spend more time directly interacting with senior nurses than in a clinical rotation. Once you establish a natural rapport with a nurse, you can ask that person to become a nurse mentor and mentor you during your career as a nurse.
Speak to key personal
New nurses may struggle to find a mentor on their own if the healthcare facility or university doesn’t offer a formal mentoring program. In these cases you can ask various parties for help such as the lead nurse and other staff members or the human resources department. These key personnel often have information on unofficial nurse mentoring programs that aren’t well publicized.