The West Virginia Center for NursingPRESENTS:

Role of Mentor

Define It

Mentoring comes from the Greek word meaning enduring. It is defined as a sustained relationship. A relationship in which one offers support, guidance, and assistance.

What is a Nurse Residency Program Mentor?

Caring, responsible Registered Nurse who serves as a trusted guide to a new nurse graduate during a residency program.

A Mentor….

Helps to ensure that the novice nurse develops important skills;

Helps to expose the novice nurse to new opportunities for learning and skill development;

Helps the novice nurse make positive nursing career choices

and advance toward excellence in nursing.

Planting a Seed for Growth

Do You Have Mentor Qualities of Excellence? A Good Listener? Caring? Confident? Emotionally intelligent? Love of the nursing profession?

A Successful Mentor to a Nurse Resident will have: Commitment to being available during the

Residency. Dedication to continuing the mentoring relationship

after the Residency Emotional maturity and intelligence Patient understanding of the new graduate nurse’s

level of knowledge Respect for the Resident as a nurse and a person Ability to be a positive role model Ability to lead the novice nurse thoughout the

Residency process.

Guidance

Ask the Resident Nurse:

Where do you want to

go in your nursing career?

Help them find the answer

during the Residency experience.

Challenge them to explore and ask questions.

Ask the Resident:What do you think you are ready to take on?

Remember:They may be inexperienced, but they are professional registered nurses and can make decisions.

Bring on the Power!

Empower them for the Future!

Work with the Nurse Resident carefully to explore their goals.

Examine barriers and ways to overcome them.

Push them towards excellence.

Student Responsiveness

Remember the Nurse Resident must be responsive to the relationship.

Spend time getting to know them and letting them get to know you.

Seek Common Ground

What does the Nurse Resident like that you like?

Find things to talk about, aside from nursing that remove barriers.

What NOT to do

Don’t assume the Nurse Resident knows more than you.

Don’t provide personal counseling services that may conflict with family values and other life influences.

Don’t overstep personal and psychological boundaries.

Don’t buy things for them. Don’t share addresses or offer a great deal of

personal information about yourself.

Pay attention!

Don’t just listen Listen to Understand! Clarify

Goals

Ask about personal goals.

Show them options. Don’t tell them what

to do. Guide them to

decide what it is they want.

Take Inventory How much do they already know about the nursing profession?

Are they misunderstanding important issues?

Do they have false beliefs about the nursing profession?

Are they influenced by others in their beliefs?

Fill in the gaps.

Seek improvement

Select areas that need further development

Interpersonal Communication Mature attitude

Caring Education

Responsibility for future

Journaling Nurse Residents will engage in the journaling

process during the program.

Help them learn how to write meaningful passages.

Inspire them!

After the Residency,Then what??

Have you built a Relationship? Does the Nurse want to continue the mentor

relationship?(E-mail, phone calls)

Give Your Time, but set limits Be Accessible on

your terms. Let them know

when you will be available.

E-mail, exchange phone numbers, etc.

Guiding Light

As they go along, help the Nurse Resident reflect on where they started, where they’ve been and where they are going on their nursing pathway.

Be their guiding light.

ReflectionIt is admirable that you have agreed to mentor

a new nurse just beginning their career.

If someone had done this for you, would your nursing career and your life have been different?

Questions?

Commen

ts?Concerns?