Blog Viewer

https://www.infirmiere-canadienne.com/blogs/ic-contenu/2025/01/13/mentorat-comme-moyen-sepanouir

Six strategies for a successful mentor-mentee relationship

By Linda-Ann Elobuike
January 13, 2025

Mentorship became a significant concept for me when I embarked on a new career in nursing. The value of mentorship extends beyond mere professional growth; it is a catalyst for accelerating one’s journey toward becoming a competent, confident and effective nurse.

The benefits of mentoring include increasing confidence as an independent professional; improving skills, values and behaviours essential to providing high-quality nursing care; and maintaining a lifelong learning journey that includes increased confidence, socialization, future career ambitions, commitment to the organization, and a greater sense of responsibility (van Rooyen, Jordan, ten Ham-Baloyi, & Caka, 2018). Indeed, I have experienced a shift in the way I approach my career and professional development since I embraced mentoring as an undergraduate nursing student transitioning into the nursing profession.

Mentorship is a relationship where the mentor, usually someone with a higher level of experience, provides three distinct types of support to a protege to help them develop their professional skills: psychosocial support (counsellorship, friendship), career-related support (coaching, sponsorship) and role modelling (Wang, Tomlinson, & Noe, 2010). From my experience, an individual can have several mentors who will fulfil distinct aspects of the mentorship relationship. Currently, I have a career mentor and a clinical mentor.

In this article, I aim to illuminate the transformative role of mentorship in nursing. Mentorship is pivotal in shaping the next generation of health-care leaders, instilling them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to lead effectively. As I recount my journey and share insights from my mentoring relationships, I aim to inspire others to seek and value mentorship as a vital component of their professional and personal growth.

Benefits of mentorship in nursing

In my final year of nursing school, I took a leadership course, and one of the lectures featured guests who talked about the power of mentorship. What struck me the most was that, in many ways, the guest speaker represented all the things I wanted to achieve in my nursing career. Needless to say, shortly after that talk, I reached out to the speaker, and she was more than willing to take me on as a mentee. This helped me early on in my career, as our mentoring sessions were filled with valuable advice that would have taken me a long time to come by on my own.

My mentor encouraged me to find a clinical mentor on the floor and be the best clinician possible. I learned valuable insights on managing conflict at work and tips to improve my knowledge, and she also pointed me to valuable resources to take advantage of. This mentoring relationship led to improved job satisfaction and helped me enhance my clinical skills and knowledge. My confidence also significantly improved; my manager told me several times that she was impressed with my confidence and leadership abilities, even as a new nurse.

As a result, I was given opportunities to serve on quality improvement initiatives and take on informal leadership opportunities. Another benefit I observed was a better work-life balance because I knew my limits and when to take a break or ask for help. This led to better satisfaction overall in my first year of nursing.

Advice for a successful mentor-mentee relationship

For a successful mentor-mentee relationship, it is essential to consider the dynamics of that interaction. Here are six things you can do to maintain a positive relationship:

• One of the first steps for seeking out a mentor, whether a clinical mentor or a career mentor for personal development, is to consider the dynamics between the mentee and the mentor. As a mentee, seek a mentor who has something you desire to achieve professionally or personally. It may be someone in the same specialty as you, someone who is an excellent clinician (if that is something you aspire to) or someone who shares the same values as you do.
• Take advantage of your mutual networks. Ask for an introduction, approach the person if this is an option, or send a professional email requesting to be their mentee. Highlight what you want to achieve from the relationship.
• Once the mentee’s request is accepted, it is important to set goals for the relationship, including the frequency and locations of meetings.
• Develop and maintain trust and respect, as they are vital aspects of a successful mentee-mentor relationship. Keep up with meeting times and be open about any challenges you might have that will affect the relationship.
• Ask for feedback regularly and communicate openly. I like to write down questions before the meeting and have an informal agenda. This respects the mentor’s time and ensures that the mentee gets the best value from each meeting.
• Employ active listening skills and ask for clarifications when needed. Mentors are an immense support when they know how to help you achieve your goals.

Implementing mentorship in nursing practice

There are several formal and informal strategies to implement mentorship in nursing. In my case, I was introduced to mentorship during my undergraduate program. Nursing programs can also offer courses/topics on the value of mentorship in nursing, and nursing educators must play a significant role in promoting and facilitating these opportunities.

Related article

Why a long-term care mentorship program for internationally educated nurses is desperately needed

Also, as part of new graduate orientations, mentorship opportunities should be considered to pair new nurses with senior nurses on the floor. These opportunities will help build confidence in new nurses.

In addition, organizations should consider investing in identifying and training mentors, which can also help with workforce retention (Bélanger-Hardy, Palmer, Kokorelias, Chan, & Law, 2023), and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of mentoring initiatives. Managers and health-care leaders should encourage mentee-mentor relationships in their teams.

Conclusion

Mentorship has been a cornerstone of my nursing career, giving me the confidence to embrace leadership roles and achieve a healthy work-life balance. My mentors’ guidance and support have enhanced my clinical skills and empowered me to contribute to quality improvement initiatives and take on informal leadership roles.

Inspired by the profound impact of mentorship, I have now begun mentoring internationally educated nurses, giving back to the profession that has given me so much. Mentorship is more than just a support system; it is a powerful tool for empowering the next generation of health-care leaders. By embracing and promoting mentorship, we can ensure our nursing workforce’s continued excellence and resilience.

References

Bélanger-Hardy, É., Palmer, K. S., Kokorelias, K. M., Chan, C., & Law, S. (2023). Easing the nursing shortage: Tools for retaining nurses through mentorship. Nursing Leadership (Toronto, Ont.), 36(2), 17–26. doi:10.12927/cjnl.2023.27206

van Rooyen, D. R. M., Jordan, P. J., ten Ham-Baloyi, W., & Caka, E. M. (2018). A comprehensive literature review of guidelines facilitating transition of newly graduated nurses to professional nurses. Nurse Education in Practice, 30, 35–41. doi10.1016/j.nepr.2018.02.010

Wang, S., Tomlinson, E. C., & Noe, R. A. (2010). The role of mentor trust and protégé internal locus of control in formal mentoring relationships. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(2), 358–367. doi:10.1037/a0017663

Linda-Ann Elobuike, MBA, BN, RN, is employed by the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Alberta, where she works in the palliative care, medical/radiation oncology unit.

#career
#intra-professional-collaboration
#leadership
#nurses-health-and-well-being
#professional-development