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While nurses learn a great deal from attending nursing school and doing clinicals, there’s another way that they can master their profession and be guided throughout their careers: through mentorship. Mentors can also help nurses who are established in their careers, but perhaps want to move to another field, to earn another degree, or to move into leadership.

Mentors give a lot to nurses. Jamil Norman, PhD, RN, CNE, academic coordinator for Walden University’s RN-BSN program, is a big proponent of mentoring—having had mentors and also being one.

Norman took time to answer our questions about mentorship.

Why is mentorship crucial in the nursing field?

There is a saying in the nursing field that “nurses eat their young.” I believe the only way this will change is through the power of mentoring. The nursing field is a dynamic, ever-changing, and evolving profession. New graduates and nurses in new areas of nursing need mentors to help them navigate working in those areas.

How can a good mentor help other nurses and/or nursing students? Please explain.

A good mentor helps to guide nurses or nursing students. Mentors help nurses seek out opportunities to advance their education and career. Mentors are a wealth of practical knowledge that novice nurses can turn to in their time of need.

How long have you been a mentor to other nurses? Why did you want to do it?

I have been mentoring nurses for almost 20 years. Shortly after I became a nurse, I found myself helping new graduates, as I was recently a new graduate and remembered how it felt as a new nurse. I wanted to make sure that new nurses on the unit felt they had someone they could turn to and ask questions without feeling inadequate for doing so.

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Did you have a mentor who helped you? If so, in what ways? If not, did that contribute to why you wanted to mentor other nurses?

I have had several mentors, but there is one who has been with me for over 15 years. Without the support of this mentor, I would never have pursued my PhD. It was because of my mentor that I believed I could accomplish the goal of earning a doctorate degree and becoming a nurse researcher. My mentor strategically helped me to present at my first international nursing conference when I had never presented before, nor did I believe I had the ability to do so.

What kind of support can mentors offer to nurses/nursing students?  

I believe the support that mentors provide can vary. The best support to provide as a mentor is encouragement. Some nursing students don’t see their potential or have confidence in their ability to be successful. I like to make sure to equip my mentees with tools to help them to be successful. A true mentor knows the specific needs of each of their students. Some students need a firm mentor and other students need more tenderness. A good mentor builds rapport with their student mentee and can assess their individual needs.

What do you do to teach them or help them nursing students? What do you want them to learn? Why?

What I teach nursing students varies throughout their matriculation. Besides teaching them the content they need to learn, I also want to instill in them a passion for the profession of nursing. I like to lead by example. The lessons I teach my students can range from how to advocate for their patients to how to advocate for themselves. I have helped students prepare for the NCLEX, prepare for a new job by doing mock interviews, navigate being a new parent at the same time as a new nurse, and so much more. I have also provided letters of recommendation for nurses looking to go back to school to further their formal nursing education. The lessons a mentor teaches evolve and change with each mentee, depending on their needs and the things they personally want to learn.

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Why are mentors important to nurses? What kind of differences can they make?

A mentor is someone a nurse can look up to and seek advice from. Mentors are also there to help nurses in their professional journey. This goes beyond the scope of what the nurse is currently doing and looks toward the future and what the nurse would like to do to advance their career. I believe mentors can make a huge impact on a nurse’s life and career. Mentors can be the difference in a nurse deciding to go back to school or effecting positive social change.

If a nurse wants to be a mentor, how can she or he find out about mentorship opportunities? Where should they look? Do they sometimes just happen naturally?

One of the best opportunities to become a mentor in nursing is to become a preceptor. Most hospitals have preceptor programs in which expert nurses help to orient novice nurses. Although this is a formal program that is a form of mentorship, I believe that more mentor opportunities happen organically. Most mentor/mentee relationships evolve because the mentee is seeking guidance that a mentor is willing to share. If a nurse wants to become a mentor, they must be open and willing to seek out opportunities where new nurses are being placed.

I do not believe every nurse can or should be a mentor. If you are struggling in the profession, it may not be the right time to mentor others. A good mentor wants to see their mentee flourish, and this might mean the mentee will eventually be better educated or advance farther in their career than the mentor. A good mentor should always be encouraging and never show jealousy toward their mentee’s advancement.

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Michele Wojciechowski
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