How to Start a Mentoring Program for Your Nurses

October 16th, 2015

When it comes to sharing valuable information in any industry — healthcare being no exception — an official mentoring program works wonders. It allows the transfer of knowledge from your most experienced workers to those first entering the field. When it comes to newer technology, sometimes this flow of information even gets reversed from younger nurses to your older staff.

Mentoring programs definitely help to close any skills gap at your healthcare organization. Let’s take a closer look at what it takes to begin a mentoring program for your nurses.

Encourage Senior Nurses to serve as Mentors

First off, gauge the interest your senior nursing professionals hold for serving as mentors in your organization’s program. Encourage participation by explaining to them how a mentorship program improves the level of patient care across your entire staff. Remind your veteran nurses that serving as mentors bodes well for their chances at advancing in their own careers.

Once you have a pool of nurses willing to be mentors, make sure they are able to cover a good cross-section of the nursing disciplines typically used in your medical office or hospital. Providing a high standard of patient care is your ultimate goal.

Organize and Schedule Mentorship Activities

It is important to fully organize the mentorship program. Schedule times convenient to both the mentors and those being mentored that won’t conflict with their regular work schedule. Consider making mentoring sessions a lunchtime activity to encourage higher participation.

Track attendance at each session, leveraging the use of a spreadsheet or simple database for reporting purposes. This lets you compare the performance of your junior nurses against the mentoring they’ve received. Improving the efficacy of your mentoring program is something worth aiming for.

Publicize the Mentoring Program Internally

Once everything is in place for the mentoring program, it is important to publicize its availability and remind your newer nurses that their participation in the program is encouraged, especially on sessions covering their areas of weakness. Either one-to-one sessions or one mentor working with multiple nurses are possible, although in the latter case, ensure mentors are able to use AV equipment, like projectors, for the best possible session quality.

Your new mentoring program will soon improve the quality of your nursing staff, while developing a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.

When your organization needs additional insight on building a top notch nursing team, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we offer the quality candidates able to make a positive impact on your healthcare company. Talk with us as soon as possible!

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