Growing a nurse mentorship program AND THE EFFECTS

Growing a nurse mentorship program AND THE EFFECTS ON CONFIDENCE, SATISFACTION, AND RETENTION BY KELSEY MURPHY

Rationale For the Project Feedback from new nurses and nurses transitioning to a new care area, suggest there is an opportunity for improvement to UTHETs orientation program. New nurses express a sense of anxiety associated with the stress of independent practice. The addition of a mentoring component to nursing residency programs has shown to increase confidence and decrease turnover rates A mentorship program in addition to our nurse residency program will be proposed

Project Goals The main focus of the project is to increase confidence, competence, and retention of new graduate nurses over a three month period. The primary goal is the addition of a mentor component to the existing nurse residency program at UTHET addressing the following: ◦ Confidence, retention, competence, and critical thinking skills

Discussion of the literature Mentorship has positive results and may be implemented via one-on-one mentoring or group mentoring (Williams, Scott, Tyndall, & Swanson, 2018) Mentor-mentee relationship should be fostered for 6 -9 months to maximize transition (Innes & Calleja, 2018) Mentors differ from preceptors in that they function to provide guidance and emotional support (Innes & Calleja, 2018) Valdez (2008) defines the mentor-mentee relationship as a “defining factor in the development of self-confidence and clinical competence” (p. 438) Mentors should undergo rigorous selection and training. Mentor selection is crucial to the programs’ success because the mentor facilitates the transition from novice to competent (Zhang et. al, 2016)

Project Stakeholders Successful implementation relies on multidisciplinary collaboration. This team should be comprised of: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Experienced bedside nurses Nurses within their first year of practice Student nurses Nurse educators Nursing leadership Physicians UT Health East

Implementation Plan Current on-boarding process: ◦ Hybrid program offering classroom and clinical education Proposed plan: ◦ Hybrid program with classroom, clinical, and extended mentorship component Mentorship plan: ◦ ◦ ◦ Comprehensive mentor selection and training Initial mentorship period of three months Regular meetings between mentees and mentors Monthly meetings between educators, clinical managers, and mentors to discuss progress On-going evaluation of effectiveness

Timetable Weeks 1 -2: Problem identified and survey conducted among all stakeholders regarding effectiveness of current onboarding process Weeks 3 -4: Data from surveys is extracted and presented to multidisciplinary team to determine if a change is warranted. If the proposed change is needed the team will proceed to develop a mentorship program following the ARCC model. Weeks 7 -8: Selected mentors participated in a comprehensive training program which included mentorship roles, socialization, reality shock, stress management, conflict resolution, clinical nursing skills, and mentor development. On-going Evaluations: The key to a successful mentoring program is an appropriate match between two individuals (Zhang et. al, 2016) Mentor/mentee match would be based on personality commonalities and regular meetings to foster and nurture their relationship would be best Weeks 5 -6: Careful mentor selection will take place. Mentor selection is crucial to the mentorship program’s success because mentors facilitate the GNs transition from novice to competent (Zhang et. al, 2016)

Data Collection Methods Initial survey completed among GNS determining the current program’s effectiveness On-going evaluations between mentors/mentees gauging progress and success through Survey Monkey Regular face-to-face meetings among stakeholders, mentors, and mentees Completion survey will be sent to mentors/mentees regarding mentorship program and opportunities for improvement

COST/Benefits Preexisting data collection methods through Survey Monkey will be used thus incurring no additional cost to the organization Meetings and education will be conducted during normal business hours resulting in no additional overtime cost Current preceptor pay is $1. 00 an hour in addition to base pay. Proposed mentor pay will reflect the current preceptor pay. Mentor training and education will be conducted using the organization’s current learning management system therefore no additional cost will be incurred. Resources needed to enact change: ◦ Office supplies, advertising material, curriculum development

Overall Discussion There is limited data surrounding effectiveness of mentorship programs at UTHET as this is a benchmark study. A high level of excitement and intrigue surrounds the proposed practice change. With virtually no added cost to the system it would be prudent to look at implementing a mentorship component to the residency program at UTHET Additional study is needed to determine the true impact of the mentorship, relying on feedback from mentorship participants

Recommendation The role of a nursing mentor was revealed to help facilitate the GNs transition from novice to competent (Zhang et. al, 2016), assist with professional development, and help with stress management (Williams, Scott, Tyndall, & Swanson, 2018). Mentorship has the opportunity to provide the GN with essential skills necessary for independent practice. A strong mentorship program has the potential to effect new nurses confidence, competence, clinical judgement, and critical thinking skills. A mentorship program to supplement the current NRP will be recommended to gatekeepers at UTHET. To achieve optimal results, the mentorship component should be at least three months with the option to extend as necessary.

References Innes, and Calleja. "Transition Support for New Graduate and Novice Nurses in Critical Care Settings: An Integrative Review of the Literature. " Nurse Education in Practice 30 (2018): 62 -72. Web. Williams, Felecia S. , Scott, Elaine S. , Tyndall, Deborah E. , & Swanson, Melvin. (2018). New Nurse Graduate Residency Mentoring: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Research Study Nurse residency programs. Nursing Economics, 36(3), 121 -127 Valdez, Anna Maria. "Transitioning from Novice to Competent: What Can We Learn From the Literature About Graduate Nurses in the Emergency Setting? " Journal of Emergency Nursing 34. 5 (2008): 435 -40. Web. Zhang, Yuanyuan, Qian, Yan, Wu, Juemin, Wen, Fule, and Zhang, Yaqing. "The Effectiveness and Implementation of Mentoring Program for Newly Graduated Nurses: A Systematic Review. " Nurse Education Today 37 (2016): 136 -44. Web.