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Make a difference with mentoring

The Editorial in the December 2001 issue, "Findings From Reader Survey on RN Shortage: I Still Love Nursing, but. . ." (December 2001:6), provided a detailed report of comments regarding the current and projected shortages of registered nurses. The summary of these comments reflected concerns and frustrations of today’s nursing environment and brought the reader’s attention to the areas that are in need of change within nursing. This is a time of rapid change in healthcare and though solutions to issues in our work environment and nursing practice are being developed, nurses have the opportunity to use the power that already exists in the role of the bedside nurse^1–3; that role is mentoring. Through mentoring, nurses can continue to create a common bond, feelings of acceptance, and a sense of loyalty within the profession. Mentoring is critical in nursing.

As expressed in the survey, nurses are constantly faced with the daily challenge of providing care in a a setting characterized by increased patient acuity, inadequate staffing, and fewer resources. These conditions leave little time for providing leadership and patience, sharing experiences with the new nurse, and building trusting relationships required for the mentoring process. Despite the current environment, nurses must make the time to mentor. Experienced critical care nurses have a knowledge base of vast clinical expertise, realize the importance of evidence-based practice, and could not manage the care of our patients without the wisdom and expertise acquired over time. Nurses who have expanded their professional involvement by serving as committee chairpersons and leaders in patient care areas should include mentoring others to expand their leadership role by offering continuing education, providing opportunity for growth, encouraging certification, and facilitating the opportunity for the new nurse to network with others in his or her specialty area.

There are those of us who "still love nursing" and have the belief that we can ultimately bring about change, not only in the environment in which we care for our patients, but by nurturing those who will follow in our footsteps. We must not become overwhelmed and completely distracted by the ongoing changes, but continue to nurture and empower each other, as well as the new faces we meet each shift.

Nurses do have the power to make a difference, not only in the lives of our patients and families but also in the environment in which we practice. With continued mentoring we make that difference, one nurse at a time.

Selected References

Blount K, Nahigian E. How to build teams in the midst of change. Nurs Manage. August 1998;29:27–29. Porter-O’Grady T. Signposts for the next century. Nurs Manage. December 1998;29:5. Porter-O’Grady T. The myths and reality of empowerment. Nurs Manage. October 1998;29:5.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Respond to This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Simmons, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Simmons, C.