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From the desk of Adrianne E. Avillion, DEd, RN

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, March 4, 2011

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Editor's note: This feature is written by nursing staff development expert Adrianne E. Avillion, DEd, RN. Each week, Adrianne writes about an important issue in the area of staff development or answers reader questions. If you have a question for Adrianne, e-mail her at adrianne1@comcast.net.

Everybody needs a mentor

Research shows that mentorships enhance job satisfaction and increase retention. In healthcare, mentorship programs often focus only on clinical staff or managerial positions, and nursing professional development (NPD) specialists are often called upon to develop and/or facilitate these mentor programs.

But who mentors those of us in staff development? NPD specialists need mentors as much as any direct patient care provider or manager. We all need mentors, whether we are expert NPD specialists or those just entering the field. For example, say an expert NPD is offered an opportunity to present or teach in a foreign country whose culture and value system are unfamiliar. He or she may seek out a mentor who has experience in this area and who is willing and eager to help a colleague have a successful experience.

Not all NPD specialists make good mentors, however, and even good mentors are not suited to mentor all levels of staff development expertise. For example, an expert may enjoy mentoring a colleague who has had several years of staff development experience and is ready to assume more advanced responsibilities such as publishing or participating in research. This same expert may find mentoring someone who is new to the specialty tedious or even boring.

Here are some questions to ask a potential mentor, or ask yourself if you are considering mentoring someone who is new or fairly new to the staff development specialty:

• Do I have the patience to mentor someone who has little knowledge of the specialty and its responsibilities?
• Do I have the time and interest to serve as a mentor for someone new to the specialty?
• Do I have resources that I can share that are appropriate for the level of the new practitioner?
• Do I feel threatened by new people entering the specialty? For example, in this age of budget cuts and position elimination, am I fearful that a new, inexperienced (and less expensive) employee may make it easier for my own position to be eliminated?
• If I am asked to mentor someone outside my organization, do I really want to help someone who will not contribute to my particular organization?

If you are considering mentoring a colleague who has some experience as an NPD specialist:

• Do I feel confident in my ability to serve as a mentor for colleagues who have experience beyond the beginner stage?
• Do I have the time and interest to mentor others?
• Do I have resources to share that will stimulate and add to the knowledge of my colleagues?
• Do I really want to help others attain expertise equal to (or that surpasses) my own? Will I feel threatened that those I mentor will eventually compete with me?

Where can you find (or volunteer to become) a mentor? Here are some ideas:

• Investigate mentor programs that exist within your own organization
• Contact professional associations such as NNSDO (www.nnsdo.org) or the American Society for Training and Development (www.astd.org) 
• Contact colleagues from other organizations and ask them about possible mentor resources

Resource: Avillion, A.E. (2011). Professional Growth in Staff Development: Strategies for New and Experienced Educators. Danvers, MA: HCPro, Inc.

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