Developing a Mentor Program for Our Cardiovascular ICU

Abstract

There was a time when new graduate nurses would start their careers on the medical-surgical floor. There they were expected to hone their skills and learn how to practice nursing. Only then would they consider a specialty such as the emergency department or the critical care unit. However, in the current health care environment with the nursing shortage and aging nursing workforce, new graduate nurses are being hired into specialty units.At Children’s Hospital Boston in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU) we have experienced this new trend. In July 2007 we hired 10 new graduate nurses for the CICU. In response to the influx of these new graduates entering into practice in the CICU, we developed a formal mentor program with the purpose of identifying expert nurses to share experience, knowledge, passion, and professionalism with nurses new to the CICU. The mentor program strives to create and promote a positive and healthy work environment for nurses by supporting, teaching, and encouraging professional and personal growth of nurses. The mentor program provides training for mentors, matches mentors and protégés, provides support and encouragement of mentoring pairs, and facilitates the mentoring relationship.In 2007, the CICU Mentor Committee was established. The committee established mentoring guidelines, objectives, agreements, contracts, and training session for mentors. The mentor program was presented to the senior nursing staff of the CICU, and those interested volunteered to act as mentors and a mentoring pool was created. The mentors were then given a training session on mentoring that included topics such as the mentoring relationship, setting goals and objectives, lateral violence, effective communication, and professionalism.During the CICU orientation the mentor program is presented to new staff nurses as a resource for development. The new graduates are presented the list of available nursing staff and are asked to select a mentor from the list and to submit their selections to the Mentor Committee. The Mentor Committee then approaches the mentor regarding the request; mentors are able to decline any request without question or judgment. Once a mentor consents to a mentoring relationship, the Mentor Committee sends him or her a welcome letter and the contract, which includes an agreement that specifies how the meetings will take place and the expected outcomes and goals of the relationship. The mentor contacts the protégé and discusses the relationship expectations, boundaries, and meeting schedules. The contract and agreement are signed by both the mentor and the protégé and then returned to the Mentor Committee.The contract and agreement outline the length of time, schedule of contact, ways that contact will be maintained, and the goals and objectives of the mentoring relationship. The contract and agreement will vary according to communication; these documents also formalize the relationship for both parties. The Mentor Committee is available to both parties for any questions, problems, or issues that may arise. In addition to the committee, we created a binder to provide resources and information to both parties about mentoring relationships; this binder is kept on the unit for reference purposes.The mentor program has recently celebrated its first-year anniversary. The program is thriving and continues to support nurses who are new to the CICU. A recent survey that was distributed to both mentors and protégés revealed an overwhelmingly positive response: both the mentors and protégés expressed satisfaction with the program and the mentor-protégé relationship. A research study is currently being developed to examine the impact of the mentoring relationship on the personal and professional development of both mentors and protégés.“In Our Unit” highlights unique practices, innovations, research, or resourceful solutions to commonly encountered problems in critical care areas and settings where critically ill patients are cared for. If you have an idea for an upcoming “In Our Unit,” send it to Critical Care Nurse, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail, ccn@aacn.org.