Impact of Nurse Manager Peer Mentorship Program on Job Satisfaction and Intention to Stay

Abstract

Nurse managers (NMs) play a vital role in patient outcomes by providing a stable work environment for teams. Numerous factors influence a NM’s job satisfaction and intent to remain in a job. The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based formal mentorship program for NMs in an effort to impact retention rates. A secondary purpose was to evaluate the impact that a formal mentorship program has on NMs’ job satisfaction and intent to stay. Across two hospitals in the Pacific Northwest, 15 NMs participated in a 6-month mentorship program. The program was guided by both the mentorship enactment theory and Kouzes and Posner’s exemplary leadership framework. Using the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Nurse Manager Practice Environment scale, job satisfaction, intent to stay in a job, and transformational leadership behaviors were measured before and after the program, Results were analyzed using a paired-samples <em>t</em> test. There were statistically significant differences between the preprogram Leadership Practices Inventory scores (<em>M </em>= 212.27, <em>SD </em>= 37.8) and postprogram scores (<em>M </em>= 232.47, <em>SD </em>= 25.28); <em>t</em>(14) = –2.83, <em>p </em>= .013. There were also statistically significant differences between the preprogram Nurse Manager Practice Environment Scale–Culture of Generativity subscale (<em>M </em>= 23.20, <em>SD </em>= 4.65) and post-program scores (<em>M</em> = 26.20, <em>SD</em> = 4.74); <em>t</em>(14) = –2.40, <em>p</em> = .032. The results demonstrated a significant increase in job satisfaction, intent to stay, and transformational leadership behaviors. Implementation of this pilot program supported positive social change through reduced NM turnover, resulting in a reduction of healthcare spending on replacement costs in addition to improved patient outcomes