Influencing Intent to Stay: A Mentoring Program for Newly Hired Nurses

Abstract

Mentoring programs have shown benefits in providing nurses with support, career coaching, professional development and retention. The nursing shortage, high acuity of our patient population, and the challenges faced in retaining nurses has prompted the development of a mentoring program within two community-based system hospitals. Mentoring has benefits for both the newly hired novice and experienced nurses as they transition to a new professional role, clinical practice area, nursing education environment, nursing leadership position or in the development of an evidence-based practice study or research study (Academy of Medical-Surgical Nursing [AMSN], 2012; Boyle & James, 1990; Cashin & Newman, 2010; Kohn, 2014; Bryant, et al., 2015). The mentoring dyad between the more experienced nurses (mentor) and the newly hired nurse (mentee) can provide a caring and nurturing relationship that can positively influence the mentee’s intent to stay. The formal mentoring relationship guides not only the new graduates, but those experienced nurses transitioning into the new healthcare organization. The primary focus of this pilot research study was to measure the intent to stay of newly hired nurses following the implementation of a formalized mentoring program. The study comprised of a small sample of newly hired nurses within two faith-based community hospitals. Although there was no statistical significance, the pilot research study builds a foundation for further research into the benefits of the mentoring relationship of newly hired nurses.