Mentoring as a management practice to retain newly certified professionals in healthcare organisations

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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how mentors can convince young, certified, inexperienced employees to remain in a healthcare organisation, and how mentors address “stay or quit” when mentees’ lived experiences reveal feelings of insufficiency as crisis in their daily work. We explore how turnover is affected by the mentors’ and mentees’ discussions within the manager’s domain.Design/methodology/approachWithin the framework of crisis management, the study employs qualitative content analysis of 21 interview responses from mentors, mentees and managers. The analysis includes mentees’ answers, which are analysed in terms of “weak signals” based on lived experiences and mentors’ and managers’ answers in terms of different capabilities to increase mentees’ wish to remain in the organisation.FindingsThe results show that the deep relationship between the mentee and the mentor is crucial. It is possible for the mentor to detect weak signals from the mentee’s thoughts, doubts and lived experiences. The study extends the understanding of a more subtle mechanism the mentor uses in the close relation to the mentee, alongside the manager. The findings confirm those of previous research concerning improved job satisfaction and self-improvement in the profession.Practical implicationsThe findings explain why mentors, as necessary organisational resources, can contribute more successfully than managers to keeping young employees.Originality/valueThe study links the crucial relational mentorship to increased willingness to remain in an organisation among young mentees without career support.