THE INFLUENCE OF MENTORSHIP ON THE PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OF NURSES

Abstract

Background: In the “century of knowledge” in which we live, to become and remain a part of contemporary trends in society, it is necessary to constantly learn and acquire the skills necessary for better coping, both in personal and professional life. Contemporary scientific, technological, and educational currents in society impose new tendencies on us in life, work, and education. It is the same with the concept of mentoring in nursing, which has not been known “since yesterday, but only now is its value and true meaning formally recognized Aim: The objective is to examine the impact of mentoring on the professional and personal development of nurses and mentors. Subjects and Methods: The research was conducted prospectively during June, July, and August 2023 at University Hospital Osijek, at the clinics and departments that are the teaching bases of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health in Osijek. Participants were bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, external collaborators, and mentors of clinical practice for undergraduate students of nursing at the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health in Osijek. The criterion for inclusion was: active mentors during the academic year 2022-2023. The research instrument was a questionnaire consisting of seven questions about the general characteristics of the respondents (gender, age, years of work experience in the profession, level of education, additional education, and jobs they perform). The second part of the questionnaire consisted of a structured instrument of 57 questions divided into four categories, which were designed according to the „Mentorship Evaluation Form" (School of Medicine, University of Virginia) and the “Mentor Evaluation” (Connecticut Mentoring Partnership, Business Guide to Youth Mentoring, authors: Diane Hale, Susan Patrick, and Dr. Susan Weinbergeron). Five questions were also taken from the questionnaire that was used in the research ”Mentoring in nursing education: Perceived characteristics of mentors and the consequences of mentorship” by Sabine Huybrecht, Department of Healthcare Sciences, Arthresis University College Antwerp, Belgium. Results: Clinical mentors with experience in mentoring for 5 to 7 years think that the most significant indicator of their personal development is the development of skills. Other indicators did not show any kind of significance. Clinical mentors with clinical experience for 21 to 30 years think that the most complicated things regarding mentorship are personal factors, while clinical mentors with working experience for less than 20 years think that it is about professional factors. Clinical mentors with clinical experience of more than 40 years think that they don’t have any complicated factors regarding their mentorship as well as professional and personal development. Conclusion: Mentorship has a big influence on the professional and personal development of nurses as clinical mentors. Mentorship is a valuable informative strategy within all levels of nursing and healthcare educational settings. A mentoring relationship gives back to the profession by instilling gratification and encouraging professional growth for both the mentor and the mentee.