There is a great deal of literature documenting the importance of strategies that enhance relationship-building efforts so as to create connectedness between people and allow individuals to provide emotional and professional support to each other. Enhancing the personal and professional development of nurses is an important goal within the strategic plan for the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses. To accomplish this goal, AMSN has created a program, Nurses Nurturing Nurses (N3), which promotes socialization and support in medical-surgical nursing. Medical-surgical nursing is the foundation of all nursing practice and AMSN would like all nurses, especially new graduates, to look at medical-surgical nursing as a nurturing profession where they will be welcomed with open arms. To that end, AMSN has implemented the Nurses Nurturing Nurses mentoring program. Mentoring involves a relationship where there is a personal, one-to-one nurturing between the mentor and the mentee. Mentors often find a tremendous amount of personal and professional satisfaction in this nurturing relationship. And the mentees are not only encouraged in their new role, but also contribute to the future growth of medical-surgical nursing.

References to Read:
Teaching Prioritization Skills: A Preceptor Forum
By Joyce L. Nelson MS, APRN,BC, et al.
The Medical Specialty Preceptor Council of a large tertiary medical center selected prioritization as a theme to address with medical specialty registered nurse preceptors. Activities included exploration of the literature, personal reflection on preceptor experiences, and creation of a project that culminated in a preceptor forum. The forum included interactive poster stations staged for a drop-in session for preceptors. The stations were developed and staffed by Council members using research and ideas from colleagues.
Source: Journal for Nurses in Staff Development (JNSD) 22(4):172-178, July/August 2006.

Who'll Replace You When You're Gone?
By Mary Ellen Bonczek RN, CNAA, BC, BSN, MPA, and Elizabeth K. Woodard RN, PhD
By planning for your successors, you can give nurses attractive leadership development opportunities so they can seamlessly fill your shoes.
Source: Nursing Management 37(8):30-34, August 2006.

Review AMSN's Position on Mentoring

Mentoring Philosophy
The word MENTOR derives from Greek mythology when Odysseus leaves on his epic journey and puts his son in the care of his wise and trusted friend, Mentor. Definitions of a mentor include: counselor, guide, expert, wise teacher, role model of virtue, achievement, and ways of life. The Dictionary of Occupational Titles ranks mentoring as the highest and most complex level of functioning in the people-related hierarchy of skills.

Mission Statement
AMSN’s goal is to contribute to the personal and professional development of nurses through relationships that are nurturing and supportive. The mentor-mentee relationship will support the mentee’s transition to professional nursing, thus fostering confidence in practice and retention of the new nurse.

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Mentoring

Preamble

The nursing profession is at a critical point in history. Projections indicate that within the next ten years, the profession of nursing will be lacking more than a half a million nurses at a time when the demands continue to increase. Mentor programs can provide support for new nurses and enhance the practice of experienced nurses.

Mentorship is vital to the success of the profession of nursing. It can be utilized to increase staff satisfaction and retention of both novice and experienced nurses. The concept within mentoring must be incorporated into the philosophy of each nurse, department and unit as well as in the values of every organization's nursing leadership.

AMSN is a professional nursing organization committed to promoting the highest standards of nursing practice, health promotion and prevention of illness in adults. The CORE values (Commitment, Opportunity, Responsibility and Education) are the framework that reflects these standards and is the foundation for this position statement.

Position Statement

Commitment

AMSN supports the art of mentoring, which has been identified as cultivation of young professional nurses, supporting professional growth and development and establishing loyalty and collegiality within the nursing profession. An experienced nurse who participates as a mentor can promote a "can-do" attitude, instill confidence, foster enthusiasm, give guidance and direction, and encourage the development of communication and leadership skills of the novice nurse.

Opportunity

AMSN believes that experienced nurses should take advantage of the opportunity to mentor novice nurses. The mentoring process will ensure that a caring philosophy and value system is passed to the next generation of nurses.

Responsibility

The ANA has expressed the need for mentoring in nursing practice standards and in the Code of Ethics. Senior staff nurses have the responsibility to share what they have learned with the less experienced nurses. The continuous process of learning will enhance nursing skills and advance the profession of nursing.

Education

The nurse must be competent in nursing.

The nurse participates in the profession's efforts to implement and improve standards of nursing.

The nurse participates in the profession's efforts to establish and maintain conditions of employment conducive to quality nursing care.

The nurse who chooses to be a mentor must have the opportunity for education to become an effective mentor.

Professional and health care organizations have the obligation to establish and promote mentorship training and utilization programs.

Utilization

Mentoring offers a potential buoy of support to the novice nurse in the changing sea of health care. The support that accompanies the mentoring system will provide stability to the dynamic sea. The transition between nursing education and entering the workforce is difficult. A supportive mentoring program can help with this rocky transition for the newly licensed or recently hired nurse and have a positive impact on job satisfaction and retention.

Definitions

Mentoring: A commitment made by individuals within an organization to create and foster an environment that attracts and retains outstanding employees.

Novice nurse: A newly graduated or hired nurse.

Collegiality: A solemn promise made to someone that shares a cause, conviction, and an identity; an attitude that fosters a positive relationship and mutual respect between two nurses.

References
-American Nurses Association (2001). Code for nurses with interpretive statements. Kansas City, MO. ANA.
-Ecklund, MM. (1998). The relationship of mentoring to job satisfaction of critical care nurses. Journal of the New York State Nurses Association. 29 (2). pp. 13-15.
-Meigs, J. (1999). Mentoring: Building nursing's future now. AWHONN Lifelines. 3(1), pp. 55-56.