Introduction by M. Cynthia Logsdon, PhD, WHNP-BC, FAAN — Editor, Virtual Issue on Mentoring 

Mentoring has long been advocated as a strategy to support development and success of nurses across the career trajectory (National League of Nursing, 2006). Mentoring programs are frequently internal, provided by the organization in which the nurse is employed.  However, external mentors have been advocated to achieve specific outcomes (McBride, 2017; Mundt, 2001), and professional organizations such as Sigma Theta Tau, International and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing sponsor successful external mentorship programs. Mentoring programs have also been used to ensure student success across program levels (Anderson, McLaughlin, Crowell, Fall-Dickson, White, Heitzler …Yearwood, 2019).

Mentoring programs are most effective when expectations are clear, outcomes are clearly measured, and attention is paid to effective matching of the mentee/mentor pair. Expectations can include specific outcomes, e.g. research productivity, enhanced performance in a specific role (Hafsteinsdóttir, van der Zwaag, & Schuurmans, 2017; Jackson, Peters, Andrew, Daly, Gray & Halcomb, 2015; Stamps, Cockerell,& Opton,  2021) or retention and engagement (Miller, Wagenberg, Loney, Porinchak, & Ramrup, 2020). The National League of Nursing has developed a toolkit to guide communications related to, and measurement of, mentoring (http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/teaching-resources/toolkits/mentoring-of-nurse-faculty).

In the past two years, the Journal of Advanced Nursing published numerous papers that demonstrate the importance of mentoring to nurses. Six seminal examples are included in this virtual issue, including an editorial, literature reviews, and research studies and include mentoring of nursing students and academic and clinical nurses across the career trajectory.

In a research study using a cross-sectional design, Saukkoriipi and colleagues (2020) explored nursing and midwifery students' evaluation of the clinical learning environment and mentoring in Finland. The data (n = 2,609) were gathered through an online survey using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale.  Mentoring of clinical practice was shown to have a great influence on students' perceptions of their success in clinical learning, particularly when they have a named mentor, student and mentor discuss learning goals, there is a final assessment in clinical learning, the mentor's guidance skills support student learning, the clinical learning supports the student's professional development and pre-clinical teaching in an educational institution supports learning in the clinical placement. Continuing with research studies and mentoring related to nursing students, Gronvik, & Hauge (2020) conducted a Q-methodology study of the type of support mentors (n=26) need when assessing underperforming nursing students.  During the development of the Q‐set, they combined a naturalistic and theoretical approach, resulting in 27 statements. The participants ranked statements into a Q‐sort grid. PQ‐Method 2.35 software was used to perform a principal component analysis to identify different patterns of the mentors' viewpoints. Five factors of shared viewpoints, which accounted for 62% of the total variance, were derived from the factor analysis: (a) Confident in professional assessment and expects respect from link lecturer; (b) confident about the limit but need guidance in documentation. (c) Confident in the assessment but need support to manage concerns; (d) require knowledge and skills but not emotional support; and (e) dialogue and collaboration rather than information. The central principle identified in this study was that mentors need to feel secure in their role. Continuing with nursing education, Dover and colleagues (2019) synthesized data on current educational provision related to preparation for the advanced clinical practice role. Using Tricco's seven‐stage process, a data‐based convergent synthesis was used to convert quantitative papers into qualitative data prior to completing a narrative synthesis. The four themes identified from data synthesis were consolidation; theory to practice gap; competency and mentoring. Findings demonstrate a lack of preparedness and the need for good role models and mentors upon employment in the first advanced practice nursing role.

In an editorial, Cleary, West, Arthur, Kornhaber & Hungerford (2019) discussed the power dynamics in academic nursing with examples of challenges encountered by nurses internationally. The authors emphasize the need for supportive work environments that allow nurses to best contribute to advances in clinical practice and science. Characteristics of effective mentoring are described. The importance of mentoring in retaining nurses working in rural and remote areas was described  by Stewart, MacLeod, Kosteniuk, Olynick, Pence, Karunanayake, ….Morgan (2020). Using cross-sectional methods, two stratified samples of nurses in Canada (n=1932) completed The Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada II survey. Organizational commitment was associated with intent to leave for nurses at all levels.  Strategies to address retention include tailored mentoring programs, in addition to specific continuing education initiatives, the creation of career pathways, and place‐based actions designed to enhance nurses' integration with their communities and which would be planned together with communities and nurses themselves.

In order to address the global nursing shortage, Markowski, Cleaver, & Weldon (2020) use a review paper to consider factors that might delay retirement in nurses at the end of their career trajectory. Four themes were identified: Health, well-being, and family factors; employer factors; professional factors; and financial factors. The authors concluded that organizations need to foster an environment where older nurses feel respected and heard and where personal and professional needs are addressed. Older nurses are more likely to extend their working lives if they feel committed to their organization and when professional standards are maintained.

Clearly, examination of characteristics and outcomes of successful mentoring continues to be significance for individual nurses and the nursing profession so that a healthy and well-prepared workforce can be maintained and that nursing science and practice can continue to evolve.  The contributions of the six author groups are applauded for their efforts in this regard.

References

Anderson, K. M., McLaughlin, M. K., Crowell, N. A., Fall-Dickson, J. M., White, K. A., Heitzler, E. T…Yearwood, E. L. (2019). Mentoring students engaging in scholarly projects and dissertations in doctoral nursing programs. Nursing outlook, 67(6), 776–788.

Cleary, M., West, S., Arthur, D., Kornhaber, R., & Hungerford, C. (2019). Women in health academia: Power dynamics in nursing, higher education and research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75 (7), 1371-1373.

Dover, N., Lee, G.A., Raleigh, M., Baker, E.J., Starodub, R., Bench, S., & Garry, B. (2019). A rapid review of educational preparedness of advanced clinical practitioners. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75 (12), 3210-3218. doi.org/10.1111/jan.14105

Gronvik, C., & Hauge, K. W. (2020). A Q-methodology study of the type of support mentors need when assessing underperforming nursing students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(9), 2369–2379.

Hafsteinsdóttir, T. B., van der Zwaag, A. M., & Schuurmans, M. J. (2017). Leadership mentoring in nursing research, career development and scholarly productivity: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 75, 21–34.

Jackson, D., Peters, K., Andrew, S., Daly, J., Gray, J., & Halcomb, E. (2015). Walking alongside: A qualitative study of the experiences and perceptions of academic nurse mentors supporting early career nurse academics. Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 51(1), 69–82.

Markowski, M., Cleaver, M., & Weldon, S.M. (2020).  An integrative review of the factors influencing older nurses’timing of retirement. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76 (9), 2266-2285. doi.org/10.1111/jan.14442

McBride, A.B., Campbell, J., Woods, N.F., Manson, S.M. (2017).  Building a mentoring network. Nursing Outlook, 65 (3), 305-314. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2016.12.001

Miller, C., Wagenberg, C., Loney, E., Porinchak, M., & Ramrup, N. (2020). Creating and Implementing a Nurse Mentoring Program: A Team Approach. Journal of Nursing Administration, 50(6), 343–348.

Mundt, M.H. (2001). An external mentor program: Stimulus for faculty research development.  Journal of Professional Nursing, 17 (1), 40-45. doi: 10.1053/jpnu.2001.20241.

National League of Nursing. (2006). Mentoring of nursing faculty.  Self.

Saukkoriipi, M., Tuomikoski, A. M., Sivonen, P., Kärsämänoja, T., Laitinen, A., Tähtinen, T., Kääriäinen, M., Kuivila, H. M., Juntunen, J., Tomietto, M., & Mikkonen, K. (2020). Clustering clinical learning environment and mentoring perceptions of nursing and midwifery students: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(9), 2336–2347.

Stamps, A., Cockerell, K., & Opton, L. (2021). A modern take on facilitating transition into the academic nurse educator role. Teaching & Learning in Nursing, 16(1), 92–94.

Stewart, N.J., MacLeod, M.L.P., Kosteniuk, J.G., Olynick, J., Pence, K.L., , Karunanayake, C.P….Morgan, D.G. (2020). The importance of organizational commitment in rural nurses' intent to leave. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76 (12), 3398-3417.