Success in the medical field depends on a solid foundation of classroom learning, followed by rigorous hand-on experience. If you’re an experienced registered nurse, you achieved success in your field because dedicated individuals provided you with the knowledge and skills to do so. From teachers to mentor nurses, there are many people who help us get to the top.
Why not do the same for new nurses in training? Become a nurse mentor to help beginner nurses apply their education in a real-world career setting. Nurse mentorships are beneficial for both the mentee, who receives professional guidance and support, and the mentor themselves. These are the top benefits for registered nurses to become a nurse mentor.
Increase Job Satisfaction
According to a study by Nurse Today, newly graduated nurses who are new to an office or facility achieve more confidence in their roles with the help of a mentor. When you mentor young nurses, you help them cope with the stress and overwhelming pressure of starting a new job. You also help them gain the confidence to fulfill their daily duties in a timely fashion.
Remember that even the most masterful, adept, and reliable RNs once began as new hires eager to make a solid impression–on patients, families, physicians, and their fellow nurses alike. When you mentor young hires, you help alleviate their woes and even provide emotional support when necessary.
While mentoring new nurses may seem like added pressure or another set of tasks on your already busy schedule, there’s no greater satisfaction than making a difference in someone else’s life. When you mentor a nurse, they’ll spend the rest of their careers being grateful to those who supported them, including you. You’ll also build a solid support system in the workplace, a necessity for coping in a high-stress career such as nursing.
Ensure Proper Patient Care
You may very well know yourself that nursing school didn’t provide 100% of the preparation you needed to be a successful nurse. Applying your knowledge in a real healthcare setting was an entirely separate stage of learning.
In many job fields, on-the-job training is enough to get by. New hires may make the occasional mistake, but that’s part of the experience of gaining confidence and mastering your job roles.
Unfortunately, patients’ well-being depends on the skill of caregivers like nurses. Novice nurses who aren’t fully prepared to handle patient care can put people’s health at risk. When you mentor a nurse, you not only provide additional training vital for success in their roles, you help protect patients from accidents or oversights.
Sharpen Your Skills
No matter how long you work in the healthcare field, there are always surprises in store. With so many people visiting healthcare offices and facilities, each with different sets of medical challenges and needs, you may very well spend your entire nursing career in a constant state of learning.
When you mentor young nurses who are eager to sharpen their skills, you also develop your own. For one, when you demonstrate policies and procedures in the workplace, you also improve your own mastery of the daily regimen.
Second, you may come across processes that actually have a negative impact on your workflow. With nurse mentees under your influence, you can institute important changes to: reduce time waste, improve patient care, expedite important tasks. Approach management with your hands-on insight to recommend changes you can’t make on your own accord.
Finally, when you mentor novice nurses, you exhibit your own leadership in nursing. This is an important skill for professional development that can lead to promotions, raises, and other workplace benefits. Resident physicians and other caregivers may even turn to your expertise.
Get Started Easily
It’s simple to develop nurse mentorship skills. There are only a few features that you need to qualify. First, you need to be a registered nurse with demonstrated knowledge of nursing. Of course, to be a good mentor to new RNs, you need a rich amount of workplace mastery to share.
Second, you need excellent communication skills. Mentors need to communicate clearly and be open to questions. Don’t use vague or uncertain language when instructing your mentee. Communicate that you’re open to talk if your mentee has concerns or just wants to vent about their experiences.
Finally, you’ll need a fair amount of patience and kindness. Newly graduated RNs are likely eager to learn, but may make some mistakes along the way. Correct them with kindness and be patient when they struggle to master certain tasks. Of course, be sure to intervene when they’re putting a patient’s health at risk, but remember that you too were once a new RN.
Become a Nurse Mentor Today
Becoming a mentor for other nurses to make a difference for yourself and others. There’s no need to apply for a position or earn any additional training. While there are formal nurse mentoring programs that you can join, you can simply introduce yourself to new RNs in your workplace. Communicate that you’re available for training, support, and other mentoring as needed.
CynaMed supports nurses as they achieve their workplace goals, including mentoring new nurses. We offer comprehensive medical staffing solutions in your area.
