Mentorship in Nursing Education

A majority of faculty have identified a need for mentorship to accomplish which of the following priorities:

• Maintain classroom teaching

• Establish a work–life balance

• Prepare for social integration

• Identifying venues for community involvement

Mentoring a late-career faculty member may include:

• Encouraging and supporting the faculty to identify and test innovative pedagogies

• Providing guidance in transitioning into program chair or leadership position

• Encouraging the faculty to identify new faculty members who show potential as leaders in nursing and nursing education

• Encouraging faculty to propose new solutions to problems and to evolve as educators and scholars in local, regional, and national arenas

Early-career faculty need mentorship in the following area:

• Identifying and testing innovative pedagogies

• Developing as an academic leader

• Navigating political and administrative environment

• Evolving as scholars in the national arena

The novice nurse educator needs additional mentoring about student boundaries established when they tell the mentor that they:

• Share personal stories that emphasize a content point

• Demonstrate a positive attitude with students

• Show enthusiasm for students learning new techniques

• Discuss personal life challenges

Nurse educators understand that one of the main consequences of lack of mentorship is a decrease in:

• Curricular revision

• Socialization into the role

• Dissatisfaction of faculty

• Attrition of faculty

A new faculty member is constantly comparing the current teaching methods of the faculty to methods used by faculty at her previous educational unit. The mentor’s best response would be to:

• Encourage the new faculty member to return to the previous position

• Ask the faculty member to stop complaining and assess

• Have the faculty member do a review of the literature on teaching methods.

• Explain to the new faculty member that there are many methods that work well

The director of the educational unit asks a seasoned faculty to mentor a new hire, and the seasoned faculty member objects. The best way to handle this situation would be to:

• Document the situation and find someone who is willing

• Insist that the faculty mentor take the responsibility

• Terminate the faculty mentor who refuses

• Tell the faculty mentor that it is a requirement of the position

The novice nurse educator understands that faculty role expectations include:

• Completing a terminal degree

• Concentrating on teaching rather than service

• Attending conferences in the future

• Incorporating ethical and legal principles into teaching practice

An important orientation activity for nurse educators is:

• Developing a curriculum matrix to follow

• Attending departmental meetings

• Conducting a university-wide survey

• Socializing with other faculty