Mentoring in Nursing - Springer Publishing

preface
xi
have eventually found yourself outside the network? So many talented
people have been marginalized in their organizations due to the “outnetworked
phenomenon.” How does one get back on track?
Mentoring in Nursing was written to assist nurses in identifying how
anyone who wants to, and is willing to, can be re-networked into a successful
mentoring relationship or relationships. Mentoring in nursing
encompasses a reciprocal guided experience, whether it be formally
or informally assigned over a mutually agreed-on period of time, that
empowers the mentor and mentee to develop personally and professionally
within a caring, collaborative, culturally competent, nonevaluated,
and respectful environment.
The professional aspect is especially important because it needs to
include not just what the mentoring can do for the mentee and the
mentor but also what it can do for the nursing profession. Essentially,
the profession must foster a mentoring culture that offers networking
to all who want to take advantage of it and are willing to give to it.
Probably one of the best ways to get on track is to be part of a team
that partners with other effective teams or groups interested in similar
outcomes, continually work on developing your leadership skills, and
encourage others whom you interact with to do the same.
The major points in this book revolve around several themes:
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The importance of being more flexible in working with others and
changing how we currently do certain things
The need to empower oneself to be a leader in order to make a
difference
Creating a mentoring spirit in nursing in which nurses are recognized
for their expertise
Using mentoring, precepting, or coaching in the appropriate setting
and relationship
Mentoring is not a commodity that comes in a one-size-fits-all mentality;
it must be individualized to each nurse according to his or her
needs. The classic mentoring dyad has evolved to include multiple
mentors and peer mentoring groups. Networking and partnering are
imperative for organizational, professional, and individual success.
The profession stands to benefit greatly from the effects of a mentoring
spirit in nursing. My hope is that nurses will be more satisfied
with their work, fewer nurses will leave the profession, more nurses
will enter, and fewer nurses will work in ways that can be destructive
to young and new members of the profession. Mentoring in Nursing: A
Dynamic and Collaborative Process is designed to help nurses in practice,
administration, and educational roles understand the benefits of mentoring
others as well as the value of being mentored themselves.