Fall - National Commission on Correctional Health Care

(continued)Roles and ResponsibilitiesMany correctional health professionals are passionate abouttheir own careers and already see the value in aiding othersin their careers. These individuals are ideal candidates forthe role of mentor. Typical mentor responsibilities includethe following:• Serving as a role model• Sharing the organizational values, vision and culture• Building relationships based on trust• Establishing objective, realistic, measurable goals withthe mentee• Monitoring efforts to achieve goals and giving timely,objective, specific feedback• Sharing experiences with the mentee• Explaining issues and barriers specific to correctionalhealth care practice• Advising on career-related topics such as advancement,publishing, teaching, enhancing visibility, networking andovercoming obstaclesMentees often are new employees, current employeeswho were promoted to a new job or those taking on newjob responsibilities. However, any staff member might desirea mentor. Regardless of the situation, the employee beingmentored should strive for growth and development by:• Seeking advice• Sharing needs and goals with the mentor• Actively listening to the mentor• Striving for continuous learning• Committing to the organization’s goals, values and visionA good mentor should take initiative in the relationship,inviting the mentee to talk, suggesting topics andoffering to give advice. A supportive mentor will not onlyacknowledge accomplishments but also make useful suggestionsand offer constructive criticism. Trust is essential;the mentee must trust that anything discussed will beheld in confidence. But remember: A mentor meetingis not the forum for complaining about staff, policies oroperations.Professional growth is a key goal of mentoring, so this willbe a prominent theme in the partnership. Mentees shouldbe encouraged to become involved in organizations suchas the Academy of Correctional Health Professionals andthe American Nurses Association and to attend local, stateand national conventions. Another smart move is to participatein NCCHC’s Certified Correctional Health Professionalprogram. If appropriate, advanced certification or specialtycertification for RNs can be a next step.To enhance visibility, networking and, ultimately, leadership,the mentor should encourage the mentee tovolunteer for projects at work, to provide an educationalin-service for employees or patients, or to publish an articlepertaining to correctional health care.Both participants, of course, must be respectful of eachother’s time. It is likely that the mentor has more pressingtime demands, so he or she must be explicit about limits.It helps to schedule dates and times to meet, and to keepeach other apprised of other times that are good or notgood for contacts.Launching the ProgramIn each correctional facility, there undoubtedly are someindividuals who would make great mentors, as well asmany who would appreciate and benefit from being mentored.Interest in a proposed program can be generatedby explaining what mentoring is, how it works and how itbenefits each partner in the relationship and the organizationas a whole. This can be done at a staffmeeting, through the employee newsletter,in informational handouts and many othermethods.The mentors should be recruited first sothey can work together to establish sitespecificgoals that suit the needs of staff.These goals could include attendance atconventions, conducting in-service trainings,writing for publications, encouragingwork colleagues to join professional groupsor to obtain professional certification andso forth.With the mentor goals set, the next stepis to recruit mentees. For new employees,this should occur as soon as they are hired,but all staff members should be invitedto participate. In addition to the methodsnoted above, word of mouth is very effective.All mentees should be encouraged totell their peers about the program.Generally, mentors and mentees meet one-on-one.However, an initial or periodic group meetings may be valuable.Here the mentors can reinforce the program purpose,explain the goals they have set, lay out the ground rules,discuss expectations and answer questions.After the program is set in motion, it is important toconduct routine evaluations to determine if it is achievingits goals, if it is meeting staff needs and if changes are necessary.Participant feedback is vital. This can be gathered via aquestionnaire that asks, for example, whether the programwas beneficial, how it can be improved and how to encourageothers to participate. Evaluation findings should thenguide refinement of the program.It is not hard to establish a mentor program and therewards are many. Correctional health care professionalsowe it to each other, and to themselves, to promote qualityhealth care and professional growth among colleagues. Agood mentor can contribute immeasurably to the developmentof a colleague. The mentee will remember and valuethose contributions forever, and later will probably mentorsomebody else.Susan Laffan, RN, CCHP-RN/A, is the co-owner of SpecializedMedical Consultants, Toms River, NJ. To contact her, e-mailnjjailnurse@aol.com. She is chair-elect of the Academy ofCorrectional Health Professionals and serves as co-chair ofits mentoring committee, which she helped develop. Tolearn about the Academy’s mentor program, visit the CareerServices page at www.correctionalhealth.org.www.ncchc.org<strong>Fall</strong> 2009 • CorrectCare17