Concept Analysis of Nurse Manager Mentor - Coursework Example

RUNNING HEAD: Concept Analysis: Nurse Manager Mentor Concept Analysis: Nurse Manager Mentor Mentoring is a strong personal empowerment and development tool. It is an effectual way of assisting people to grow in their careers and is becoming more popular as its benefit is realized. It is an interaction between two persons usually working in the same field or sharing the same experience. It is an important relationship, which is based on mutual respect and trust. Over the past 20 years, the concept of mentoring has grown more popular in our workplaces. Many public service organizations, as well as, corporations have developed formal mentoring programs for both management and staff for improving overall operations, productivity, and overall commitment to the organizations goals. Mentoring is now being recognized in nursing and other healthcare fields. This concept analysis will attempt to clearly define the concept mentoring while differentiating it from clinical supervision. Finally, this article will discuss the importance of a mentoring program designed for developing managers. Mentoring is a multidimensional relationship that energizes personal and professional growth .The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of mentoring and the key role it plays in the development of nurse managers (Canham, J. &Bennett, 2002).  As nursing develops and changes to mirror new trends of delivery of healthcare, development in knowledge, national agendas, technological advances, professional growth is necessary for the enhancement and maintenance of care standards at the side of the productive development of change. Any profession has an element of code of conduct, with the members being obliged to take accountability for their working practice, together with the commitment to ongoing professional development. The midwifery and nursing council address the needs for CPD in their code of conduct saying that as a registered nurse, specialist of midwife, one must maintain their professional competence and knowledge. One must keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date all through their working life. Specifically, one should take part often in learning actions that develop their performance and performance. The term associated with CPD can be confusing; with different other terms tackling the concept, although with slightly diverse applications. These include ongoing professional education, lifelong learning, and staff development. Ongoing professional education refers to the enhancement and maintenance of knowledge, competence, and expertise of professionals all through their careers, in accordance to a plan formulated in reference to the requirements of the professional, the profession, the employer, and society. In an ideal world, it can be seen that nurse’s ongoing professional education would have an element of proactive, commitment, and positive attitude to all-time learning with practitioners admitting that their clinical competence and developments are in constant evolvement through modeled processes, not merely the ad hoc absorption of knowledge and skills (Quinn, 2000). Even so, there are also well-known restraints that slow down the ongoing professional education of nurses. These include poor funding, lack of support from the employer, low levels of staffing, and hardships in pairing work with home and study responsibilities. Whilst it is known that professional growth needs to be managed and owned by the individual person, studies shows that managers and health services have an apparent role to play in guiding and supporting ongoing professional education to make sure that the final goal of development of clinical care is accomplished. One can say that since this clinical education is important just as it can harm the performance of the employees who undertake it, it is important that mentoring be stressed among the employees. Theoretical basis of nursing states that practice learning takes up 50% of pre-registration educational programs for nurses. The clinical learning surrounding has been recognized as a core in incorporating theory with student practice in developing clinical abilities. According to the theory, students cannot be supposed to make this connection for themselves and so they require a mentor for support in making effective connections if they are to be hugely life-long learners and competent practitioners. Student’s value habitual connection with their mentors and the superiority of mentorship they get has a huge impact on the level of their learning at the time of clinical placements. Studies in connection to mentorship from the point of view of both mentors and students confirmed the divergence between the role of assessor and that of mentor, and other devotions including patient care delivery, ongoing professional growth, and management in the self-motivated context of NHS. It is thus, necessary that student learning is a joint approach between the mentor, student, and lecturer, with all acknowledging responsibility for their obligation (George, 2006). The mentoring process consists of four steps: initiation, cultivation, separation and redefinition (Kram, 1983). The first stage involves the mentor and the mentee becoming acquainted and setting goals. The result of this stage is that the mentee gains confidence in sharing and trusting the mentor with what he might share in future. During the cultivation stage, information is shared, problem solving, decisions, and exploration of alternatives occur. The result n this stage includes the mentor successfully assisting the mentee in his effort to balance learning, work, and home life. During the separation stage, the mentee is empowered to move towards their goal and enhance their career path. The result in this stage involves the employee being in a position to make the right career path in which he can continue to follow and develop. In the final stage of redefinition, the mentor/mentee relationship evolves to a mutual friendship or the relationship is terminated. The result in this stage enables the mentee successfully gaining confidence to step out by himself and continue with his career without depending on the support and assistance from the mentor (Wagner and Seymour, 2007). As stated earlier mentoring should not be confused with the terms preceptor and clinical supervision. Clinical supervision is defined as the process whereby a practitioner reviews with another person his ongoing clinical work and relevant aspects of his own reactions to that work. It is also defines as a practice focused professional relationship involving a practitioner reflecting on practice while guided by a supervisor. (Lyth, 2000) Clinical supervision focuses on an individual situation. Once the goal is reached, the process is complete (George, 2006). The concept in practice can be seen in the case of Sally and Paulette. Sally is a new nurse manager. During her orientation process, Paulette is her assigned preceptor. Paulette has been with the organization for many years and has over 15 year’s management experience. She voluntarily offers her services as a mentor to many new managers. After meeting and discussing goals, they decide Sally needs assistance understanding the various roles of people in the organization and their interactions. Paulette takes Sally with her to meet the various employees. She schedules luncheons and meetings with various departments so Sally can better understand their roles. She also brings Sally to the administrative meetings as well as the administrative picnic to learn how decisions are made. Sally is encouraged to voice ideas and concerns in these various sessions. Her input is well received. After approximately 6 months, Sally now has a sense of confidence and feels comfortable handling many of the day-to-day situations presented to her. Although the formal mentoring program is complete, Sally still meets with Paulette every few weeks to discuss life and feels comfortable calling her for advice. Paulette also calls Sally from time to time for her opinion regarding situations (Quinn, 2000).  In conclusion, mentorship is a theory that remains hard to define, but progressively in nurse education, is looked at as a short-term supportive link, which assesses and facilitates learning in the area. Mentors are skilled professionals who normally experience divergence in their responsibility because of the demands of care in patients, student supervision, management, and their individual career growth. It is necessary for students to accept roles for their individual learning and it is clear that motivated and enthusiastic students learn better than those who are passive and disinterested. Various authors recommend alternative tactics to improve mentorship together with per mentorship, which offers additional support. Mentoring occurs when a senior person in terms of experience not necessarily age provides information, advice, and emotional support for the mentee or protégé in a relationship lasting over an extended period and marked by emotional commitment by both parties. If the opportunity presents itself, the mentor uses both formal and informal forms of influence to further the career path of the protégé. References Canham, J. and Bennett, J. (2002). Mentorship in Community Nursing: Challenges and Opportunities. London: Blackwell Science. George, B. J. (2006). Nursing Theories- The base for professional Nursing Practice, 3rd ed. Norwalk, Appleton and Lange. Quinn, F. (2000) Principles and Practice of Nurse Education. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes. 1. Wills M.Evelyn, McEwen Melanie (2002). Theoretical Basis for Nursing Philadelphia. Lippincott Williamsand wilkins. 2. Meleis Ibrahim Afaf (1997), Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott. 3. Taylor Carol, Lillis Carol (2001)The Art and Science Of Nursing Care 4th ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott Read More