Congress Abstracts 2004

25

IMPLEMENTING A MENTORING WORKSHOP: A STRATEGY TO PROMOTE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Christine Liebertz, RN, CS, MSN, AOCN^®, Nancy Houlihan, RN, MA, AOCN^®, Barbara Hennessey, RN, MSN, AOCN^®, Dana Inzeo, RN, MA, AOCN^®, Patricia Schaindlin, RN, MA, AOCN^®, and Christine Liebertz, RN, CS, MSN, AOCN^®, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are faced with the unique challenge of achieving excellence in their own practice while guiding others to optimize their clinical and professional activities such as writing for publication or presenting at national conferences. Barriers to mentoring include a lack of confidence, emotional demand, lack of resources, and fear of an overwhelming time commitment. The ambulatory advanced practice nursing council at this NCI-designated cancer center developed a mentorship workshop to encourage APNs and appropriate staff to participate in professional development activities and mentor other staff.

The Division of Nursing at this center is committed to supporting nurses in their performance of professional activities. The APN council supports this initiative by providing staff with workshops on abstract writing, poster and podium presentation, and writing for publication. The council members recognized the need to increase the pool of mentors to assist staff in these endeavors. The workshop was designed to educate, inform, and explore opportunities for “mentorship” in order to break barriers and increase involvement.

The four-hour program is currently offered to all APNs, nurse leaders, and educators with the goal of expanding it to interested nursing staff. The program provides an overview of mentorship role components, defines assessment criteria for making a mentorship commitment, and reviews conceptual framework of a mentorship agreement. Interactive exercises with video vignettes stimulate discussion highlighting effective communication and conflict resolution strategies.

Participants provided feedback at the conclusion of the program via discussion and written summary evaluation. Measurement of outcomes related to changes in behavior and increased availability of skilled mentors will be accomplished via interval follow-up focus sessions with workshop participants. This presentation will share these results and program developments.

Mentoring relationships can provide the rewards associated with increased role satisfaction and enhanced recruitment and retention of staff. Providing the resources and support of a workshop to increase skill and comfort can improve the overall experience for both the mentor and the mentored.