Paper
Monday, November 5, 2007
465
Nursing Education and Practice Collaboration: RNs' Perspectives about Formal Mentoring of BScN Students
Carroll L. Iwasiw, RN, BN, MScN, EdD1, Mary-Anne Andrusyszyn, RN, BScN, MScN, EdD1, Dolly Goldenberg, RN, MA, MScN, PhD1, Barbara Sinclair, RN, BScN, MScN1, Cathy Parsons, RN, BScN2, Cathy Mawdsley, RN, BScN, MScN3, Charlene Beynon, RN, BScN, MScN4, Mickey Kerr, PhD5, Judy McKale-Waring, RN, BScN, MScN6, Kristen Lethbridge, BScN, RN, MScN1, Richard Booth, RN, BScN1, Yolanda B. Babenko-Mould, RN1, and Andrew Thomas Reyes, RN, MScN7. (1) Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, (2) St. Joseph's Health Care London, London, ON, Canada, (3) Critical Care, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada, (4) Professional Health Research and Education Department, Midddleex-London Health Unit, London, ON, Canada, (5) Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, ON, Canada, (6) Nursing Division, Fanshawe College, London, ON, Canada, (7) School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| Learning Objective #1: Gain insights into nurses’ views about formal mentoring relationships with BScN students |
| Learning Objective #2: Appreciate the value of mentoring relationships for students and nurses |
Mentoring is a voluntary partnership in which an individual with knowledge and experience (mentor) acts as a role model, guide, and support, over an extended period of time, to facilitate a less experienced person’s (mentee’s) professional development (Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, 1997; Hayes, 1998), without formal evaluation. Reports of nurses mentoring nursing students in the
United Kingdom and North America are largely anecdotal (Dorsey & Baker, 2004; Jonson, 1998; Sword, et al., 2002), and reports of mentors’ perspectives, sparse. To gain insight into RN-BScN student mentoring relationships, we are conducting a three-year study about the nature, processes, and outcomes of these relationships.
One hundred and eight RNs and 103 first-year nursing students were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups and those in the intervention group randomly assigned to mentoring dyads. Since September 2006, the dyads have engaged in a mentoring relationship, with each determining the frequency and nature of meetings. Baseline quantitative data were collected about participants’ expectations about empowerment (Kanter, 1977, 1993) and perspective transformation (Mezirow, 1990, 19991) in mentoring relationships, and the mentor’s roles (Darling, 1984).
In Spring 2007, nurses will be interviewed individually and in focus groups to ascertain the nature, processes, rewards, challenges, and outcomes experienced during the first year of the relationship, and nurses' views on the profession and their commitment to novices. Interviews will be tape-recorded, transcribed, and themes identified.
We will present interview findings. These may contribute to educators’ understanding of formal mentoring relationships between RNs and nursing students, and provide evidence for decisions about establishing these relationships. The value of applying and sharing nursing knowledge and leadership skills between mentors and mentees will be made evident.
*Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada