A presentation exploring the basics of mentoring for psychiatric-mental health nurses, prepared by members of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Administrative Council.

1. FUNDAMENTALS OF
MENTORING
Kathy Lee, MS, APN, PMHCNS-BC
Director of Clinical Operations, Adult Psychiatry
Memorial Medical Center
Springfield, ILL
Michele Messina MS, RN, BC
Nurse Manager, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Program
VA Western NY Healthcare System
Batavia, NY
Charlene Roberson, MEd, RN-BC
Director of Leadership Services
Alabama State Nurses Association
1

2. It takes a positive
person to give of himself
or herself to help
another learn, grow, and
succeed.
2

3. DISCLOSURE
 These speakers have no conflict of interest to
disclose.
3

4. PURPOSE STATEMENT
4

5. The mentoring
relationship will provide
an opportunity for
learning & growth
5

6. GOALS FOR MENTOR
RELATIONSHIP
6

7. Receive guidance, support, direct
and constructive feedback
Increased self-confidence and
develop a goal to work towards
Develop a vision of the future
7

8. Explore opportunities for
increased responsibility and
identify systems that work
Broaden the mentee’s
resources while promoting
collaboration
8

9. OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of
this educational
activity, the learner
will be able to:
9

10. 1. Describe the process
of developing,
maintaining, and
terminating the
relationship.
10

11. 2. Summarize adult
learning principles
and generational
differences.
11

12. 3. Identify a
minimum of 3
characteristics of an
effective mentor.
12

13. 4. Identify 2-3
resources available to
the mentor and
mentee.
13

14. WHAT IS MENTORING?
14

15. A reciprocal, nurturing,
supportive, professional,
sharing relationship that
helps an individual improve
problem solving ability and
increase self-efficacy to
develop their potential
15

16. Either a formal or informal
relationship between two
individuals outside of direct
supervision with a goal of
influencing professional
development
16

17. CHARACTERISTICS OF A DISTINCT
MENTOR
17

18. Caring, calm,
adaptable, trusting
Possess self-
awareness
Role model
18

19. Effective listener
Observant of non-
verbal behaviors
Identifies strengths
Summarizes
agreements
19

20. Embraces change, a risk-
taker
Positive attitude
Passion for Nursing
Creative
20

21. Open, non-judgmental, provides
a equal power base
Seeks & shares knowledge
Mutual sharing, growth &
learning
Provides a respectful
atmosphere 21

22. Guides & advises- with permission
Committed to the future of Nursing,
career & leadership
Committed to collaboration
Fully engaged in the session and
makes it a priority
22

23. Provides direct, constructive
feedback
Motivated for self-growth
Well-respected
Seeks out & values the opinion of
others
23

24. PRINCIPLES OF ADULT
LEARNING
24

25.  Adults are autonomous and self-directed.
 The mentor will explore participants'
perspectives on topics and encourage them
to work on projects that reflect their
interests. Mentees will be responsible for
assignments and project leadership.
 Mentors will act as facilitators, guiding
participants to their own knowledge
rather than supplying them with facts.
 Finally, through feedback, the mentee will
understand how the process has
facilitated goal attainment
25

26. Adults have accumulated a
foundation of life experience &
knowledge that may include work-
related activities, family
responsibilities, and previous
education. They benefit from
connecting learning to experience.
To assist, mentors will draw out the
mentees’ experience and relevant
knowledge.
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27. Adults are relevancy-oriented.
They must see a reason for
learning. Learning has to be
applicable to work, or other
responsibilities to be of value.
This need can be fulfilled by
encouraging participants to
choose projects that reflect their
own interests.
27

28. Adults are practical, focusing on
the aspects of a relationship that
is most useful in their
profession. They may not be
interested in knowledge for its
own sake. Mentees need to
understand how the relationship
will be useful.
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29. Participants need specific
knowledge of learning results
(feedback ). Feedback must
be specific, not general.
The reward can be simply a
demonstration of benefits to
be realized from learning the
material. 29

30. Finally, the participant must
be interested in the subject.
Interest is directly related to
reward.
 Adults must see the benefit
of learning in order to
motivate themselves to learn.
30

31. MOTIVATION FOR LEARNING
31

32.  Social relationships: meet a need for
associations and friendships.
 External expectations: fulfill the
expectations or recommendations of
formal authority.
 Social welfare: improve the ability to
serve mankind, and improve participation
in community.
32

33.  Personal advancement: achieve higher
status in a job, secure professional
advancement, and stay current in
practice.
 Escape/Stimulation: relieve boredom,
provide a break in the routine, and
provide a contrast to details of life.
 Cognitive interest: learn for the sake of
learning, seek knowledge for its own sake,
and satisfy an inquiring mind. 33

34. Typical motivations include a
requirement for competence, an
expected or desired promotion,
job enrichment, a need to learn
or maintain skills, a need to
adapt to job changes, or the need
to learn organizational
directives.
34

35. Mentees & mentors can
benefit from the wealth of
experiences that adult
participants bring to the
table. Adults want to be
treated as equals in
experience & knowledge and
allowed to voice their
opinions freely. 35

36. Creating the
scene
36

37. Set a tone for the session
Mentors will establish a
friendly, open
atmosphere that
demonstrates intent to
facilitate mentees’
perceived learning
37

38. Set an appropriate level of
concern.
The level of tension must be adjusted
to meet the level of importance of the
objective. If the material has a high
level of importance, a higher level of
tension/stress should be established in
the session (Individuals learn best
under low to moderate stress; if the
stress is too high, it becomes a barrier
to learning). 38

39. Set an appropriate level of
difficulty
The degree of difficulty should
be set high enough to challenge
participants, but not so high
that they become frustrated by
information overload.
39

40. BARRIERS TO LEARNING:
40

41. Adults have many responsibilities to
balance against the demands of
learning.
 Some of these barriers include:
Lack of time
Confidence
Interest
Lack of information
Scheduling problems
Child care & transportation problems
41

42. The best way to motivate adult
learners is simply to enhance their
reasons for learning and decrease the
barriers.
The mentor must learn what
motivates the mentee –why they
have enrolled in this relationship.
A successful strategy includes
showing adult learners the
relationship between learning &
growing.
42

43. GENERATIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS
 The Veteran (born before 1944)
 Values
 Strong work ethic
 Discipline
 Hierarchy
 Loyalty
 Public Image important
 Communication
 Respectful
 Cognizant of gender roles
 Proper grammar
43

44. THE BOOMERS
 1945-1964
 Values
 Woodstock
 Distrusts authority
 Idealistic
 Competitive
 Work=personal fulfillment & identity
 Communication
 Personal
 Consensus
 Offer anecdotes 44

45. GENERATION X
 The Latch-key kids 1965-1980
 Values
 Distrust relationships
 Independent
 Skeptics
 Seeking balance
 Communication
 Direct
 Results oriented
 Avoids buzzwords
45

46. GENERATION Y, MILLENNIAL
GENERATION,
GENERATION NEXT
 1981-2000
 Values
 The internet
 Heavy schedule
 Parents involved
 Increase fear for personal safety
 Over-protected self-esteem
 Communication
 Positive
 Electronically
 Goal-oriented 46

47. OUTCOMES OF A MENTORING
RELATIONSHIP
47

48. Strengthens bonds
Stimulates ideas, embraces
challenge
Paying it forward
Improve time management
Promotes career development
Develop a growing relationship
with respect & affirmation
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49. Mutual sharing
Develop an effective personal
leadership style
Improve work-life balance
Have a thinking partner
Ability to influence important
stake-holders
Struggle less & enjoy more
Improve knowledge & skill 49

50. Promote advocacy
Establish a mentoring culture
Develop practical strategies for
dealing with concerns
Personal discovery and planning
Prepare for the future
Improve patient outcomes
Change the face of Nursing
Promote retention of the
Profession
50

51. MODES OF COMMUNICATION
Telephone
E-mail/electronic
Skype
Face to face
Other
51

52. AGREEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING
52

53.  The Mentor establishes contact with the Mentee
 Throughout the relationship, the Mentor &
mentee agree to:
Maintain professional boundaries at all times
Establish a means to terminate the relationship
Additional resources if warranted, and if
mutually agreed upon
53

54. Each mentee will develop a
specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic and tangible (SMART)
goal
54

55. Communication expectations
Determine process &
actions. Identify what
additional resources are
needed.
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56. Create a meeting environment
Commitment: Establish time
frame, frequency & mode of
communication
e.g. monthly teleconferences for a 1 hour
time period (may occur at the office or
home), duration of relationship (6 months-2
year)
56

57. Complete and discuss final
evaluation of learning
outcomes achieved through
the mentoring relationship
57

58. QUOTE
 Somewhere, somehow, at some time in the past,
courageous nurses determined these skills,
learned them, fought for the right to use them,
refined them, and taught them to other nurses.
All nurses have an obligation to remember that
part of nursing’s past, and to keep their own skills
in pace with new opportunities for nursing into
the next century (Peplau,
1989)
58

59. RESOURCES
 Ambrose, L. (2003). Long-Distance Mentoring.
Healthcare Executive, Mar/Apr.
 Bowen, D., Brennan, D., Crawford, L., Gomez, L.,
Mahara, M., Parsons, L. (2005). Reflection;
Sharing with the Land of the Dancing lights.
Canadian Nurse, 101 (4). 22-25.
 Cahill, M., Payne, G. (2006). Mentoring in
Nursing; Online Mentoring: ANNA Connections.
Nephrology Nursing Journal, 33 (4).
 VA Western NY Healthcare System. (2011).
RECOVERY DOMAINS: Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. Batavia, NY: Julian, Terri.
59

60.  Lieb, Stephen (1991). Principles of Adult
learning. Department of Health Services, South
Mountain Community College from VISION,
Fall.
 O’Keefe, T., Forrester, D. (2009). A Successful
Online Mentoring Program for Nurses. Nurs
Admin Q. 33 (3). 245-250.
 Weiss, L. Williams, C., Drake, A., Cumberlander,
L., Gordon, C. (2008). Veteran’s Health
Administration Mentoring Model for New
Executives. Nurs Admin Q, 32 (3). 226-229.
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