Evidence-Based Mentorship
Evidence-Based Mentorship: Overcoming Tradition
(Evidence-Based Mentorship)
Evidence-based nursing mentorship solutions are crucial for fostering professional growth and development among nurses. Firstly, implementing structured mentorship programs with clear objectives and guidelines ensures consistency and effectiveness. These programs should be tailored to individual needs, considering factors like experience level, specialty, and career aspirations.
Secondly, utilizing technology can enhance mentorship accessibility and engagement. Online platforms and virtual meetings facilitate communication and resource sharing, overcoming barriers of distance and scheduling conflicts. Additionally, incorporating evidence-based practice modules and resources into these platforms promotes continuous learning and skill development.
Thirdly, fostering a culture of mentorship within healthcare institutions encourages peer support and collaboration. Establishing mentorship networks where experienced nurses mentor newer colleagues creates a supportive environment for knowledge exchange and professional guidance.
Lastly, regular evaluation and feedback mechanisms are essential to assess the effectiveness of mentorship programs and make necessary improvements. Utilizing feedback from both mentors and mentees ensures that the program remains responsive to evolving needs and challenges.
By implementing these evidence-based mentorship solutions, healthcare organizations can support the ongoing development of nursing staff, ultimately enhancing patient care outcomes.
COMMENT 6
An Ohio State University study found that fewer than a third of nurses surveyed had health care mentors that were available to help them learn about evidenced-based practices. It is imperative that new nurses need to be partnered with model mentors that are dedicated to seeking out current research. Established nurse leaders need to make more time to seek out current research and communicate when change needs to be made. A way to change this would be to have nurses review a procedure or current concern each quarter for their floor and see how they are rating. Complacency tends to happen when there is no plan.
Another barrier that was identified in this same study was that nurses may stick to the tradition or previous teaching that they received when they were originally educated. New nurses who have received more up-to-date evidenced based training in school, may be up against nursing tradition when they come to the workplace. These nurses may not be allowed or encouraged to implement this new evidence based practice and be orientated to the organization’s old policies and procedures (Nursing Times, 2012). A great way to tackle this is to survey new nurses throughout orientation and ask them if they were taught with different technique. Once discrepancies are identified, the nurse manager could begin looking into the EBP for that concern.
