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Nurses nurturing nurses: outcomes and lessons learned.

Article Excerpt
Retention of new graduate nurses in acute care agencies continues to be a challenge. Attrition rates are high as new nurses report job dissatisfaction, disappointment, and disillusionment with nursing practice (Aiken et al., 2001; Cipriano, 2006; Cowin & Hengstberger-Sims, 2006; Duchscher & Cowin, 2006; Kovner et al., 2007). Health care organizations bear the cost of new nurse attrition. Recognizing the need for strategies to improve the retention of new nurses, the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) developed the Nurses Nurturing Nurses (N3) mentorship program in 2003. The project's goal was to enhance nurses' job satisfaction and intent to stay in the agency of employment, thus improving retention. The N3 program's purpose was to examine the effect of a mentor-mentee program on job satisfaction, new nurse confidence, intent to stay, and satisfaction with both the mentor/mentee relationship and the N3 program among new registered nurses.

Nursing Nurturing Nurses Program

The N3 program was designed as a 12-month mentorship program wherein the mentor and mentee would work together to facilitate the transition of the new nurse to professional nursing practice and implement career goals of the mentee. AMSN promoted the program to its members and hospitals. Agencies interested in the N3 program purchased a packet of materials that included a program overview and information sections for the site coordinator, the mentor, and the mentee. AMSN also appointed a N3 coordinator as the contact person for participating hospitals and an evaluation coordinator who managed the data and analysis.

Once an agency decided to participate in the N3 project, leaders were asked to appoint a site coordinator to serve as project director. The site coordinator was responsible for matching the mentor/mentee dyads, providing orientation for the mentors and mentees, facilitating processes within the agency, and assisting in collection of evaluation data. Agencies did not have to participate in the formal evaluation process; however, for those agencies whose leaders decided to do so, the site coordinator met with the mentors and mentees, explained the study, answered questions, and obtained informed consent. The consent forms and completed data forms were sent to the evaluation coordinator.

After agreeing to the mentorship project, the mentor and mentee received information to assist them in developing their relationship, including tips on how to conduct the first meeting and ways to initiate conversation that would foster communication about the mentee's job expectations and experiences. The dyad also received copies of the instruments that would be used for the evaluation of the project. The site coordinator followed each dyad's relationship and supplied the evaluation materials throughout the study. The mentor and mentee completed the evaluation instruments and mailed them to the evaluation coordinator.

Evaluation materials were collected four times over the 12-month period. At the beginning of the project, mentees completed a background questionnaire. Two weeks later (Time 1), they were asked to complete the nurse job satisfaction and the new nurse confidence scales. At 3 (Time 2), 6 (Time 3), and 12 (Time 4) months, they completed questionnaires on new nurse confidence, intent to stay/job diagnostics, nurse job satisfaction, relationship with mentor, and satisfaction with the N3 program. Mentors completed a background form at the beginning of the mentorship relationship. At 3, 6, and 12 months, they completed questionnaires regarding their relationship with the mentees and satisfaction with the N3 program.

Instruments

Intent to Stay/Job Diagnostic Survey. Mobley (1977) argued that job dissatisfaction is translated into thoughts of quitting with the expectation that quitting eventually will result in a more satisfying job. Part 3 of Hackman...

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