Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/198747
Mentors 12/12/06 12:16 PM Page 13 "People spend so much time in school to become nurses and then come into the real world and it's pretty devastating. I have seen probably two or three events where, if they had not had a mentor or someone to talk to, they would have quit the nursing profession altogether." —carol koelle, lead mentor altogether," said Koelle, remarking on how the intensive care unit is particularly difficult for new nurses. Cristina Gaspari, a new RN at Sequoia Hospital, was recently matched with a mentor who has 20 years more experience than she. She could tap into a resource, she said, that helped keep her sane during frustrating and stressful times. The first time she saw somebody die, she returned home and called her mentor. And for patients struggling with the possibility of their own death, Gaspari has learned to find channels for them with the advice of her mentor, such as getting help from the spiritual care department. But mentors are also invaluable for helping new nurses navigate the sometimes treacherous political waters of the hospital or unit. Balancing doctors, procedures, and wanting patients to like her and feel cared for, is an act that's difficult for a new nurse like Gaspari to perform. Mentors help their mentees forge relationships between doctors, coworkers, and even managers or sometimes act as bridges themselves. For example, Koelle helped intervene in a dispute her mentee, Al Springer, RN was having with management at St. Bernardine Medical Center. A tall man, nearly 50 years old, Springer came into nursing from a business background. "My mentor was able to guide me and show me the realities of how to provide superior patient care without running afoul of the administrative hierarchy," Springer said, explaining that sometimes nursing administration's expectations did not match what the patient needed. Koelle pulled him aside to explain what he had to learn and how to handle the situation. Coming out of nursing school, Springer learned that the nursing school's "white tower" ideals of perfection and order did not compare to the real world where nurses are "understaffed, underpaid, and underappreciated." If not for Koelle, said Springer, who signed onto the night shift because he so enjoyed working with her, he may have quit bedside nursing. He connected with Koelle at first sight for being the technophile that he was, carrying her medical instruments around with her. Now two years into his own career, Springer has since moved on to act as mentor to several new nurses. Teaching others is the right thing to do, he said. "I don't have all the answers, but two minds are always better than one," said Springer. And he still continues to consult Koelle. Nurse mentors also help mentees develop their careers, whether it's directing them to resources they need, helping them become more aware of their rights by getting involved in their union or professional associations, or suggesting different opportunities in nursing. Daniels, the nurse who left pediatric care, approached his mentor about gaining experience in different units. His mentor managed to "pull a few strings" and Daniels crossed units into psychiatry, skilled nursing, critical care, the medical surgical unit, and the orthopedic ward before finding his niche. "Nursing is a very busy profession," said Daniels. "New nurses may want to progress in their career, but they're so close to the unit they work on, it becomes their whole world from the time they begin, to the time they leave. They may have the idea, I want to go there or NOVEMBER 2006 here, but they don't know who to see to figure out the politics of making a request. If you have a mentor, you call them and say, 'I'd like to do this.' They'll say, 'I'll see what I can do.' Next thing you know, you're over there." While they're just a phone call away, mentors ultimately strive for mentees to recognize and develop their own capabilities. RN Wendy Vu, a lead mentor at Kaiser Hayward, tells her mentees to be patient with themselves, but also to use resources around them, such as their colleagues and their charge nurse. The process takes time. In nursing school, Daniels remembers the often-repeated adage that it takes three to five years to become an expert nurse. That's misleading, he finds. It's more like five to 10 years. T he program appears to have benefited both new and senior nurses. As teachers often find, they learn as much from the students as they teach. The mentors sometimes gather to discuss their mentees, and many find great purpose or a renewed appreciation of nursing in making a permanent impression on new nurses beginning their careers. "Their mentorship will last them forever," said Vu. Hospital culture is changing as well. "Before [the pilot mentorship program], we went through a period where some new hires didn't stay for more than a year," said Pamela Quasney, RN and a lead mentor at Sequoia Hospital. "They weren't really connected to the staff already there. It was a different kind of generation that came to work, did their job, and left without any feeling of connection or cohesiveness. I'm feeling that now the mentor program is pulling the new people to start feeling like a family, part of the facility, feeling like they are wanted there. Older nurses who have taken on [new nurses] are feeling a stronger connection to new hires because they're taking a personal interest and getting to know them. It's a good positive thing." ■ Bonnie Ho is a news intern at Registered Nurse. CHANGE WILL COME (Continued from page 9) We had the nurses who got the signatures, rode on buses doing mobile phone banking, trying tirelessly to get people to vote. We had great theater with Batman 89 arresting corrupt politicians throughout the state with our "Stop Corporate Corruption" bat signal shining on buildings during opposition fundraisers. Working again with the truly best consumer activist force in the country, the Federation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights organization, we had Channel 89 which documented fundraisers and hilariously put lobbyists in the spotlight and in daily bulletins to all press. And then there were the staff who worked their hearts out and demonstrated an inconceivable creativity and dedication, earning the respect of all. I believe that we introduced new cultural aspects to campaigning. If I had one word to ascribe to the CNA/NNOC staff who undertook such Herculean tasks, it would be imagination. The nurses, this staff, and the good people throughout the nation who step up is why we will ultimately change the political system in California and nationwide, just like our counterparts in Maine did. It is why in the final analysis, we will have a healthcare system with a single standard of care. ■ Rose Ann DeMoro is executive director of CNA/NNOC. W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G REGISTERED NURSE 13