NURS 325 Week 8 Nursing Mentor Paper Example

Becoming a Mentor: Characteristics of Effective Nursing Mentors and My Plan to Mentor New Graduates

Introduction

On my medical-surgical unit, four of the nine nurses hired as new graduates last year have already left. In exit interviews, most said they felt alone after orientation ended. Benner (2001) argues that nurses grow toward expertise only by living through many situations, and much of that movement happens when an experienced nurse helps a newer one see what matters in a situation. This paper examines the characteristics of effective nursing mentors, develops a biblical model of mentoring and lays out a year-long plan for taking on that role with newly licensed nurses.

Characteristics of Effective Mentors

The first characteristic is consistent availability. Beke et al. (2026) systematically reviewed mentorship programs for new nurses, ranging from eight weeks to two years, and found improvements in self-efficacy, confidence, stress management, job satisfaction, communication, social support and retention. Programs worked because mentors were present over time, not because they gave one good piece of advice. I will therefore schedule meetings rather than wait to be asked.

The second is a willingness to share how one thinks. Benner (2001) notes that expert knowledge is often embedded in practice and hard to articulate. Mentors make it visible by talking through their reasoning: why they called a physician, what they noticed first, what they would watch next. Informal moments matter here. In interviews with nurse educators, Tufano and Summers (2025) heard repeatedly that structured, institutional programs were missing and that the casual guidance of colleagues was what actually helped new educators settle in and stay. I will make room for informal conversations on shifts as well as scheduled meetings.

The third is emotional safety. Carlucci et al. (2026) describe an orientation model in which new graduates rotated through four units over twelve weeks and met weekly with nursing leaders who emphasized mentorship, emotional intelligence and psychological safety. First-year turnover fell by 32%, and all twelve participants in the first group were still employed at one year. A mentee who cannot admit a mistake to a mentor will hide it from everyone, so I will tell my mentee about my own early errors, including the medication I once gave late because I was afraid to ask for help, so that asking for help becomes normal between us.

The fourth is humility. A mentor's goal is the mentee's growth, not the mentor's reputation. In practice, that means letting the mentee set the agenda for our meetings, admitting when I do not know an answer and celebrating when the mentee handles a situation better than I would have. Humility also means accepting that some mentees will find another mentor more helpful, and helping them make that connection without taking it personally.

A Biblical Model of Mentoring

Scripture offers a pattern for mentoring that fits nursing well. Paul instructed Timothy to entrust what he had learned to faithful people who could teach others in turn (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, 2 Timothy 2:2), a chain of teaching that matches how nursing knowledge is passed from expert to novice. Titus 2:3-5 describes older women teaching younger women how to live, which places character alongside skill. Proverbs 27:17 pictures iron sharpening iron, reminding me that I will learn from my mentee too. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 praises the partnership in which a fallen worker has someone to help them up, which describes the shifts when a new nurse needs someone to call. Finally, Paul's call to count others as more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4) is the humility a mentor needs.

My Plan

During the first two months I will finish the hospital's preceptor training and request a mentee from the next group of newly licensed hires. From month two to month twelve, we will sit down together for half an hour twice a month, somewhere off the floor, and the mentee will choose what we discuss; each meeting will review one hard shift, name the growth it showed in Benner's terms and end with a single goal for the next two weeks. At months six and twelve, we will review progress together. To evaluate the relationship, I will collect the mentee's own confidence ratings when we begin, at the halfway point and at the end of the year, note whether the mentee is still on the unit at one year and keep a short reflection journal after each meeting. A mentoring plan is a promise kept in thirty-minute pieces, every other week, for a year.

Conclusion

Effective mentors are available, open about how they think, safe to confide in and humble. Research shows that such mentoring helps new nurses grow and stay, and Scripture describes mentoring as a faithful handing on of wisdom. With a specific plan and measures, I intend to become that kind of mentor for the next new graduate on my unit.

References

Beke, M., Kaya, H., Çonoğlu, G., & Şen, Y. (2026). Mentorship programs provided for new nurses: A systematic review. Nurse Education Today, 163, 107110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2026.107110

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice (Commemorative ed.). Prentice Hall.

Carlucci, A. M., Colangelo, L., & Lonzo, S. (2026). Find your best fit: An innovative orientation model cultivating connection and commitment in new graduate nurses. Nursing Management, 57(6), 27-33. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMG.0000000000000381

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Tufano, V. C., & Summers, E. J. (2025). The nurse educator mentoring dilemma: Novice nurse faculty needs and outcomes. Journal of Nursing Education, 64(3), 177-184. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20241120-03