CANHC Mentorship Program Guidelines

Guidelines in PDF

Mission Statement
The Canadian Association of Nurses in Hemophilia Care (CANHC) recognizes the need to ensure a high standard of nursing practice, education and research. In order to achieve quality-nursing care for people affected by hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, we strive to enhance professionalism through partnerships, collegiality and mentorship. (CANHC Constitution 2006)


Definition
“A mentor is simply someone who helps someone else learn something that he or she would have learned less well, more slowly, or not at all if left alone.  Mentors are learning coaches-sensitive, trusted advisors.”
Assumptions

• CANHC Mentoring Program is more “process” versus knowledge acquisition oriented
• CANHC Mentoring Program does not replace an Hemophilia Treatment Centre (HTC)/Hospital orientation
• Knowledge:  Personal & HTC responsibility
• Skills: College of Nursing & Hospital responsibility

Goals and Objectives

• Accelerate the time required for the new CANHC member to acclimate to the position of Hemophilia Nurse Coordinator (HNC)
• Increase the applicant’s level of competency to enact the unique and complex role of HNC
• Enhance the likelihood of retaining HNCs new to the role
• Improve the quality of care provided to patients with bleeding disorders
• Facilitate networking within the profession & community at large

Expectations and Responsibilities
Mentee-Mentor Pairs
The mentee will carefully select a mentor within the first year, but not before the first 6 months in the position of HNC. Ideally the mentor selected functions in a similar HTC in size and composition from within the mentee’s region (West, Ontario, Quebec, East). Rationale for selecting a mentor outside the mentee’s region would be required for consideration by CANHC executive.

Mentee-Mentor Interaction
The mentee will provide the mentor with an individualized learning plan based on the Clinical Practice, Communication, Outreach, Administration and Research competencies stated in the CANHC Job Description. Each relationship will be unique based on the distinct expectation and need for guidance and direction put forward by the mentee.  Successful mentorship programs involve regular interaction. Interaction by telephone, e-mail, attending bi-annual CANHC meetings and site visits should be considered. Site visits require application to CANHC executive for the purposes of ensuring adequate financial resources.


Time Commitment
Good mentoring involves regular interaction, but the time commitment should not be burdensome. Interacting monthly to evaluate achievement of learning plan objectives would be considered reasonable.


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References

Barker, ER. (2006). Mentoring – a complex relationship. Journal American Nurse Practitioners. Feb 18(2):56-61.
PURPOSE: To address the process of mentoring the advanced practice nurse (APN) and provide suggestions for the formulation, implementation, and termination of the relationship. DATA SOURCES: Research studies from nursing as well as other disciplines and personal experience as a mentor and protégé. CONCLUSIONS: Mentoring is a dynamic and complex relationship that can support growth, increase synergy, and develop ways to succeed as an APN. Before entering into the relationship, care should be taken to assure compatibility between the mentor and the protégé. Major pitfalls include poor communication patterns and inadequate identification of objectives. Keys for repair or termination of the relationship include personal introspection, honest and nonblaming communication, and development of alternative support networks. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Successful mentoring relationships improve professional growth, competency, and productivity. They also form the basis for ongoing preparation of a new generation of APNs.


Kopp, EM, & Hinkle, JL. (2006). Understanding mentoring relationships. Journal of Neouroscience Nursing. Apr:38(2): 126-31.
Nursing embodies a universal mission to care--to comfort, heal, and be hopeful toward those entrusted to our charge through acts of compassion. Responding to this call includes the necessity to hold our nurse colleagues in high esteem. Paradoxically, the latter remains a matter of debate. Vance (1982) believes that nurses, as members of a helping profession, trained in nurturing and being aware of the benefits of working together can be able mentors. Vance (1982, 2000) further reflects that a willingness to honor and support colleagues through strong mentor connections can forge both individual and collective power in our professional endeavors. Implicit in the essence of mentoring is the resonating phenomenon, also known as the ripple effect (Stewart and Krueger, 1996; Yoder, 1990). Experiencing the process firsthand, protégés are likely to pave the way, and, in turn, their protégés will follow and leave their own imprints or legacies. Mentors set a precedent for passing along all good works. They want to share that which is heartfelt, enriching career life by embracing optimism and unity through lifelong loyalty to organized nursing and, ultimately, the profession at large.


Mills, J., Lennon, D. & Francis, K. (2006). Mentoring matters: developing rural nurses knowledge and skills. Collegian. Jul.13(3):32-36.
Mentoring, the alliance of two people with varying degrees of experience in order to create opportunities for support and learning, is being encouraged as a response to current workforce issues in Australian rural nursing. The nursing profession is beginning to recognize the benefits of mentorship in providing psychosocial support and role acquisition skills to novice practitioners. These outcomes are valuable for enhancing the recruitment and retention of staff. The Mentor Development and Support Project of The Association for Australian Rural Nurses (AARN), established in 2003, was a strategy for increasing mentoring in the rural nursing workforce. This project aimed to develop the capacity of rural nurses to mentor effectively, as well as provide support for them for the duration of the mentoring partnership. This article reports on aspects of the AARN project. It includes a discussion of the need for planned mentor development opportunities and provides the rationale for the curriculum content of project workshops. It also includes evaluated outcomes for participants in the project.


Woolnough, HM, Davidson, MJ, & Fielden, SL. (2006). The experiences of mentors on a career development and mentoring programme for female mental health nurses in the UK National Health Service. Health Service Manager Research. Aug 19(3): 186-96.
This paper presents the experiences of executive and non-executive UK National Health Service (NHS) Trust directors and senior managers as mentors in a career development and mentoring programme for a cohort of 27 female mental health nurses from six NHS mental health trusts. Baseline interview data was collated from 27 mentors prior to the programme. Twenty-four mentors participated in semi-structured telephone interviews investigating their experiences of being a mentor at the end of the programme. The interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Experience as a mentor impacted on mentors in a variety of ways and the common themes which emerged from the data included: increased understanding of the mentoring role, increased awareness of career barriers for female mental health nurses, improved ground-level insight in relation to nursing staff and the patients they care for, improved professional reputation, increased networks, new insights into organizational issues, personal enjoyment and fulfillment and desire to implement organizational change. All mentors interviewed stated that they would consider becoming a mentor again. The mentoring relationship was an invaluable learning experience for mentors and results from this study suggested that trained mentors have an important role to play as change agents in the NHS.