NOVA Mentoring Program

Nancy Claflin DNP MS RN NEA-BC CENP CNEcl CCRN CPHQ FNAHQ

Chair, NOVA Education Committee

NOVA’s Mentoring Program

             NOVA developed the Empower Mentoring Program to help NOVA nurses meet professional goals and pursue dreams for professional advancement within the VA.  NOVA’s Mentoring Program is designed to guide a mutual relationship between an experienced VA nurse who is the mentor and the mentee.  Mentorship programs can support all nurses, including new graduate nurses and nurses new to the VA.  Research based evidence demonstrates that mentoring can reduce turnover and support new graduates in their transition to practice. Mentees reported benefits including expanding their networks, gaining confidence working with management level topics, and developing professional as well as interpersonal effectiveness. Mentors reported benefits including improving their coaching skills and benefitting from learning new ideas from their mentees.  Organizations with mentoring programs demonstrated an increase in employee retention, improved recruitment of diverse employees, and more cost-effective training.

             The mentee and mentor set expectations at the beginning, including goals for mentoring relationship.  The mentor-mentee relationship is a partnership.  As with any partnership, it’s important to understand the responsibilities on each side.  The mentee is responsible for contacting the mentor and setting up a meeting schedule which can be by email, phone, or in person.  Each organization has its own culture, and the mentor can help the mentee successfully integrate into the VA culture.  Mentors can help mentees understand the informal power structure in an organization.  In successful mentoring relationships there are strong lines of communication, and both the mentor and mentee are open to feedback. 

Should you ask for a mentor?  Would you like help navigating the VA system, developing supportive and encouraging relationships, guidance in professional, personal, and interpersonal growth? Would you like to connect with seasoned NOVA members to benefit from their expertise and experience? 

Should you become a mentor?  Have you worked in the VA for a year or more?  Do you know things now that you wished somebody told you when you first started in VA?  Do you want to help people navigate the sometimes confusing routes to promotion and career development in the VA?  Do you want to make a difference?

              If the answer to any of these questions is yes, go to the NOVA Webpage; click on Education, then select Mentorship Program. NOVA's Mentoring Program matches NOVA nurses across the country to help you learn about the VA and achieve your career goals.
www.vanurse.org

Wagner, A. L., Seymour, M. E.  (2007). A model of caring mentorship for nursing. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development. 23(5), p. 201-211. DOI: 10.1097/01.NND.0000294926.49