Nurse Mentoring Paper

Negativity and unhealthy work relationships within the surgery department are on the rise. The staff turnover rate has reached an all-time high. The purpose of this paper is to research if implementing a mentoring program will create a healthier work environment for the operating room nurses as well as increase nurse retention. Administration needs to be more aware of the impact the negative attitudes are having on the morale, and help to implement a more positive environment through mentoring. CentraCare uses the Compass Nursing Model which incorporates healthy working relationships. The standards at the St. Cloud Hospital expect that RNs will use coaching and mentoring. The more experienced RNs are expected to mentor novice RNs by taking …show more content…
Over the past three years there have been many new staff hired, and many of the seasoned staff are unhappy, resulting in spreading their negativity onto those around them. Some of the new hires have left after only a short time in the operating room. What the nurses in the surgery department want is a process that promotes mentoring, positive learning and nurse engagement. Other departments in the hospital have implemented new mentoring processes and have had successful results with more staff involvement, better engagement, and nurse retention. By focusing on improved communication, teamwork, reliability, promoting professional growth and engagement and building healthier work relationships, they have increased their team morale. More leaders are needed within the operating room nursing staff to help make this difference in the conception of a positive work environment, one that new nurses want to be engaged in and committed …show more content…
It is obvious that the predicted nursing shortage is now here. It was predicted that by 2018 there would be an increase in the demand for nurses by 22% (Cottingham, DiBartolo, Battistoni, & Brown, 2011, p. 250). This is now becoming a huge concern and nurses cannot afford to have retention problems. One study found that 35% of nurses that were not mentored left their positions (Fox, 2010, p. 311). A mentoring program could make a significant difference in the nurse turnover rate. The reason for researching this topic is to address the evidence based practice question as follows; Do operating room nurses that participate in a formal mentoring program have an increased retention rate compared to those that do not participate in the program over a two-year time