The Role of Mentors in Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of Mentors in Leadership - Assignment Example However, mentoring is always successful when the leader and the mentor intentionally matches or pairs. This often happens in health care facilities whereby nurses change into another role. The new nurses pairs with more experienced nurses to learn new leadership skills and develop their experiences into a new role (Aston & Hallam, 2011). This paper will explore the fundamental roles of mentors in nursing profession. According to Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, it is not just mentors and leaders benefit from the mentoring relationship but also the entire nursing profession such as patients and their relatives Literature review With the general growth of nursing profession, the role of mentors in the nursing sector seems to be more effective. Much of earlier work emphasizes the importance of mentors in nursing profession. Benner (2004) states that, acquiring new skills and experiences needs progression in all levels and stages. Thus, she argued that these levels and stages are novi ce, competent, advanced beginner, expert, and proficient. Research has also shown how mentors not only benefit nurses but also patients and their families (see, for instance, Vance, 2011). Some studies, however have taken a different approach by showing how nurses should benefit from mentoring website programs, for instance, IOM report. Studies show that both mentors and leaders benefit from the mentoring process. Mentor-ship Mentoring process is more than preceptorship or orientation; it may last for several weeks or may take three-month probation duration. During this period, the leader is able to learn what he or she is unfamiliar with hence improving and developing his or her experience (Grossman, 2013). Mentor-ship duration is not limited; it is an ongoing relationship, which can last for a long period until both the mentor and leader find value and meaning in it. A mentoring process occurs at any level of ones career, whether you are a new graduate to the field, an experienced nursing working as a clinical specialist or as a manager, or an experienced clinical nurse assuming the leadership position as the shared governance council’s chairperson (Grossman, 2013). Some nurses however, become mentors in future whereby, they use their own knowledge, wisdom, and experience to train and offer meaningful experience to new leaders in the nursing field. Most authors define mentoring as a partnership between a mentor acting as a teacher and a leader acting as a learner. As an educator, a mentor acts as facilitators and guides of learning. As learners, leaders have the responsibility of maintaining their own behaviors and learning (Grossman, 2013). All people have various opportunities of becoming a new thing in their lives although this is not an easy thing. Each person has fear to the unknown, fear of committing mistakes, uncertain confidence, and always, uncomfortable sentiment. Everyone as experienced that and he or she will live to experience it repeate dly (Kilgallon & Thompson, 2012). Being a mentor, it is essential to remember your situation when you were a new leader, how it was like being new to a certain position, and how your mentors helped you to be whom you are today. This will really help one grow a helping altitude to assist others develop their skills and experiences. However, it helps a mentor to get in the leaders’ reference frame. Novice to expert continuum Benner in her book states that, acquiring new skills and experi