Mentorship In Nursing: Stakeholders’ Perspectives About The Integration In The Tamale Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Mentorship is known to address the challenges Newly Registered Nurses are likely to face during their transition into independent nursing practice and provide a smooth sail towards the attainment of professional growth and development. This study sought to explore stakeholders’ views about the integration of mentorship into new nurses’ transition into nursing practice. A qualitative-exploratory-descriptive design was used in this study. In all, 15 participants (6 nurse managers, 8 newly registered nurses, and 1 regional officer of the NMCG) were purposively selected. Data was collected using a structured interview guide, and analysed by means of thematic analysis. The study found the following: First, experienced nurses mentor new nurses by teaching, guiding, and providing career support to them. Second, training programme for experienced nurses, motivating experienced nurses, and formulating a policy to guide mentorship facilitate mentoring practices. Third, lack of knowledge, lack of motivation for experienced nurses, lack of time, work pressure and poor attitude of newly qualified nurses were considered barriers to mentorship. Fourth, friendly mentor-mentee relationship, effective assignment of mentees to mentors, awareness creation, formulating and implementing a mentorship policy may guarantee the integration of a mentorship program into nursing profession of Ghana. Essentially, the study findings provide valuable information on experienced nurses’ mentoring activities, the facilitators and barriers to mentorship, as well as the strategies for incorporating mentorship into the profession of nursing in Ghana, which could lead to the integration of mentorship into newly registered nurses’ transition into independent nursing practice in Ghana.