ABSTRACT
Mentorship programs have been shown to greatly increase retention. This is especially important with the significant increase in nursing turnover related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this project was to determine the effects of a nurse-initiated leadership mentor program on the organization's leadership competencies. A nurse created and led leadership mentorship program for nurses was initiated in order to improve confidence and increase retention. The program will included: 11 mentors including the CNO, assistant CNO, directors of nursing, and senior-level nursing managers. There were 22 mentees in the first cohort consisting of new managers and assistant nurse managers. Each participant if given a 65-page program book. The structured mentorship program lasted 6 months and required at least 8 meetings. The meetings will consisted of the organization's leadership competencies, a self-reflection activity, 3 open-ended question and 3 journaling activities. The mentors will assisted mentees to develop 3 career goals with long-term and short-term actions. The effectiveness of the mentorship program was determined by a questionnaire that rates self-confidence in areas of leadership competencies, self-evaluation, intention to stay, mentor skill, networking and more. The 32-item questionnaire will be completed by the mentors and the mentees before and after initiation of the program. At the conclusion of the mentorship program, pre- and post-program scores were calculated. For all participants, post-training questionnaire scores were significantly (p<0.0001) higher than those observed prior to the session, i.e. 90.05 ± 7.43 vs. 75.14 ± 9.77 (mean ± SEM), respectively, representing a learning gain of 15%. Retention rates of the participants at the end of the 6-month program is 97%. A nurse-directed mentorship program will be created to develop self-reflective leaders and increase retention. Confidence increased in the areas of leadership competencies, self-evaluation, intention to stay, mentoring skills, networking, and more. Participant retention will be tracked for 2 years. The next cohort will soon begin the program. A six-month leadership mentor program with a 65-page book can be adapted to the leadership competencies of any facility. The program is self-explanatory and easy to implement. This will help increase leadership skills, self-confidence, and retention.