Veterans Health Administration mentoring model for new nurse executives.

A nurse executive mentoring program was implemented through the Veterans Health Administration Office of Nursing Service to standardize orientation and increase retention rates in this vital healthcare role. The Veterans Health Administration system has 154 nurse executives throughout the United States with 74% eligible for retirement. This mentoring program is intended to support the integration of new appointees into the nurse executive role. The program has produced a written resource to support effective functioning in the role. The program includes a leader skills self-assessment to evaluate the leadership style and assist with senior leadership team integration.