Mentorship in nursing: A review of approaches to defining the concept in international and Russian publications

Background. The shortage of healthcare human resources is currently one of the most discussed topics in both Russian and global discourse. Along with the study of such important problems in the healthcare system, as its unevenness, a lack of access to health services among the most vulnerable groups, a low quality of the care provided, etc., much attention is currently paid to the professional competence, adaptation, and retention of mid-level specialists in medical organizations. One possible solution to the above problems is seen in the institute of mentorship.

Objectives. To analyze the main approaches to defining the concept of “nursing mentorship” in the foreign and Russian research literature.

Methods. A comparative analysis of literature sources by foreign and Russian authors addressing the definition, content, and implementation of nursing mentorship was conducted using the PubMed and eLibrary.ru databases.

Results. Three main approaches — “dyadic”, “triadic,” and “integrated” (mixed) — to defining the concept of nurse mentorship were identified. The dyadic approach focuses on the analysis of interpersonal interactions between mentor and mentee. Such interactions arise during a specifically planned and goal-oriented activity aimed at a dynamic psychosocial intervention in the mentee’s professional life to bridge gaps in his/her knowledge and skills and to increase self-confidence. Dyadic mentoring can be of individual, group, distance, peer, cascade, and reverse types. The triadic approach implies interaction not only between mentor and mentee, but also involvement of the medical organization as a party. The administrators are interested in personnel stability, improved professional skills of the staff, increased loyalty and commitment to the organization. The main focus here is on the functionality, formalization, and comprehensiveness of mentoring programs, allowing the goals of the medical organization to be achieved. Within the integrated (mixed) approach, the negative experience of mentoring and the possibilities of forming a culture of mentorship are analyzed. The mentorship culture, while reflecting the interests of the medical organization, bolsters “authentic friendship” within the nursing team. Mentorship is considered as a set of activities that influence mentors, mentees, and the medical organization as a whole, passing through various development phases and stages in the interests of the three interacting parties. The contribution of Russian authors to the development of mentorship consists in the elucidation of issues related to the professional development and sociocultural adaptation of young specialists in the healthcare system, as well as in modeling mentorship relations. Mentorship is considered not only in terms of the specifics of interpersonal professional relations that arise in the mentor and mentee interaction, but also as an instrument in labor management. Mentorship programs can increase the personnel’s commitment to their profession and the results achieved.

Conclusion. In the current scientific literature, different approaches to defining the concept of mid-level medical personnel mentorship are presented. The existing experience in organizing mentorship programs may significantly improve their qualitative level, thereby contributing to professional self-realization of both mentors and young nursing specialists.

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