Date of Graduation

Fall 12-15-2017

Document Access

Restricted Project/Capstone - USF access only

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

First Advisor

Michael Bueno

Second Advisor

Danijela Pavlic

Abstract

Low retention rates, especially of newly licensed registered nurses (NLRN), translates to a significant financial burden to medical centers due to costs associated with training the new nurse. The nursing leadership at a large community medical center that is currently experiencing an upward trend in turnover rates aims to increase the retention of newly licensed registered nurses through a formal mentorship program.

To assess and validate mentorship program needs, the EL-MSN CNL team focused this quality improvement project on conducting a literature review and needs assessment that included key informant interviews, a general survey for registered nurses, and a focus group. A total of nine nursing leadership staff from the medical center participated in the key informant interviews, 141 registered nurses from the medical center completed the general survey, and three registered nurses that had participated in the New Graduate Training Program participated in the focus group.

Results from the needs assessment validated the need for a formal mentorship program at this medical center, with over 90 percent of all survey participants stating that mentorship was important or very important in their nursing practice. Additionally, over 50 percent of survey participants would be willing to mentor a NLRN on their specific unit. The needs assessment also informed concrete recommendations to develop a formalized mentorship program that meets the needs of the medical center. The recommendations include introducing a culture of mentorship, integrating the formal mentorship program with the clinical ladder progression, and incentivizing participation.

The evaluation plan of the formalized mentorship program includes two surveys that will serve a dual purpose to evaluate the New Graduate Training Program and formal mentorship program. A third survey that will evaluate participant satisfaction with the formal mentorship program.

In addition to assessing and validating the needs for a formal mentorship program at this medical center, this quality improvement project highlights areas of potential impact of mentorship on promoting professional development and engagement of the newly licensed registered nurse, increasing nursing competence, addressing lateral violence, increasing retention rates, and increasing job satisfaction.

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