A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced, and often, younger person. In the Shot Nurse environment that mainly means teaching new employees the procedures and details related to providing our customers a service. There are traits in a good mentor that allow them to share their knowledge and experience in a way that helps new employees not only gain the skills they need, but also build confidence and an awareness of the importance of teamwork. I will identify some of those traits and discuss how they may be applied within the Shot Nurse work force. Generosity Good mentors are always ready to share their knowledge and experience with others. A true mentor is someone who has a real desire to see the person they are helping succeed. An effective mentor is motivated by a mind set of helping the company they work for as well improving the skills of new employees.
The model mentor is a person who is generous with their time and knowledge. A mentor must truly be motivated to fully assist the person they are training and be willing to do whatever is necessary to share their skills. Honesty One of the most important traits of a good mentor is honesty. Training a new employee includes a lot of feedback related to their job duties. The only way they can learn to do the job correctly is if their mentor is honest with them about what they do right and wrong. An honest mentor will be much more helpful in the long term to a new hire than someone who is reluctant to give constructive advice about mistakes. My own experience in assisting new nurses at flu appointments is a good example of applying honesty to a mentoring situation. Before an appointment I give them general info and tips about the process. I make sure they understand I’m there to help and any suggestions I make afterward are for their benefit. Telling them ahead of time I will be honest about their performance to help improve their skills takes the surprise out of my feedback. In my experience, when a nurse really sees that my comments are a genuine effort to help them my honesty is appreciated. Good Listener Good listening skills are vital for anyone who wants to be a successful mentor.
Communication is the key to helping a new employee accept constructive criticism and feel comfortable in the work place. The goal of mentoring a new hire is to help them grow and learn. It is important to understand their point of view and comprehend their feedback during training. Each of these goals can only be accomplished with good listening skills. Take the time to really hear what someone else is saying and everyone involved will benefit from the experience. Conclusion: I’m sure there are other traits which are equally important to becoming a good mentor. While researching this paper, the ones I have listed struck me as being essential to forming a good working relationship with a new employee. Everyone has their own style of communication and methods for interacting with co-workers. The dynamics of the Shot Nurse work environment are often fast paced and challenging. The traits listed above can certainly be applied to improve our ability to work as a team. I suggest simply being mindful of what it takes to be a good mentor will help us all be better employees.
