You’re struggling to advance in your nursing career. How can you find a mentor who can help?

1 Identify your needs

Before you start looking for a mentor, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to learn and improve. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a nurse? What are your short-term and long-term career objectives? What are the skills, knowledge, and competencies you need to develop? Write down your answers to these questions and use them as a guide to find a mentor who can match your needs.

2 Explore your options

There are many ways to find a potential mentor in the nursing field. You can start by looking within your own workplace, such as your supervisor, a senior colleague, or a nurse educator. You can also reach out to your former instructors, classmates, or alumni from your nursing school. Another option is to join a professional nursing association, such as the American Nurses Association (ANA), and attend their events, webinars, and forums. You can also use online platforms, such as NurseMentor, to connect with mentors across the country.

3 Initiate contact

Once you have identified some possible mentors, you need to reach out to them and express your interest. You can send them an email, a message, or a phone call and introduce yourself briefly. Explain why you are looking for a mentor, what your goals are, and why you think they would be a good fit. Be polite, respectful, and professional. Ask them if they are willing and available to mentor you and how they prefer to communicate. If they agree, thank them and set up a meeting to discuss the details of the mentoring relationship.

4 Establish expectations

The first meeting with your mentor is essential in order to set the tone and direction of the mentoring relationship. You should discuss expectations and boundaries, as well as the duration and frequency of the mentoring sessions, the mode and method of communication, the goals and outcomes of the process, the roles and responsibilities of each party, feedback and evaluation mechanisms, confidentiality and ethical issues, potential challenges and solutions. Ensure you both are in agreement with the terms of the mentoring agreement; it may be beneficial to write down the agreement and sign it as a formal document.

5 Nurture the relationship

Finding a mentor is only the first step; you must also maintain and nurture the relationship over time. To do this, it's important to be prepared and punctual for each mentoring session, open and honest about progress, challenges, and feedback, respectful and appreciative of your mentor’s time, expertise, and support, proactive and flexible in learning and development, responsive and communicative with your mentor, willing to take risks and try new things, as well as supportive and collaborative with your mentor and other mentees. A successful mentoring relationship is a two-way street that requires mutual trust, respect, and commitment. By following these tips, you can find a mentor who can help you advance in your nursing career and grow as a professional and a person.