The role of Mentorship in Nursing: A personal experience

I recently had a key highlight in my nursing career. This was when I presented on a topic close to my heart at the just concluded United Kingdom Kidney Week (UKKW) in Edinburgh, Scotland. For many, this is a non-issue. They have authored academic papers and had multiple presentations so why make a big fuss of it? Truth is, I write this for young nurses and nurses who ever doubted themselves. Nurses who feel like they are not good enough or as if their effort will never amount to much, if anything at all. Nurses who enjoy taking care of patients but they are also keen to work in other areas instead of direct patient contact at the bedside. You are the nurses this article is directed at.

When I was offered the opportunity to present, I immediately panicked. I knew I needed to own the pilot project we have been working on but at the same time, the idea of speaking in front of people terrified me. Scratch that, the idea of speaking in front of people has never scared me. What scared me was the caliber of people I was meant to speak to. Doctors, nurses, allied healthcare professionals, professors, consultants, lecturers, academic gurus, experts. I felt small. Who was I to tell them anything? Why would they listen to me?

Unaware of my internal struggles, the conference organizers wrote to me asking for a brief description of myself, and a short personal profile, 200 words. I have never been so confused. Who am I? It looks funny to outsiders and perhaps even pretentious to those who read my articles. Yet how real this was to me, how real. I reached out to one of my mentors, a lady I admire in Kenya’s Youth Development Agendas. She is not a nurse, neither is she a medical professional of any shape or form. Her name is Waruguru Kiai. She told me and I? paraphrase, “…You have done so much but you have never gathered it into one place. It is time to trace your work, read it, then tell me who you are…” Poignant.

The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves -Steven Spielberg

I spent an entire week looking at everything I have done online. I checked what I have done offline. I read my CV. I questioned it. I reflected. I created my portfolio; I distilled my values. By the end of the week, I was able to tell Waruguru who I am and describe myself in 200 words to the committee organizers.

Going by this experience, I see a mentor not answering my confused question but pointing me in a direction that might provide me with answers. Furthermore, notice that this mentor is not a nurse but she was able to guide a nurse. Mentorship is not static. You cannot limit yourself as a nurse and say that only nurses can mentor you. It would help if you had a wider lens to approach life in general. Non-medical professionals are welcome to your growth and development, only if they have values that directly touch yours. Waruguru is not only a youth leader, a grassroots mobilizer, and a civic educator but also a passionate advocate of mental health among young women in Kenya. She espouses values that I easily relate to. That plus she is a literature and arts student like me, sign me up!

?So how did I end up speaking at this conference? The answer is mentorship. Last year, I underwent a Leadership Program with the Royal College of Physicians and we all were assigned mentors. My mentor, as God would have ordained it happened to be a hands-on person. She is a consultant renal physiotherapist in the United Kingdom. She has extensive experience in designing exercise programs for patients on dialysis. Her name is Dr. Sharlene Greenwood and you can read some of her work here .

During one of our meetings, she asked me what I wanted to do with my renal nursing. Did I want to be a ward manager? Probably aim for a top Band job in the National Health Service (NHS)? I remember being quite open with her that my ultimate goal in nursing has to do with other things. She patiently listened as I went on and on about what I wanted to do. She suggested something that marked the beginning of the presentation I shared. Through her encouragement, I was able to step into leadership roles and join hands with like-minded professionals who hold dreams like mine. It was in that committee that the opportunity to present came.

Once again, note how a mentor guided me to where I desired to be. A key highlight of the above is transparency. When you have a mentor as a nurse, it is important to let them know what values you stand for. It is not a job interview, therefore do not try to impress the mentor, just be authentic. Sometimes you do not even know what you want and that is okay. Let the mentor know you are confused. They can then help you go back to when you became a nurse, or before and help you find in yourself what truly moves you. I draw your attention once again to the profession of Dr. Greenwood. She is a physiotherapist. This shows you that allied health professionals can be our mentors as nurses too.

To join the leadership course I have just mentioned, I had to take personal initiative. This is where you must put in the work as a nurse. The United Kingdom’s healthcare system is a complex organism. You may spend your twenty-odd years going to work and returning home without ever knowing what else goes on. I refused to be that nurse. I remember looking for associations to join as soon as I landed in the UK a few years ago. I did not want to just work and go home. I wanted to know what more there is in the UK. This calls for your active interest in your field.

You do not have to be a specialized nurse. All you need to do is have some interest in something. From wound care to sepsis, something is going on in all fields of nursing in the United Kingdom and beyond. Use the internet because I realized that even managers at the hospital might not even know what is going on and where!

Expecting the unit managers to tell you and support you is a tall order. They have too much on their plates. From NHS budget cuts that tell them not to book agency and bank staff to increasing sickness leaves from the overworked staff, their diaries are full. Look for the information, then approach them complete with how attending this conference or that seminar will help the unit you work in.

In conclusion, the best mentor for a nurse will remain a fellow nurse. All the interactions I have had with my non-nurse mentors have been directly influenced by a nurse mentor. What today's newsletter focuses on is the important role other professionals can have in your growth and development as a nurse. It matters however that your mentor is someone you look up to and challenges you to be a better expression of yourself. Most importantly, finding credible mentors takes personal initiative. Nurses must be willing to use the tools available to them, online and offline, to look for and connect with mentors who will help them achieve their objectives in nursing and beyond.