Mentorship is a key component of oncology nursing professional development and can also address burnout and compassion fatigue. Mentors are known for giving advice but also for challenging mentees, being truthful while being supportive, sharing lessons learned when appropriate, and problem-solving, among other interactions. In a world with continued shortages in nursing postpandemic, global migration, and burnout threatening longevity in the field,1 we all need mentors when entering nursing as a career and remaining in a specialty as complex and demanding as oncology. Traditionally, mentors are older than those whom they mentor; however, peer mentoring has been shown to be a powerful tool for nursing students, and the same within nursing school faculty, administration, and clinical settings.2–5 From Australia, a recommendation for settings with limited senior oncology nurses is remote mentoring, which can help with self-care and support of newly qualified oncology nurses.6 Nurse entrepreneurs in cancer care are often mentored by those who have made this career move when leaving traditional bedside nursing.7 Nurse researchers are rarely independent when they begin their careers and rely on mentors to support them when developing their research career pathway and writing for grants.3 Mentoring is a 2-way street. The mentor can gain much benefit from the experience as well as the mentee who is being encouraged and guided. Drury et al. found that the mentors felt “…a sense of enhanced professional growth, burnout reduction, confidence they make a difference.”8(p. 29) Developing a trusting relationship with a mentee improved job satisfaction and the sense of empowerment in the mentor as well as the mentee. When examining the impact of a structured nurse-paired global leadership and mentorship program by Sigma Theta Tau, the authors write, “Starting early and at the individual level, global mentorship programs can develop leadership expertise to help nurses find their voice and strengthen their confidence and competence to lead and therefore build the strategic leaders of the future.”9(p. 279) Mentorship opportunities within and related to oncology nursing include Women in Global Health Research,10 the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Writing Mentorship Program for peer-reviewed journal articles,11 and the European Oncology Nursing Society Early Career Nurses Working Group.12 A poster about a 12-month mentorship program for nurses moving from medical/surgical nursing to ambulatory care in oncology was shared during the 2021 ONS conference. The author remarked that this program had supported retention and trusting team relationships.13 In a recent ONS article about mentorship, nurse Ferguson stated, “Mentoring oncology nurses isn’t just addressing the physical tasks and clinical aspects of care; it’s also about how to interact with patients and develop those relationships.”14 Oncology nursing sustainability relies on mentorship, both peer-to-peer and senior-to-novice. Are you seeking a mentor or ready to act as one in your setting? Speak up and look for advice from colleagues and leaders in your unit and institution. Mentors come in many forms, and multiple mentors over time can have a sustained and positive impact on your growth as an oncology nurse professional.
Julia Challinor (Mon,) studied this question.