Impact of a New Graduate RT Mentoring Program

Background: There is a national shortage of Respiratory Therapists (RT) which impacts patients who utilize RT services and the quality of care they receive. In the Delaware (DE) Valley, our local RT education programs are not filled with future RTs, most only graduating 4-5 RTs per year. With this decrease in new RTs, and most of our recruited employees being new graduate (NG) RTs, we aimed to focus on retention of these associates and support their growth in the profession with the development of an RT Mentoring Program (MP). Methods: The Nemours Children’s Hospital-DE (244 pediatric beds, Level I Trauma Center, Level IV NICU) Respiratory Care team developed a MP designed specifically for RTs that went live in February 2022. The program goal is to support NG RTs transitioning into careers. Mentors expressed interest, and mentees are NG RTs enrolled in training on the program and their role through in-person, virtual, and web-based events. The program partners a NG RT with a senior RT mentor. Mentors/mentees meet monthly, and all MP participants meet quarterly to discuss obstacles and building connections as both mentor and mentee roles are mutually valuable. Monthly meetings focus on time management, developing critical thinking, department engagement, and personal goals. After completion (1- year) participants provide feedback via survey relative to the MP experience. Survey (Figure 1) results from 2/2023-5/2023 were reviewed in an IRB-approved retrospective analysis. Results: 5 NG RTs completed the program in year one. 100% of mentee respondents felt their mentor was accessible, communicated regularly, helped them locate resources, was interested in their growth, was a benefit, and helped support career certainty. Mentees expressed their motivation to orient to different units and participate in the Respiratory Care clinical ladder after their year-long experience. The turnover rate for NG RTs in the RT MP was 0%, decreased from 8% from the year prior to the RT MP. Conclusions: An RT MP for NG RTs helped to support associates entering their professional career field, provide resources and security in a new organization, and decrease turnover rate for NG RTs in our pediatric hospital. Further studies must be performed to evaluate the impact of RT MP on RT career longevity.Figure 1 includes the survey completed by mentees after 1 -year program completion.