Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Nursing

Date of Defense

11-15-2024

Graduate Advisor

Susan Dean-Baar

Committee

Amanda Finley, Ph.D., RN

Sheila Grigsby, Ph.D., RN, MPH, APHN-BC

John Meriac, Ph.D.

Susan Dean-Baar, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Chair

Abstract

Abstract

Research literature has identified mentoring as a strategic intervention for employee professional development. The Business and Psychology disciplines have used mentoring widely for employee development, but it has not been used extensively in nursing.

Nursing has unique challenges and is constantly changing with a need to meet some of those needs by advancing the development of nurses to serve as leaders and fill positions due to nurse shortages and high turnover rates. Mentoring has also been identified as a vehicle to promote work engagement.

The purpose of this study was to examine mentoring as a catalyst for nurses’ professional development and work engagement. A convenient sample of 142 RNs from the Veteran Administration were recruited to participate in the study. The study used quantitative methods to address the research questions 1) What are nurses’ perceptions of the relationship between mentoring and work engagement? 2) What are nurses’ perceptions of the relationship between mentoring and professional development? 3) What are nurses’ perceptions of the relationships between mentoring activities, professional development, and work engagement in nursing? 4) Are nursing demographic characteristics associated with nurse’s perceptions of the relationships between mentoring activities, professional development, and work engagement in nursing?

The results of the study showed that nurses perceived mentoring activities significantly impacted their professional development and work engagement. More specifically, the results showed that the nurses rated the career functions of mentoring higher in impacting their professional development and work engagement. The psychosocial functions of mentoring relationships were not as significant. The demographic characteristics for age, race, years of experience, level of education, and gender were examined to see if there were differences in the outcomes of work engagement and professional development based on these demographic characteristics. The results of the study showed the demographic characteristics had no significant impact on the outcomes of professional development and work engagement for the nurses.

Limitations of the research study were that the sample only included nurses from VISN 15 of the VA. The study was long with the inclusion of three survey instruments and two questionnaires.

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