Mentoring: A Win-Win Situation

Mentoring has long been heralded as a successful tool in children and adolescents. The Big Brother/Big Sister program, for example, has demonstrated remarkable rates of grade improvement, school retention and avoidance of drug use, teen pregnancy and gang membership.

Often, however, mentoring programs overlook the benefits not just to the individual being mentored, but to the mentor himself. In one case of "alternative discipline" for high-risk high school students, for example, the students were mandated to work in a pre-school environment, mentoring in day care centers to children ages 1-4. The students were assigned total responsibility for the toddlers' welfare, teaching them about colors, shapes, numbers, etc. Not only did the preschoolers learn, but the older children developed a bond with the infants, their behavioral problems diminished and their grades improved. Mentoring, in other words, is a gift that can give back; it's a mutually beneficial relationship. That's true in high school - and in workplaces such as hospitals and other health care settings. "I really believe in mentoring," said Marc Leaderstorf, RRT, critical care coordinator at Children's Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY. "It helps the mentor as much as the person learning." New employees, especially recent graduates, are "apprehensive, nervous and probably pretty excited in terms of really wanting to learn and go get 'em," Leaderstorf observed. A mentor's experience can prove invaluable to new hires. "They have been through the situations before," he said. "They can anticipate certain situations that may happen and prepare new employees for them." Mentors, in turn, benefit from the relationship "by encountering questions they might never have thought of," Leaderstorf pointed out. "You need to find answers to those questions. Also, you gain confidence in what you are teaching. You really have to know something in order to teach it. And the only way to know it is to teach it." The more knowledge and confidence you gain, he said, "the more you progress up the ladder in your department." At the same time, if you don't know the answer to something, admit it. "Don't pretend to know," Leaderstorf cautioned. "Nobody knows everything. Don't try to make yourself sound smarter than you are. Be honest and say, 'I don't know the answer, let's find out.'" What type of staff member makes the best mentor? "The patient ones, the knowledgeable ones," Leaderstorf answered. "Somebody who really wants to teach someone all they know. Somebody who is looking to learn more himself." Most importantly, he said, "I stress the enthusiasm, the positive attitude." Jerry Edens, BS, RRT, clinical education coordinator at Children's Hospital Medical Center, in Cincinnati, OH, could not agree more. If Edens has a pet peeve, it is a staff member who gripes and rolls his eyes when asked to show a new employee around. Actually, he has another peeve: a staff member who asks a new employee: "Why are you going into this field?" "It's not your place to question why someone else goes into the field," Edens told educators and managers attending the American Association for Respiratory Care's Summer Forum last year in Naples, FL. "You can't question another's hopes for satisfaction." Edens, who titled his talk, "Putting the Right People with the Right People," had this to say about mentoring: The way new employees are oriented into departments directly influences their lengths of stay. You must challenge new employees to think for themselves. Allow them to be creative. Reward and encourage them whenever they do something positive. Encourage them to join and participate in professional organizations. Share your knowledge with them. Most importantly, let them tell you how you are doing as a mentor. "Be yourself with them," Edens coached. "You cannot motivate an individual to achieve, but you can create a nurturing environment." Encourage the new person's passions. Do they have a special interest in research? Emergency care? Geriatrics? Let them spend extra time on these pursuits. Michael Gibbons is senior associate editor at ADVANCE.