If you have ever wondered how mentoring can impact a career, Fast Facts for Career Success in Nursing: Making the Most of Mentoring in a Nutshell1 is the practical guide you will want to read. This book made me aware and appreciative of the many people who have mentored me throughout my career. It also made me aware of the words and encouragement I have given to others that have impacted their career. As the author, Connie Vance, EdD, RN, FAAN, says, mentoring can vary from a 1-minute or instant mentoring to years or decades of mentoring. I think that may be a unique way of looking at mentoring. Indeed, we can all be 1-minute mentors for many people.
For those looking for a mentor, this book provides invaluable advice on what attracts mentors and makes them believe in you and be willing to support your development. The author says, "Mentors come into your life if and when you are ready for them" (p. 46), believing that no one succeeds alone and that mentors are "door openers" for success. Because mentors see your emerging strengths and believe in your potential, they can help you raise the bar on your expectations and level of achievement. Vance provides guidelines and ground rules to cultivate the mentor match as well as warning of 7 roadblocks that could negatively impact the mentoring relationship.
A comprehensive list of the benefits of mentoring for the individual and the profession is discussed. What surprised me was the list of mentoring benefits in the workplace. Faculty mentor students in the educational setting. However, students often enter a workplace that can be intimidating and hostile. Mentoring can be a lifesaver in this setting. The benefits of mentoring related to productivity, performance, workplace satisfaction, retention, leadership, and talent development and to a healthy workplace environment are invaluable. A mentoring environment would minimize intimidation, lateral violence, and disrespectful behaviors. As Vance says, when nurses help each other, nurses, patients, and the profession benefit.
This book is an excellent resource for mentors and proteges. I believe its best use would be in formal and informal mentoring programs in the workplace.
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