The Importance of Mentoring Future Nurses

In one of my recent posts, I shared an inspirational story about a young woman who had dreams of one day becoming a nurse. As a junior in high school, she took advantage of an opportunity to participate in Cleveland Clinic’s ASPIRE Nurse Scholars program, a high school enrichment/mentoring initiative. And, today, she’s working as a Cleveland Clinic patient care nursing assistant and is on her way to earning her registered nursing degree at Cuyahoga Community College.

From group programs to one-on-one guidance, mentoring future nurses has the potential to deliver incredible value. Not only can successful mentoring offer life-changing experiences, it helps better prepare upcoming nurses and further builds our profession for the future.

I believe mentoring the next generation of nurses should be a vital part of any nursing organization. And, there are so many ways both organizations and individuals can become mentors. For example, in addition to several other mentoring programs and opportunities, Cleveland Clinic recently joined the College Now Mentoring Program of Greater Cleveland.

College Now pairs Cleveland-area college students who are College Now scholarship recipients with college graduate-level professionals in the Cleveland area. Through a 4-year commitment, professionals mentor students one-on-one throughout their college careers, guiding them, helping them navigate obstacles and more. Nurse mentors and mentees exchange two messages a month through an online platform. They also meet in person three times a year. It requires minimal time and makes a huge difference in the life of a future nurse.

We all have experience, knowledge and skills that can make our profession stronger, why not share it?