Essay Example on Mentorship: Unlocking Your Potential Through Knowledge Sharing

Introduction

A relationship that involves learning and sharing of knowledge from an individual with expertise in a specific field to a less knowledgeable person is mentoring. Mentorship majorly aims at assisting the mentee in discovering their full potential as well as providing them with moral support. A mentee discusses their fears and analyzes their plans with a person that has walked the same path. Mentorship may either be at a professional or personal level and is usually long term. Often, the mentor is older than the mentee. However, knowledge and experience do not discriminate based on age. Therefore, there are scenarios where the mentor is younger or an age-mate to the mentee (Beech et al., 2013). A friendly environment and a high level of respect must exist between the two parties for effective mentoring. For healthy personal and professional development, mentoring is highly encouraged. This paper aims to spell out the importance of mentorship to healthcare organizations.

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Importance of Mentoring in Health Care Organizations

Mentorship is one of the crucial parts of health care practice. Health and social care students take a considerable amount of time in their course to undergo a mentoring program before they can be registered. Mentors work closely with the students and facilitate the transition from an academic setting to the real world of hands-on healthcare practice (Beech et al, 2013). Consequently, there is a provision of a favorable positive learning and working environment. Learners achieve a high level of discipline and confidence. As a result, students can embrace the challenges that come with their chosen careers. Such virtues are guaranteed to be passed on to the future generation of healthcare givers because today's mentees are tomorrow's mentors.

One of the benefits of proper mentoring is the acquisition of excellent communication skills. For a health practitioner to effectively execute their services, they must be able to communicate appropriately. Inside the healthcare sector, a nurse or a doctor that has undergone mentorship has an added advantage in delivering health care. Take, for example, the situation in an emergency room. A lot of panic and rush fills the ER environment. Excellent communication skills need to be in full swing to enable cooperation between the healthcare givers and the patients. The same case applies to an operating room. In both situations, there is no window for mistakes; therefore, a mentored nurse or doctor should be confident enough to communicate and work well even under pressure.

Leadership skills are another benefit of mentorship. Neophyte health caregivers that undergo mentorship develop exceptional skills that enable them to elevate to higher leadership positions. These mentees may be able to secure even more significant administrative roles in the organization. An intern nurse that has a mentor within the institution tends to learn more skills associated with the field and will most likely remain in that hospital (Desimone et al, 2014). Additionally, the turnover cost of nurses will significantly reduce, and organizations will be able to retain those nurses and educators.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Informal and Formal Mentoring Programs and Relationships

Mentorship relationships may require different strategies and may possess different goals. Mentoring can be formal or informal. Although both may seem similar, they have some differences. Most likely, an informal mentorship may grow into a closer and long-term friendship. The mentor and the protégé relate to some chemistry, and they connect at a more personal level. In a formal mentorship, there is a defined structure. The relationship is founded on a particular business or professional objective and ends after a specific time frame. However, the mentor and the mentee may decide to continue relating to an informal approach.

Both mentoring approaches are beneficial and have some drawbacks. Formal mentorship is easy to implement and be monitored. The set goals in this relationship are usually accomplished to the latter since it operates on a given time frame, and there aren't friendly engagements. The mentors take pride in the protégé's achievements and are highly recognized. Formal mentorship is essential in an organization because it instills professionalism and enthusiasm and promotes the organization's standards, norms, and values. The establishment of formal mentorship programs has a tremendous positive impact on the organization's vision. However, the participants may experience differences in the scheduling of meetings. Other members of the group must also cooperate fully to achieve the maximum success of the program. Another disadvantage is the short time duration involved with the formal mentorship; usually, they last less than one year. Due to the high level of professionalism, it may be difficult for the mentees to showcase their ideas even when they are brilliant ones (Ghosh et al, 2013). This formal mentorship relationship makes the mentor appear like the sole source of advice, while the protégés have little to bring to the table. Therefore, teamwork is less likely to be in practice and may fail the mentorship.

In an informal mentorship, the protégés have the privilege to choose their mentors, and the relationship is long. The amicability between the participants provides a good ground for communication and understanding. In contrast, informal mentorship is challenging to implement and monitor. However, informal mentorship appears to be more effective than formal mentorship because the participants readily identify with each other. Mentoring in the friendly approach is more voluntary, making the mentorship analogous to a partnership. Meetings can occur in either a professional or casual set up, unlike the formal mentorship that sticks to a professional setting. Mentees can be open about their thoughts and ideas due to the friendly and relaxed vicinity. The mentee, therefore, gets the urge to emulate the mentor. This type of mentorship has shown to be more satisfactory for most people.

How Mentoring Relationships Support Career Development

Mentoring relationships have proven to be a great enhancer of career development. The experience provides an excellent opportunity for role modeling. Mentors' valuable advice facilitates the nurturing of new perspectives and steers the mentees towards the achievement of their aims. Sharing of the Challenges that occur at the workplace with a trustworthy person helps to achieve fundamental psychological support. Learning under a mentor enables one to develop knowledge and improve communication skills (Pomerenk et al, 2017). A mentor can also establish and build your professional network since they have walked the same path and have met various profitable people that may help expand your professional contact.

Conclusion

In conclusion, career development depends a lot on mentorship. If one starts on the right foot, then a successful career is promised. Not only does mentorship benefit the mentee but the mentor and the organization as well. The mentor can give back to society by passing down knowledge and ensuring the continuity of their particular career in the generations to come. By doing so, the mentor receives a feeling of achievement and satisfaction because they could be a source of knowledge. The organization, in turn, develops an organizational culture and encourages commitment and loyalty. Mentorship relationships should be supported as they are of great benefit.

References

Beech, B. M., Calles-Escandon, J., Hairston, K. G., Langdon, M. S. E., Latham-Sadler, B. A., & Bell, R. A. (2013). Mentoring programs for underrepresented minority faculty in academic medical centers: a systematic review of the literature. Academic medicine: journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 88(4). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835658/

Desimone, L. M., Hochberg, E. D., Porter, A. C., Polikoff, M. S., Schwartz, R., & Johnson, L. J. (2014). Formal and informal mentoring: Complementary, compensatory, or consistent?. Journal of Teacher Education, 65(2), 88-110. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022487113511643

Ghosh, R., & Reio Jr, T. G. (2013). Career benefits associated with mentoring for mentors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83(1), 106-116. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001879113001012

Pomerenk, J., & Chermak, H. (2017). Using Mentoring to Encourage Others (and Ourselves). College and University, 92(2), 31. http://search.proquest.com/openview/bdad3e070d414deb7cf857cece0f34a6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1059