Celebrating National Mentoring Month

As we celebrate National Mentoring Month, NOBC is excited to launch the new Mentoring for Success program in partnership with Humana, expanding opportunities for nurses to grow, lead, and thrive. Below is a reflection from Vernell DeWitty, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, of Pourquois Diversity Consulting LLC and NOBC’s Leader of the Mentoring for Success Program.

January is National Mentoring Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the transformative power of mentoring relationships and encouraging individuals to become mentors. It is generally accepted that the term mentor derives from Homer’s Odyssey, where King Odysseus entrusts the care of his household to a man named Mentor, who serves as a teacher and overseer of the royal prince. Today, mentoring is defined as a learning partnership in which the mentor and mentee work collaboratively toward mutually defined goals, typically focused on developing the mentee’s skills, abilities, and knowledge. In essence, a more experienced or knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or knowledgeable person.

Mentoring programs in organizations take many forms and serve a variety of purposes. For some organizations, mentoring becomes a strategy for succession planning or talent development, and it often provides opportunities to recruit and retain emerging leaders. Research consistently shows that mentoring is one success factor in nursing student retention and completion of nursing school. Mentors can play a valuable role in guiding the development and advancement of nursing students throughout their careers. National Mentoring Month serves as a powerful reminder that everyone has something valuable to offer and that a few hours of guidance and support can make an immeasurable difference in someone’s life journey.