MENTORING PROGRAMS FOR REGISTERED NURSES

WHEREAS, new nurses have demonstrated competency regarding the knowledge required for license and nursing practice; and

WHEREAS, new nurses have limited experience in the clinical setting; and

WHEREAS, working in the clinical arena is more efficient when a new nurse has a mentor who is prepared to offer clinical experiences, best practices in dealing with patient care, and much-needed support for the new professionals to learn how to respond to the individual needs of each person they care for in a timely and appropriate manner; and

WHEREAS, registered nurses who leave nursing with a year or less of experience have said on their exit interviews that they were not given the necessary support personally and professionally in the clinical arena; and

WHEREAS, American Federation of Teachers locals could play an important role in establishing programs to assist in the transition of student nurse to working nurse by providing a qualified mentor to new nurses who stand to benefit from this process; and

WHEREAS, the role of a mentor can be essential when helping an experienced nurse adjust from a hospital environment to the role of home care and other nursing transitions from one nursing specialty to another; and

WHEREAS, mentoring should include the appropriate qualifications of a mentor, time allocated and clinical experiences:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will encourage its healthcare locals to consider adoption of a mentoring program; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will assist locals seeking to negotiate mentoring programs with the best practices for the profession and contract language.