One of the many pillars of what makes a strong healthcare worker is a desire for growth and an openness to lifelong learning. Because of that, mentorship in healthcare has become a key part of a successful career. Collaboration between more seasoned healthcare workers and younger healthcare workers provides not only the opportunity for younger healthcare workers to learn but older healthcare workers to sharpen their skills. The end result is ultimately a stronger, more efficient workforce.
As older nurses and health professionals retire, facilities face insufficient levels of staff. Not only are more healthcare workers stepping down, but newer nurses and health professionals continue to prioritize their well-being and a positive work environment over facility loyalty. This leads to nurses and health professionals hopping facilities more frequently, leading to fewer healthcare workers sticking around long enough to become an experienced mentor. In a time where boosting retention and providing excellent patient care remains paramount, Medely dives into what’s caused the reduction in mentorship in healthcare, why mentorship is critical to reducing staff turnover, and how facilities can foster a safe, healthy environment to assist mentorship programs and boost morale.
Why mentorship in healthcare feels harder to find
Skilled mentorship doesn’t have a formula to follow to guarantee success, but it does require grit, confidence, and a certain amount of clinical experience in order to accurately train and guide younger or less experienced nurses or health professionals. This means that having a diverse range of nurses and health professionals is necessary for a successful mentorship program. More seasoned nurses and health professionals have years of experience perfecting clinical skills and can offer guidance on larger-scale topics, such as burnout, stress, salary conversations, volatility based on the political climate, and career growth.
But with 19% of the nursing workforce being made up of Baby Boomers, many are seeking retirement, leaving a large gap in older healthcare workers who can mentor younger nurses and health professionals. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, “23% of RNs working in outpatient, ambulatory, and clinical settings have retired or plan to retire over the next 5 years.” With such a staggering number of nurses seeking retirement, facilities are left with fewer expert nurses to successfully champion a mentorship program.
Not only are facilities losing people due to retirement, they’re also navigating general staff shortages due to high turnover rates. Fewer nurses are staying long enough to gain the experience necessary to become mentors themselves, leaving facilities with a less experienced workforce. According to a survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “more than 138,000 nurses have left the workforce since 2022,” and “39.9% of RNs and 41.3% of LPN/VNs reported an intent to leave the workforce or retire within the next five years.” In the wake of such a large loss of healthcare workers, a new focus needs to be on promoting a positive work environment that combats turnover. One of the ways facilities can foster a healthier workforce is by setting up mentorship programs that encourage long-term employment at a facility.
Benefits of mentorship in healthcare
Investing in mentorship isn’t just something that strengthens younger healthcare workers and helps them gain confidence in their skills. There are numerous benefits that come with strong mentorship in healthcare, including more positive patient outcomes, better retention, and a more cohesive workforce.
Better retention for younger nurses and health professionals
According to the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report, “Over twenty-two percent (22.3%) of all newly hired RNs left within a year, with first year turnover accounting for a third (31.9%) of all RN separations.” As more new nurses and health professionals leave, this creates a more exhausted, burnt-out workforce due to gaps in coverage or long hours, which can lead to negative patient outcomes and worse care. And if healthcare workers don’t stay long in their careers, their skillset will not have the opportunity to grow, because they’re not practicing the skills. This can lead to worsened patient care and negative long-term outcomes, also contributing to burnout as more veteran nurses and health professionals work to pick up the slack.
Establishing healthcare mentorship programs early on in careers can lead to more healthcare workers staying in the industry, solving the ongoing problem of lowered retention rates. According to a study on nurse mentorship, when a novice nurse was paired up with a mentor, “58.9% of mentees reported that their mentoring relationship had positively influenced their decision to stay in nursing.” Prioritizing new healthcare worker mentorship programs can not only lead to a more engaged, tight-knit workforce, but it can also lead to a reduction in turnover that will inevitably create stronger facilities.
Tight-knit community
Being connected to a facility’s mission, staff, and leadership is becoming increasingly important for nurses and health professionals. Not only does this reduce burnout and turnover, but it also creates a stronger workforce. When staff get along well with their peers, it keeps them more engaged. In healthcare, having a strong team helps with general morale and can make a difference in patient outcomes.
Angela Benoit, CNO at Townsen Memorial Hospital, knows this firsthand. As a leader, she’s committed to encouraging her team and focusing on making them better nurses and health professionals, even the ones who aren’t full-time at her facility.
Even with the demands of being CNO, Angela makes it a priority to spend time on the floor. She knows her presence can shape how her staff feels and performs, and one moment in particular stands out—a time when her mentorship changed the course of someone’s day. During a period of transition at one of her facilities, Angela was utilizing Medely to fill gaps in coverage. One of the Medely nurses was given a few patients who had incredibly challenging IV sticks. Instead of dismissing the nurse, Angela took the time to help with the challenging IV sticks and encourage the nurse. After her encouragement, the nurse had zero problems and has become a regular favorite at the facility. “At the heart of me, I always stay in preceptor mode and really care about the growth of nurses and our healthcare team,” Angela shared. “So even if they don’t have a ton of experience, I think that their experience working with us has helped grow their experience. Not everybody has to have it all, but I think participating in the growth of these clinicians and gaining the skill set is important.”
Strong mentors throughout all levels of the healthcare facility create a stronger, more competent workforce where healthcare workers can learn and thrive in their environment.
How to get started
Establishing a mentorship program doesn’t have to be a lengthy or complicated process. Take stock of how many nurses and health professionals are on the floor and figure out who has the skills and drive necessary to be a mentor and who could benefit from someone walking alongside them.
Then, have a conversation with your staff. See if this is something they would be interested in, and then pair them up based on department, skillset, or personalities you think would mesh well together. Make sure to schedule regular check-ins to make sure that things are going well and mentors and mentees are getting along well.
As facilities work to build a strong group of nurses and health professionals who can guide one another, adding per diem workers can be a beneficial part of a mentorship strategy. Bringing in fresh nurses and health professionals to fill gaps allows for different points of view, skill sets, and expertise to enhance an established workforce. A diverse workforce offers more opportunities for mentorship outside what full-time staff can provide, making room for nurses and health professionals who have expertise in a wider range of specialties and skills. Medely’s on-demand Talent Marketplace allows facilities to create a more varied workforce through posting open shifts to credentialed nurses and health professionals in the area. With Medely’s vetting process, facilities can be sure that per diem workers are qualified and ready to seamlessly integrate with the existing team and culture.
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