Design and implementation of an evidence based pilot peer mentorship program tailored for the newly hired staff nurses at the Perley and Rideau Veterans Health Center

The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Center (Perley Rideau) is one of the largest and innovative long-term care homes in Ontario. As Best Practice Spotlight Organization and leading in frailty informed care, the Perley and Rideau maintains their excellent person-centered care best practices through implementation and evaluation of Best Practice Guidelines in collaboration with Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. Part of Perley Rideau’s 2010-2025 strategic plan was to attract, develop and retain strong nurse leaders that promote culture of safety and innovation. The Perley Rideau organization is committed in strengthening and sustaining nursing leadership and increase capacity among its staff nurses.

In 2019, I was fortunate to be selected as the recipient of the RNAO Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship in the BPG Implementation Stream. The focus of my fellowship is to expand my knowledge and expertise in program development though leading the design and implementation of an evidenced based mentorship program from RNAO BPG Developing and Sustaining Nursing Leadership recommendation 2.3 - Nurse leaders act as coaches and mentors to develop leadership expertise in others and further develop their own professional skills.

My specific learning goals that guided the fellowship are as follows: to improve my understanding of current evidence and effective strategies of nursing mentorship programs; to enhance my proficiency in conducting stakeholder analysis related to program implementation; to expand my knowledge and skills in data analysis and synthesis through designing a nursing mentorship program template for long term care settings; to develop competencies in effectively selecting and tailoring implementation strategies of a pilot mentorship program within our organization.

To achieve my learning goals, in collaboration with the Perley Rideau’s team of mentors, BPSO team, my primary mentor, and support of the nurse leaders from other health care organizations and academic institutions, the following activities were conducted. I reviewed current related literature to further understand the key elements and structures of an effective mentorship program, the role of mentors and mentees, facilitators or coordinators role, challenges and success of a mentorship program, and sustainability strategies. Internal environmental scan surveys of newly hired nurses were also conducted to gather ideas, perceptions, and thoughts of newly hired nurses in designing a mentorship tailored for the Perley Rideau. Managers and senior nurses were also interviewed to obtain their input on design and on how to support the implementation and sustainability of a new mentorship program.

In addition to the mentioned activities, I had a chance to interview other nurse leaders from external organizations in regard to their existing mentorship programs and shared their lesson learned. I am fortunate to connect with one of the professors in an academic institution who became my additional mentor.

Although it was near the end of the fellowship, I had the opportunity to attend the Virtual Clinical Best Practice Guidelines Institute which provided me with a deeper understanding of knowledge translation and uptake as well as BPG implementation strategies and ideas in sustaining practice change.

Despite being in the middle of a pandemic, the Perley Rideau team of mentors offered their full support in completing my fellowship. This fellowship taught me a multitude of skills, knowledges and expertise that have enhanced my personal and professional growth and development. Skills such as participating in gap analysis, quality improvement, utilizing best practice frameworks, stakeholder engagement activities, environmental scan, conducting Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, data evaluation, program planning and design, facilitating and monitoring program progress, program evaluation and sustainability planning.