Mentorship in nursing academia: A qualitative study and call to action

Objective: Around the world nursing education institutions have been calling for mentorship; however, little is known about nursing faculty member’s perspective on if and why mentorship is important and at what career stages it is most valuable. The purpose of this study is to describe the nursing faculty member’s perspectives on mentorship in Canadian schools of nursing and explore if, why, and when mentorship is perceived to be needed.Methods: A qualitative thematic analysis study was conducted. Participants were purposively samples from the 81 English-speaking schools to capture variation across rank, tenure, school size, and areas within Canada. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 48 nursing faculty members from across Canada. Interview data was thematically analyzed.Results: Mentorship was identified as being essential yet widely absent from academic nursing. Participants viewed mentorship as a professional responsibility, and vital in consideration of the nursing faculty shortage and potential impact on students. There was an expressed need for mentorship during transition, advancement, collaboration, and as a means of way finding essential resources.Conclusions: Identifying nursing faculty member’s perspectives on mentorship is an important first step in developing mentorship in academic nursing. Nursing faculty views should be considered in the development, execution, and evaluation of mentorship programs.